Blockbuster Opening

One man walking on thin air and lighting the Olympic flame stopped the heartbeat of billions at Beijing.

One man walking on thin air and lighting the Olympic flame stopped the heartbeat of billions at Beijing. Two years on in Guangzhou,and on an ostensibly smaller stage of the Asian Games,China raised the stakes by dispatching an army of aerial flyers in a perfectly orchestrated open-air show. With eight giant screens as backdrop four doubling up eight sets of men,their backs strung to sturdy cables struck formations combing the best of 3D effect with human elasticity as they changed from soaring eagles to giant zips opening up vistas of Cantons flora and fauna.

Water was the theme as Chinese ingenuity used multi-coloured fountains for effect and a retractable flooring over the Pearl Rivers surface,extending the limits of a conventional stage,and making the rest of the world think twice before constructing an enclosed stadium even rendering the Birds Nest to past stupor.

One moment a diver-cum-Roman ring gymnast was splashing into a deep pool,and the next,couples were doing a spot of glib Dancesport on the same floor. The ceremony simulated a scuba-divers outing with sea-weeds and even white sea-horses as Guangzhous Cantonese mix of agrarian-coastal culture. A giant sailing ship with aggressive fisherfolk at once signified both Chinas ancient position on the maritime routes as well as future trading ambitions.

With laser beams lighting up the nearby sky-scrapers Haixinsha which looked like Gotham City even before the ceremony began will remain a trendsetter in the way opening ceremonies get conceptualised from hereon.

Why sing and dance ahead of the Games on poached sporting land when a dedicated venue can be later utilised for rock concerts,and why dig up perfectly level athletic fields. For the record,the venue which started out with just a promenade for pre-ceremony performances was converted from a mix of wasteland and suburban village along a river into the most stunning of sites for a ceremonial event. Everything from the 217 metre TV tower to Cantons Liede Drums to baton relay carriers to dragon boats,highlighted a city that will celebrate its arrival on the world stage 20 years after Beijings effort at Asian Games in 1990,two after the Olympics.

But no less spectacular,what with men flying with Batmans ease. So,is this Chinas cutting edge? An amalgam of technology,innovation and opulent spending on events that showcase them to the world. No its the men or women,as the case may be ready to be suspended by cables and flung mid-air into formations ranging from the simple Smiley to a complicated para-gliding manoeuvre. Some would term it Chinas ace puppeteering,but the show still topped all of opening ceremony lists.