The number 8 happens to be very prosperous in Chinese culture. It is interesting to note how meticulously everything was chosen around the number 8. The show started at 08:08 on 08-08-08.
Several of my friends later described this event as an example of immaculate execution, some cited this as a classic case of Chinese ability to mobilize human resource, but, in my humble opinion, this is a fairy tale of victory of human imagination, triumph of human aspiration. Mixing their ancient culture with modern technology, the Chinese people simultaneously showcased their rich heritage from the past and their desire to dominate the future.
The director of the show demonstrated an uncanny mastery in symbolism. Every theme was carefully chosen to depict certain aspect of the Chinese culture, to showcase its prowess and to make a bold statement about its future.
The “bird's nest" is a befitting architecture from that perspective.
Who could have imagined such a syncopated orchestration of so many drummers - drumming a 5000 year old instrument discovered only 3 years back? The pattern that was formed by the drummers was also visually pleasing. [On a lighter note, the formation could be an inspiration for the next chocolate square design - with caramel on top. Chocolate makers of the world - are you paying attention?]
The spirit of the games – harmony – was well represented throughout the evening. The formations - I later learned from a Chinese professor - represents harmony in Chinese characters. The 57 kids donned in traditional outfit represented as many ethnic groups in China. Depiction of the Ming dynasty – a period in Chinese history when China used to be very open - was used to exhibit openness. A scrolling giant LCD screen used as a canvas for a century old art form was a statement in modern innovation and engineering. Both the painting and the way it was created were mind-blowing - what a creativity, what an imagination! Similarly, a show in the "city of kites" couldn't be complete without a kite show - here the Chinese touch was the human kite. The fact that the Chinese invented the use of magnetic compass in maritime passage was well showcased when hundreds of performers created the shape of a boat.
Such symbolic messages were abundant throughout the celebration. Even though there were solo performers, each performance had a large support cast. The message from a collectivist culture was amply clear – individual success depends largely on group. The handover of the Olympics' flag to military personnel implicitly expressed the confidence and trust placed in the nation’s army and its military strength. The resounding statement feels like "nothing is going to happen under my watch." [The director of the show must have watched A Few Good Men! :-)] No wonder China is now a voting-member of the UN Security Council.
The parade of the nation was also unique. Rather than following the traditional alphabetical order in which participating nations come out, the order was based on the number of strokes it takes to represent a country in Chinese language. When the Chinese contingency came out, by having the 9-year old earthquake survivor next to NBA’s Ming, China sent out a strong message. A bright future lies ahead of the country if one of its 9 year old can demonstrate such personal leadership in the face of such adverse calamity.
Lastly, the erection of the Olympic cauldron (the commentator on NBC did mention that it wasn’t there even 30 minutes before the torch was going to be lit) proves modern China’s engineering prowess. And the way the final torch bearer approached the cauldron was so creative and original.
I find symbolism in the "One World One Dream" slogan as well as the “You and me” song. China wants to embrace the open market, wants to capitalize on the “One World” created by globalization.
Needless to say, I enjoyed every bit of the opening ceremony. This would be a hard act to follow for the future Olympic Game hosts.
Returning to my own backyard, I hope our leaders exhibit similar open-minded, imaginative forward thinking. I truly believe that such a great feat was achieved by not saying "we can't do it", "no one has done it before", etc. but by asking "how we can do it?" and then by working collectively towards a solution. That's the Chinese difference. That's the lesson I took away from the 2008 Beijing Olympics - victory will belong to those who dream, the world will belong to those who try to scale new heights.
Less ...
© 2008 Sanjoy Haldar
