The story of “a snowflake” was central to the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games from the beginning to the end. The image of a snowflake was seen from the countdown video, the placards of participating nations and regions, the costumes of the performers, the show of the “peace doves” to the main torch stand. “We hope the snowflake can convey the common emotions shared by mankind and reflect the theme of ‘One World, One Family’,” said Zhang Yimou, the first director of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games in China.

[Photo/IC]

The Opening Ceremony delivered China’s promise of holding a “simple, safe and splendid” event for all. Compared with 2008, China presented a very modern gala performance with shorter duration and fewer performers this time. In the “peace dove” show, a group of children with illuminated dove models in their hands, played happily in the venue, leaving “footprints” in snowflakes. In “tribute to the People” part, dozens of young people walked towards the stage with hundreds of photos of ordinary people slowly unfolding behind them. “The torch stand is also a bold design,” said Zhang Yimou, “the cauldron is the giant ‘snowflake’ which appears in the arena many times. It comprises smaller individual ‘snowflakes’ with the names of participating nations and regions.” Out of consideration for the environment, the Olympic torch was directly set in the big “snowflake” cauldron.

Translated by Zhao Yuan from Beijing Foreign Studies University