Opening ceremony of Winter Olympics praised by foreign media

Fourteen years on, all eyes are again focused on Beijing. At the stroke of 8 on Friday night, the 2022 Winter Olympics opened at the National Stadium, popularly known as the Bird's Nest, with a splendid opening ceremony, making Beijing the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics. As the success of the 2008 Summer Games gave the winter rendition a higher profile, how did foreign media report on the opening ceremony? Let's take a look through keywords.

Brilliant visuals

According to AFP, Beijing tried its best to celebrate the start of the Winter Olympics despite freezing temperatures and tight coronavirus restrictions.

NPR praised Beijing for putting on "an eye-catching, if subdued, opening ceremony."

Further, The Times thought "it was recognized globally as the gold-medal winner of opening ceremonies" with the lighting of the Olympic flame being "one of the great sharp-intake-of-breath moments."

The Guardian echoed by illustrating "spectacular lighting of the Olympic flame follows an understated but beautifully realized opening ceremony" one of 11 key moments in the opening ceremony.

According to RT, China dazzled the world "with a spellbinding opening ceremony which showcased its increasing confidence and influence." "Friday's show in Beijing was pared back due to the shadow of COVID and took place in frigid conditions, but was nonetheless impressive in its visual brilliance."

AP used three words to describe the opening ceremony: "Lights. Cheers. Fireworks."

"Aided by a dazzling series of digital displays on a massive HD LED floor, hundreds of Chinese students and ordinary citizens ushered in the Olympics with an homage to winter heavy on references to local folklore," it reported.

ABC News released an article titled "Ceremony features high-tech performances" which read: "About 400 performers took to the stage waving giant LED sticks meant to represent a waving Spring willow tree. On the floor of the arena, a cinematic light display played, with butterflies and dandelions welcoming the return of the season."

Reuters mentioned Zhang Yimou who's behind the ceremony.

"Directed by Zhang Yimou, reprising his role from Beijing's 2008 Summer Games triumph, the event featured 3,000 performers – most of them children and teenagers – on a stage comprised of 11,600 square meters of high-definition LED screen resembling an ice surface," it reported.

So did the Kyodo News. "Under the artistic direction of acclaimed filmmaker Zhang Yimou, the opening ceremony combined traditional song and dance elements with cutting-edge lighting technology to tell 'The Story of a Snowflake,' drawing inspiration from a poem written 1,300 years ago by Chinese poet Li Bai."

March-in sequence

Reuters noticed the Chinese-style march-in sequence.

"In keeping with Olympic tradition, the parade was led into the stadium by Greece with the rest ordered by stroke number in the first character of their Chinese name, which meant Turkey was second, followed by Malta, with host China going last and drawing roars from the stadium crowd," it reported.

CNN further explained it, "The Chinese writing system has characters composed of strokes. The countries are ordered by the number of strokes that are counted in the first character of the Chinese name, from lowest to highest."

Lunar calendar elements

The Year of the Tiger has just rang in. The opening ceremony began with a spectacular light and fireworks show that lit up the sky with the English word "spring" as Friday marked lichun, the first of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, indicating the start of spring.

AP reported: "Children raised doves toward the sky and performed songs wearing traditional tiger-head shoes just days after ringing in the Year of the Tiger."

Reuters reported: "Held on the first day of Spring of the Chinese calendar, the ceremony began with a performance by dancers waving glowing green stalks to convey the vitality of the season, followed by an explosion of white and green fireworks that spelled the word 'Spring.'"

Inspiring messages

It's such an auspicious coincidence that the opening ceremony started in the nick of time of lichun, which delivers inspiring messages such as hope and vitality, as is the Games' motto "Together for a Shared Future."

According to NPR: "The ceremony's organizers sought to emphasize togetherness – notably at a time when much of the world is very much apart due to the coronavirus pandemic. That separation stretches to the actual Games – which is occurring within a closed loop."

ABC News released an article titled "Dazzling display represents unity" which read: "Snowflakes representing all of the countries converged on the floor of the National Stadium, symbolizing the world coming together. The imagery was inspired by the uniqueness of each individual snowflake, as well as a Chinese poem that describes a snowy canopy at the center of a gathering."

Russian broadcaster RT commented: "The opening ceremony at Beijing's National Stadium – known as the Bird's Nest for its distinctive design – drew on themes of 'peace' and 'a brighter future' as President Xi officially opened the 24th edition of the Winter Games."

The German Press Agency (dpa) cited a plea from International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach saying "give peace a chance."

"In our fragile world, where division, conflict and mistrust are on the rise, we show the world: Yes, it is possible to be fierce rivals while at the same time living peacefully and respectfully together," he said.