What made the Beijing 2022 opening unique?
While the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics last night provided a visual feast, some of its details might easily have been missed when watching on TV. Now follow SHINE to explore the behind-the-stage world.
Why was the Olympic flame so tiny?
Only the word "unique" can be used to describe the Olympic flame of this Games. It is undoubtedly the tiniest, probably the cutest flame in the entire history of modern Olympic Games.
The Olympic flame.
Director Zhang Yimou wanted to promote the idea of a low-carbon lifestyle but it was not easy as the flame couldn't be replaced by light or any other electric devices.
Zhang said that the International Olympic Committee was initially hesitant about the "tiny flame," but eventually agreed.
"I believe that the idea of 'lighting up a blaze' at the Olympic Games will eventually change one day, so why not just let the change begin with this game in Beijing?" he said.
Clean hydrogen energy is used to support the flame until the end of the games. The flame cauldron consumed 5,000 cubic meters' of fuel every hour during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and this is not going to happen again.
Who were the two athletes "lighting" the Olympic cauldron?
Dinigeer Yilamujiang, a cross-country skier from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region joined Shanxi-born Nordic combined athlete Zhao Jiawen to insert the torch of the Olympic flame into the snowflake-shaped cauldron.
The two names might not sound familiar to most, but they represent "inheritance" and "breakthrough."
Yilamujiang was born in Altay Prefecture of Xinjiang, which is considered the cradle of skiing. In 2005, a cliff painting was found in Altay, in which a man was depicted hunting on a snowboard, with a ski pole in his hand. The painting could be dated to more than 10,000 years ago. This is so far the earliest record of skiing in human history.
Thick snow covers the mountains in Altay for around six months each year, so that local people practically live with snow. No wonder many alpines or cross-country skiers with the Chinese national team are from the area.
Meanwhile, Zhao will be the first Chinese athlete participating in Nordic combined at the Winter Olympic Games. It is a great breakthrough for both him and the country.
The two athletes "lighting" the Olympic cauldron.
How did the Olympic ring appear from the huge "ice block?"
The appearance of the Olympic ring is always a significant moment at opening ceremonies and this time we saw the five rings rise from a huge "ice block" after it was broken by ice-hockey players.
The movement of the three-dimensional cube, which weighed 400 tons, was not easy. It is indeed rocket science: The 16 mechanical structures supporting the cube were developed by a team whose daily work is building rocket launchers.
Ice-hockey players about to break the "ice block" to reveal the Olympic ring.
The opening show represents the beginning of spring.
Who are the children who sang the Olympic Anthem?
When the Olympic flag rose at the stadium, 44 children sang the Olympic Anthem in Greek. They are from Fuping County of Hebei Province. Although their hometown is just 300 kilometers from Beijing, for most of them it was the first time they had visited the capital of the country and performed on a formal stage.
Children who sang the Olympic Anthem learnt to sing in Greek after they were invited to perform at the opening ceremony.
The tiger-shaped hats and shoes they wore while singing the Olympic Anthem were to mark the new Year of the Tiger, and a best, vigorous wish to the games, to the year, and to their own future.
What was the song playing at the "together with a shared future" moment?
At this moment, a line of young people walked through the stadium and a virtual scroll unfolded behind them, showing pictures of people making a living around the world. The song playing is titled "Fill the World With Love," which was written in 1986 and recorded by 100 top singing stars in China back then.
In China, the song has the same influence as Michael Jackson's "We Are the World," and is sung when solidarity and mutual understanding are most important, just as they are now.
What did the "solar terms" in the countdown mean and how were they related to the opening performance "Beginning of Spring?"
According to Zhang, he didn't realize that the opening ceremony was going to fall on the solar term "Beginning of Spring" until two years after he began to prepare for the opening show.
The coincidence inspired the idea of the countdown, in which the 24 solar terms of the ancient Chinese calendar were displayed.
"Usually the countdown begins from 60, and sometimes 30 or 10, and the audience might wonder, 'Why did they begin from 24?'" Zhang said, "I believe it's a good time to display our culture."
The scene echoes the song "Fill the World With Love."
