Happy children to help kick off Games
The Beijing Olympic Games' opening ceremony will end in a chorus of hope and love, with a huge picture of more than 10,000 children from around the world laughing and smiling, ceremony director Zhang Yimou said yesterday.
'We have only about 50 minutes ... Packing a culture of more than 5,000 years into 50 minutes is impossible. We must select a few moments, but I hope these moments are very human and sensational,' Zhang said.
'At a special moment by the end of the show we will illustrate the smiling faces of children from five major continents. I believe it will be extremely moving, because we are hoping for a beautiful future for the human race.'
Beyond that, Zhang revealed little about the ceremony, saying that all ceremony staff had signed confidentiality clauses.
'I certainly cannot tell you the details, or you will be bored when watching it on August 8. It is like a movie. If I tell you the story, it will take the fizz out of the whole thing ... We just want to give the whole world and everyone in the audience a big surprise,' said the film director.
But he was more open when it came to discussing his biggest worry for the event. 'Speaking of rain, this is my biggest concern and headache. We have many emergency plans ... [but] if it rains, for the sake of safety, we may have to stop activities in the sky, as well as some hi-tech and mechanical things.
'Let's pray that the heavens bless China,' he said.
