Beijing welcomes the world

It's literally a few hours to the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympics and expectations are rightly high. Beijing officials have been trying so hard to keep the whole production under wraps, but sources who have seen the production plans have been unanimous in saying that the opening ceremonies are going to be spectacular. A short video released by a South Korean network which recorded some parts of the opening ceremony rehearsal only fueled expectations.

But what do we know about the opening ceremony? Here's a list of facts compiled by Radio86 from various media sources:

1. Zhang Yimou, acclaimed director of such international hits as Hero and House of the Flying Daggers, was appointed chief director of the opening/closing ceremonies in April 2006.

2. Zhang will be assisted by music designer Chen Qigang and visual effects designer Cai Guoqiang in planning the three-and-a-half hour opening ceremony that will start at 8:00 pm Beijing time on August 8, 2008. The creative team consists of 300 people.

3. Three dress rehearsals of the opening ceremony have been held. Security around the National Stadium, or Bird's Nest, where the opening ceremony will take place have been tight on all occasions. Those involved in the performance were asked to sign confidentiality agreements.

4. 90,000 Olympic volunteers who won a lottery were lucky enough to see the rehearsals.

5. More than 10,000 athletes and over 15,000 performers will be involved in the opening ceremony.

6. An artistic show lasting one hour will showcase China's history and culture. Organizers denied earlier rumors that part of the show would be dedicated to the victims of the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan, so as not to involve “too many elements of sadness,” one official said.

7. The next two-and-a-half hours of the opening ceremony will be devoted to the entrance of the athletes and . Unlike in previous Olympics, where the entrance of country teams was done in alphabetical order, the marching order of the 205 National Olympic Committees will be determined by the number of Chinese strokes in the first syllable of the country's name.

8. The opening ceremony will be attended by more than 80 state leaders and royals who have started arriving in Beijing as early last week.

9. Chinese singer Liu Huan and British soprano Sarah Brightman will sing the Beijing 2008 theme song. It will be the first time that the song will be presented to the public.

   The city of Beijing is sure to turn up for the Olympic opening ceremony. (Image: Radio86)

10. For the fireworks show, designer Cai Guoqiang took two to three years to do preparatory work.

11. Some 29,000 fireworks will be fired from 1,800 sites around the city, including near Tian'anmen Square and the Olympic venues.

12. Cai said that the fireworks would for the first time include the five Olympic rings. Cai also said that along the dragon-shaped water system of the Olympic Green, fireworks in the shape of red and yellow peonies will be fired. Controlled by a computer ignition system, the fireworks will span two to three kilometers following the flag raising.

13. During the climax of the art performance,Cai said the “firing squad” will display thousands of pictures of smiling faces collected from around the world. Fireworks will then display 2008 smiling faces in the sky.

14. The cost of the opening ceremony has been estimated to be as much as 100 million USD (65.6 million euros), twice the amount spent for the opening ceremony in Athens in 2004.

15. Up to four billion people are expected to watch the opening ceremony.

16. One big secret remains... the identity of the person who will light the Olympic cauldron has been successfully kept under wraps. Speculation is also rife about how the cauldron will be lit, with some reports saying either a dragon or a phoenix will be used.