The significance of the date and time for the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony

13 August 2008

In any history book you’ll ever lay eyes on, the Chinese are in there, and always a step ahead of the game. When it comes to evolution, the Chinese were eating with utensils while the rest of the world was still using their fingers to chow down. When steel and copper was forged into shields and weapons, the Chinese set fire to arrows and employed the use of gunpowder to make for heated battles.

In a sense, the Chinese were the originators of a lot in the world. Even the Italian staple, pasta, was rumored to come from China. So it stands to reason that China would have played host to the Olympic Games numerous times. Contrary to their legendary status, August, 8, 2008 will be the first time China has hosted the event. The Chinese people place great emphasis on the number 8, and on 8.8.08, at 8:08pm, the summer Olympics will be held in Beijing.

In Chinese culture, this simple numbers holds a great meaning. The Chinese word for 8 (Fat) sounds similar to words for wealth and prosperity, thus the Chinese feel this number to be lucky. On Chinese New Year, it is common for the Chinese people to greet one another with the saying "Fat Choy," which is wishing someone good fortune and prosperity, more precisely, it means, congratulations and get rich. There were also the Eight Immortals: Chinese deities, the Eight Princes, and Eight Principles of Yong.

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The magnificent Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games

10 August 2008

From the synchronized beats of 2008 drummers to the 2008 Tai Chi masters to the beautiful over-sized picture painted by dancers and the feet of thousands of Olympic Athletes, the Beijing Olympics began with a beautiful program that incorporated thousands of artists from across China.

Although the children’s choir was used several times, no other dancer or musician was used twice in the beautifully choreographed program. Each element of the Opening Ceremonies included precision and beauty testifying to many hours of practice on the part of the Chinese. Enacting a program of color and variety, the Chinese sought to bring years of tradition into the 21st century and their hopes for the future.

The Living Palette was drawn by artists as they danced on the canvas. They used the choreographed dance to the well-performed music to write ancient symbols on the canvas and draw a silhouette of the mountains, the sky and the sun.

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10 of the most watched Olympic Events

05 August 2008

Over the years, the Olympic Games have drawn in viewers from every corner of the world. There are only a few nations on our planet who aren’t represented in at least one sport. And if a person owns a television, then their eyes are probably tuned to the tube for the summer or winter Olympics. Of all the Olympic events out there, some have to be the most watched. Though it varies from year to year, simple polls give us an idea of what the public likes and what they don’t. Since they do vary so, it’s hard to give them in any set order 1-10. The fact is, people will always change what they like, just like the athletes will always change.

The first to make the list is volleyball. Indoor volleyball is popular, but beach volleyball received astronomical numbers in the 2004 Olympics. On both the men’s and women’s side, the athletes dueled like gladiators in the sand, giving their blood, sweat and tears for their chance to stand on the podium. A fast-paced, exciting sport, volleyball will remain a top-watched sport for years to come.

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A quick history of the Olympic Games

29 July 2008

If you’re a fan of the Olympic Games, you may wonder how it all started. In ancient Olympia, Greece, the Olympic Games were held every four years. The first Olympic game was recorded in 776 B.C. almost 3,000 years ago.

At the time, this festival was a great gathering that took place in order to honor the Greek gods. Olympics were held during this festival period. Though multiple Gods were thought to be appeased by the festival, the most important among them was Zeus. It was thought that if the gods weren’t pleased, children died, lands were conquered, crops didn’t grow, and civilization couldn’t flourish. The Greeks called their festival Olympiad.

In the first 13 Olympic Games, there was only one event that took place: the sprint. The sprint event was about 108 meters long at the time, and only the finest Greeks were allowed to compete. The games were allegedly suspended for some 9 centuries. Upon returning, the Pentathlon was added, and it had different events. There was the discus throw, javelin toss, jumping, running, and wrestling.

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