Anticipation was building all day in Beijing, a spring in everyone’s step. It’s a foggy (smoggy) day, visibility isn’t the worst it has been for the last two weeks, but also far from the best.  On the TV though the night looks black, not sure if that had to be forced :)  By 8pm, the streets are absolutely empty.  After attempting to go to a bar in Ho Hai, and finding they were closed as there were to be some fireworks there, we jump in a cab and head to the nearest “big screen”.

Workers Stadium, Sanlitun area, big screen.  Heaps of people watching it, majority Chinese (same as everything here really) but a sizable foreign contingent as well.

Watching the opening ceremony 

We all watch the opening ceremony performance.  Heaps of people plus a lot of cabbies (who with the busses are the only vehicles on the road) have stopped to watch it with us.  Spectacular performance – I’m sure you watched it to :)

The Chinese crowd cheers when the military goose-steps the flag, which was certainly done with precision – but a few foreigners found the cheering amusing.

Greece comes out – “raaar”

A billion other countries parade past – lets get to the big ones already!

 
The crowd waits, occupying itself with photographing each other

Crowds cheer for China to come out (they don’t)

Japan comes out – “boo, *laughs*, booooo” (although I notice that all the athletes are waving Chinese flags as well as their own)

Hong Kong comes out – “yeey”

UK comes out

USA comes out – “U. S. A, U. S. A”

Flag waving

The American fans proved a hit with the locals 

China comes out – “aaaaaaAAAAAAAA”, no wait, it’s Turkey, “aaaaaaww :(“

Some olympic official appears with a handful of special addition newspapers covering the performance.  In a matter of seconds he is mobbed and the pile of newspapers is ripped from his hands.  I try to grab one but am left holding some old discarded newspaper instead :(  Later much more appear and are handed out in a slightly more orderly fashion, although I wasn’t close enough to grab one.

The bottle collectors are going about their work, seemingly oblivious to the national awaking happening on the screen in front of them – only interested in the goldmine of bottles being left everywhere.

New Zealand comes out – silence :P

Aodaliya (Australia) comes out – “woooo, raaaaaarh!”

China comes out – “CHINA, CHINA, CHINA”.  I join in the cheering – hard not to!

The Chinese go crazy for Yao Lin

After the fireworks race to a cab.  Trouble getting home as had to wait for the Bush motorcade – so many identical vehicles, presumably to hide which one he is in.