Peace and prosperity appeared to be the defining themes of the Opening Ceremony for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing on Friday (February 4).
As a slew of shining fireworks lit up the night sky, it appeared to be a step in the correct direction for a world still struggling many times over with the ghastly COVID-19 pandemic. Beijing ensured that the 2022 Winter Games would go on, and that a show would indeed be put on.
Directed by Chinese cinematographer Zhang Yimou, who also directed the opening ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympics—also in Beijing—the opening ceremony was not shy on demonstrating to the world the theatrics that China is capable of. A rising power, China has planted its position on the world stage in recent decades, with vast economic growth throughout the early 21st century, and it has no intentions on slowing down. In a sense, this opening show seemed to emphasize that idea.
Performed at the center of National Stadium, commonly called the Bird’s Nest, the spectacle was scaled back due to the pandemic, featuring 3,000 performers rather than the 15,000 which the 2008 Games featured. Yimou managed to pack in a punch with this show, as the stadium was inundated with a flurry of LED lights creating various displays of images including blooming flowers and snowflakes, emphasizing peace, unity and the ushering in of a new era.
As classical music rang through the stadium and fireworks lit up the night sky, there was no denying the genuinely stunning nature of these visual performances. All inclusive, performances from individual groups representing each of the ninety-one countries partaking in the 2022 games were included. While Great Britain donned thick-capped jackets featuring their iconic Union Jack, a shirtless Nathan Crumpton representing the United States from the American Samoa marched out shirtless and in flip-flops in twenty-degree winter weather.
“Getting a chance to walk hand-in-hand, carrying our flag with another one of our teammates…It’s a tremendous honor,” said American curler and Team USA member John Shuster. Shuster, along with speed skater Brittany Bowe, were chosen as Team USA’s two flag-bearers, a position commonly looked up upon with high honor.
To cap off the opening ceremony, an ensemble of performers draped in red and proudly waving the Chinese flag, the Parade of Nations, marched into the stadium. A plethora of roars and cheers rang through the stadium as Chinese President Xi Jinping, who accompanied the Parade, was introduced, and officially rang in the 2022 Olympic Games.
One of the members of the Parade of Nations was renowned Chinese speed skater Gao Tingyu, who will be competing in the 2022 Games. “Bearing the Chinese national flag gives me extra motivation,” he wrote on the Chinese social media site Weibo. “I have been looking forward to doing this for a long time.”
The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing kicked off on today, February 4th, and are set to continue until February 20th, and Celeb Secrets will be keeping you updated with extensive coverage from the Olympic Games.
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