US media: The opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics has these highlights

Time magazine article on January 25, original title: Everything about the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics The successful hosting of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics marked China's "rise" as a global superpower. One-third of the world's people watched the $100 million event. About 15,000 performers participated in a large-scale production showcasing the essence of Chinese history and culture. About 91,000 spectators, including foreign dignitaries such as then-U.S. President George W. Bush, attended the opening ceremony, which American director Spielberg called "the grandest spectacle since the turn of the millennium."

In contrast, as the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will be the second Olympic Games to be held under strict epidemic prevention measures. Foreign sports fans and the vast majority of local spectators will not be able to watch the game live. But China has vowed to host a historic opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics. The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics will begin at 7:30 p.m. Beijing time on February 4. So, what are the highlights of the opening ceremony?

The Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee has made "simple, safe and wonderful" the requirements for the Winter Olympic Games, and the opening ceremony will reflect this theme. Zhang Yimou, an internationally renowned director who directed the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics, will direct the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. The opening ceremony will still be held at the National Stadium, known as the "Bird's Nest", and the performance time will be 1 hour and 40 minutes, with about 3,000 performers. Due to the cold weather and epidemic prevention and control considerations, the scale of the opening ceremony has been reduced compared with the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Zhang Yimou promised to adopt an "innovative" ignition method to echo China's low-carbon environmental protection concept.

At the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Former Chinese gymnast and entrepreneur Li Ning was hoisted by a steel wire and ran along the edge of the National Stadium to light the Olympic flame. China has yet to announce who will light the main torch for this year's Winter Olympics.

During the Winter Olympics, the Bird's Nest will not host any events, but will hold opening and closing ceremonies. Summer Olympic venues such as the National Aquatics Center and the National Stadium will be reused. China has also built a new speed skating venue known as the "Ice Ribbon". In addition, China built the world's first permanently retained ski jumping site, the Shougang Ski Jump. (By Chad De Guzman, translated by Li Meng)