Emitted one per second in the final 30-second countdown to the Opening Ceremony, 29 burning footprints rise into the sky above Beijing, travelling along the axis of the ancient capital city in a series of firework explosions.
Asparas, mythical Buddhist goddesses, float above the stadium floor. Clustering gracefully around the Olympic rings, their costumes glow with light.
56 children from China’s 56 ethnic groups cluster around the Chinese national flag.
Members of China’s 56 ethnic minority groups come together to sing the Chinese national anthem in the National Anthem Chorus.
A short artistic film depicts the process of Chinese scroll painting—from papermaking and coloring to the mounting of the final painting.
A Chinese painting scroll opens on the floor of the stadium, marking the beginning of the evening’s performances.
The 3,000 disciples of Confucius chant a famous line from Confucius’ Analects—"All those within the four seas can be considered his brothers."
Percussionists accompany a performance of traditional Peking Opera. Peking Opera is just one of the hundreds of forms of traditional Chinese opera, many of which are still performed today.
This is the percussion performance of traditional Peking Opera of China. As China has a vast territory with numerous dialects, hundreds of traditional operas have been derived.
The actor is singing Kunqu, which is an ancient and traditional art and has been selected into world intangible cultural heritage list.
World-renowned classical pianist Lang Lang performs a duet with 5-year-old Li Muzi. Li began learning to play the piano at the age of 4.
Taijiquan is the most representative form of shadow boxing, a Chinese martial art characterized by its combination of juxtaposing themes—dynamic and static, hard and soft.
It took more than a year to design, construct, and install the gigantic elevating globe.
