Beijing Olympics 2008

Dancers dressed in traditional Chinese warrior costumes will feature in the Beijing Games Opening Ceremony / AP

The footage of floating 3D humpback whales, kung fu fighters and trapeze gymnasts gave viewers a tantalising glimpse of what’s to come / AP

Chinese placard bearers rehearsing for the Opening Ceremony wait for their turn to enter the National [...]

China’s most famous film director, Zhang Yimou (”Raise the Red Lantern,” “House of Flying Daggers”), spent the last three years designing the spectacle, trying to boil 5,000 years of Chinese history into a 50-minute show.
Undulating white columns apparently simulated a waterfall, and giant blue whales were projected onto the strips of roof bordering the opening [...]