opening ceremonies review

The opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was not only a celebration of Chinese culture and history, but also allowed China to send a very clear message to the world: We will no longer be considered undeveloped and looked down upon by the western world; maybe we are not yet completely caught up, but we are capable of things just as great, if not greater. China had been preparing for the Olympics for years and seized the opportunity with the world watching them to show what they were capable of.
Beginning with the drumming performance, the opening ceremonies was clearly going to feature China’s ability to mobilize its large population for public projects. Each following scene included countless individuals all with specific roles required to be carried out flawlessly in order for the performance to proceed smoothly. The most impressive of which may have been the moving display of the characters and evolution of the “he” character, in which each box was operated by a human. The coordination required to perform such a routine requires endless hours of training and preparation, and there is only one noticeable mistake, when a single box does not fall on time. At the end of each of these massive human performances, the performers all wave to the crowd, receiving acknowledgement for the show that they just put on. Perhaps reading more into that, by showing that the performances were all done by humans and not programmed into a computer, China is proving that they are capable of using their enormous man power to great result. While not overtly communist in its presentation, this is also a nod to the idea of sacrificing individual accomplishment in order to achieve a greater common goal. Indeed, in this case, the whole was definitely greater than the sum of its parts.
The story the opening ceremonies took was that of the great history and culture of China. China seemingly wanted to remind the world that while it may have had a turbulent recent history, the greater history of its culture was one to be admired for its accomplishments and contributions to the world. The constant use of fireworks may appear to simply be a visual display, but it is important to remember that China is credited with the invention of gunpowder and fireworks, and the pervasiveness of fireworks only serves to remind us of one of China’s great contributions. During the scroll movement, the gu qing is also played, which China claims is the oldest plucked string instrument in the world. The showcasing of the calligraphy and evolution of Chinese characters goes to show how one of the world’s oldest languages came about, and it is of note that the Chinese written language is the basis for Japanese and Korean written languages as well.
While China was clearly trying to put on the greatest show possible, it was also straightforward in its message to the rest of the world. China may have had troubles the last few decades, but it has an extensive history filled with cultural phenomena and contributions to the world. The world should not look at China as a nation still trying to catch up to the western world, but as a nation that is on the cusp of becoming one of the great world powers for years to come.