In the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, China undoubtedly made it clear to the rest of the world that they were no longer a world of the old, but had, just like every other country in the world, become very modernized . The way Zhang Yimou collaborated Chinese traditional elements with the choreography, LCD screen, and fireworks show was amazing. I loved the footprints making their way through the streets of Beijing, Tienanmen Square, and the Forbidden City, up until the very mouth of the Olympic stadium. I dare to say, that this suggests that, although what happened in the Tienanmen Square was devastatingly tragic, that there is no choice but to move away from the past and to move forward into the generation of a new China. A China that hosts the world renowned Olympics.
Another point in the opening ceremony that I noticed suggested a new China, was right before the singing of the national anthem. All around the flag post where women and men dressed in the traditional clothing of various different eras of China. Carrying the flags towards this congregation, was a small group of children donning the same types of outfits, and carrying the national flag of China. I took this as a symbolic representation of the youth promoting a new generation of China. Young children to me suggest innocence and a fresh start, therefore I believe that the group of children signifies that a new innocent China should be given a well deserved fresh start by the rest of the world.
Now, this review is just my personal interpretation of these particular segments of the opening ceremony. I am in no place to say whether the Chinese government has a right to a fresh start when they still violate so many human rights laws it is not even funny. However, I do believe that this opening ceremony did shine a new light of the previous ambiguous and shady portrayal of China. What with its' beautifully artistic numerous presentations promoting harmony, dedication, hard work, and a collective mind set, the opening ceremony was breathtaking, and I am sure that it made a lasting impression on all those who watched it.
Personally, my favorite part of this piece was the dancers imprinting their moves onto the LCD scroll. I absolutely adore any form of dance as well as art, and this segment was wonderfully awe-inspiring and precise. Not only were the dancers moves hard to keep my eyes off, Zhang Yimou's well known color schemes also held my undivided attention.
All in all, Zhang Yimou did an amazing job with the opening ceremony. Many may say that he sold out in order to help the PRC better promote themselves, however during the actual opening ceremony, I doubt that there was anyone in all of China who did not feel proud and inspired having their nation in all its glory shown to every other country in the world. Will the promises that the PRC made in order to book the 2008 Beijing Olympics ring true? Only time will tell, but it is definitely something that we can all hope for.
Yes, i agree with you. Even though I tried to see the two events(the Olympics and the expo) with critical perspective, I can not deny that the two national events are successful in terms of advancing and promoting Chinese people and China itself towards what the government plans and dreams about. Seriously, I'm not even a Chinese, but when I was watching the videos I was close to almost cry!! haha.. I mean I little bit exaggerated, but we could still imagine that how much these two event influenced on ordinary Chinese people.
ReplyDeleteI loved how you interpreted the firework footsteps from Tienanmen Square to the Olympic stadium. I also thought it was a very moving piece. It really inspired for a progression forward to a brighter and promising future. And it goes without saying that the Beijing Olympic and opening ceremony made a statement that China was fully capable!
ReplyDeleteI have not heard that there had been criticisms of Zhang Yimou for "selling out" to promote the CCP, but that seems like an interesting point, considering his film Hero. A similar criticism was voiced when at the end of Hero, it is revealed that Jet Li's character gives up his personal quest in order to allow the King of Qin conquer China for the greater good. The message was not very subtle, in that giving up personal glory for the greater good was the nobler road to take. Zhang was attacked for supporting the CCP in that case, and it appears that he may have been again, here.
ReplyDeleteI feel in the same way about the opening ceremony in a sense that this did show the rest of the world that China has come a long way and it does seem like the government is persuing a fresh start but just as you said, there are still many underlying problems in China. Something that I thought about was that perhaps the government is not really intending portraying this "fresh start" notion and that they formatted this ceremony strictly to impress the rest of the world or to just give them what they want.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that China “made it clear to the rest of the world that they became modernized” in the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. There must be many people who visited Beijing after watching the impressive opening ceremony. I like the official song and slogan of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, “One World, One Dream”, (同一个世界 同一个梦想) because it emphasizes how important it is for all of us to unite as one regardless of our nationalities or backgrounds. I also agree with you that “although what happened in Tienanmen Square was devastatingly tragic, there is no choice but to move away from the past and to move forward into the generation of a new China,” and the opening ceremony seemed to put great emphasis on this. Although we can learn a lot from the past events, there are only the things that we cannot change when we look back. Therefore, the opening ceremony seemed to encourage or inspire people to feel more positive about their future.
ReplyDeleteBinh-Young Tsao, I completely agree. While watching the opening ceremony, I definitely noticed how heavily influenced it was by the CCP. Although I do not expect the CCP to point out its' mistakes to the world, the opening ceremony certainly showcases the immensely positive aspects of China. Especially with their overly expensive preparation for the Olympics. People from other countries watching this will of course forget how impoverished the people of China are, and how lax the CCP still are on their human rights laws.
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