Beijing is ready to make history on Friday night as it becomes the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics, with an Opening Ceremony that promises to be a technical marvel but is taking place under COVID-19 restrictions and diplomatic boycotts.
The ceremony will hold in Beijing National Stadium, the famous “Bird’s Nest” that was introduced to the world at the 2008 Summer Games during a stunning four-hour opening spectacle that served to announce China’s emergence as a global superpower.
Friday’s Opening Ceremony promises to be a far more subdued affair, set to clock in at around 100 minutes and featuring 3,000 performers — just a fifth of 2008’s cast of 15,000.
Famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou will be at the helm again but has said he is not trying to reproduce his 2008 accomplishment, an unforgettable extravaganza that showcased thousands of years of China’s history
