Let the Madness Begin

KABLOOSH!

Click HERE to see some more pictures of the opening ceremony.

I went with Eric to watch the opening ceremony at University of Science & Technology Beijing a couple days ago. The city has set up a bunch of "Olympic Cultural Squares", which are basically outdoor areas outfitted with huge screens so that crowds can gather to watch live Olympic footage.

The field was full of people reclining on the grass, all watching a spectacular--but long--opening ceremony. It was cool to know that all the events we saw on the screen were happening just a couple miles away. We experienced the flash and the thunderous boom of the fireworks from Beijing National Stadium (aka Bird's Nest) as we watched the festivities.

When the athletes from each country were introduced, I took note of what teams received applause from the audience around me--besides team China and Hu Jintao of course.

They were Russia, Iraq, USA, Canada, North Korea, Pakistan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. An interesting combination. Japan was the only country that received some boos, which was disappointing but not surprising. The 'average Zhou' (linguistic pun alert!) in China doesn't have the nicest sentiments for the Japanese, but I think it's getting better.

Also, George Bush, Russian PM Vladimir Putin, and Kobe Bryant received quite a bit of applause. Chinese youth have an unhealthy obsession with Kobe Bryant.