Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony

The 2008 Beijing Olympics got off with a bang on Friday. At eight minutes past eight o'clock the opening ceremony of the Olympics started off. The much anticipated ceremony was broadcast worldwide on several new network channels.

It started with a dramatic fireworks display, which lasted for several dozen minutes. Several hundreds of tons of fireworks were used throughout the course of the ceremony. More money was spent on the fireworks in the displays alone then had been spent in a few other Olympics entire opening ceremonies.

The ceremony was heavily guarded by Chinese soldiers. During the ceremony three activists from the United States were arrested for their pro-Tibet protests. Massive rallies of people protested the Olympics in China in the cities of Nepal and India.

Despite the political presence that hangs over the Beijing Olympics the beautiful displays in the opening ceremony released the pressure at least for a moment. The Chinese Government has been under pressure from many political leaders worldwide such as, most recently United States President George W. Bush.

The opening ceremony included over ten-thousand performers of all kinds. Each participating in the various breath taking displays. Over ninety-thousand people packed the new national stadium, know as the Bird's Nest due to it's steel lattice construction. The choreographed show that they watched in the stadium took seven years to plan and cost over forty-billion dollars US.

Over three hours after the beginning the Beijing Olympics ceremony, Chinese President Hu Jintao declared the games officially open. As he did so, champion gymnast Li Ning was winced up to the rim of the stadium with the Olympic torch in a theatrical performance. He then made his way over to the Olympic cauldron in the stadium which he lit with the torch. As he lit the torch a massive plume of fireworks burst skyward, marking the beginning of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.