Superb ceremony amazes entire world

PEOPLE around the world shared the dream with 1.3 billion Chinese people as apparent miracles unfolded one upon another during opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on Friday night.
The opening ceremony, inside the new National Stadium, or Bird Nest, was witnessed by more than 100,000 people in the stands and by nearly 4 billion worldwide on CCTV.
In Brussels, heart of the European Union (EU), overseas Chinese, along with dozens of locals, gathered before an expansive flat screen in a Chinese restaurant, waiting for the start-up, hosted for the first time by the world's most populous country.
Iraqis felt fascinated with the opening ceremony and greeted their athletes with applause as they paraded into the Bird Nest.
"Just as I expected, the Chinese did not miss the opportunity to demonstrate the distinct characteristics of ancient Chinese culture," said 55-year-old Adel Rasheed, citing the amazing traditional dancing, calligraphy and kung fu.
Millions of Kenyans were glued to their television sets Friday. "This is as an exclusive opening ceremony that I have ever seen. First the song by the young girl was marvelous. I admire, too, the voices of the singers who sang the China national anthem," said Duncan Mboyah, a trader in Nairobi.
Many British people also spoke highly of the opening ceremony. "China has won a Gold Medal for the opening ceremony of Olympic Games," said John Pordie, a 73-year-old British journalist, who was watching the opening ceremony at Trafalgar Square.
Tens of thousands of people from different countries were at the square to witness the grand opening ceremony via a huge screen. Applause was hovering in the air, together with groups of pigeons. "Chinese people are so clever and they can imagine such a wonderful idea. Every single piece is so good," John said.
For Thais, the opening ceremony was a chance to glimpse at one of the world's oldest civilizations so near and close to their own nation.
A bigger Thai audience was expected to tune in Friday evening at home, cafes and bars with screens, thanks to the geographical advantage -- only 4,000km and one- hour time difference between Bangkok and Beijing, which makes it much easier for Thais to follow the event live on TV. The evening traffic in Bangkok did seem less congested on a normally chaotic weekend.
In Toronto, about 5,000 people gathered at the gate of a movie theater early Friday morning, hoping to grab seats and enjoy the spectacular opening ceremony on the big screen in high-definition. Although the show would not start until 8am local time, many people, young and old, arrived at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts well before sunrise.
As early as a year ago, the theater decided to open for free to an audience that would like to watch the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games together, because many people have shown great enthusiasm.
According to a survey in London, the Beijing Olympics would have a positive impact on the way the West sees China,
Results of the survey showed that 66 per cent of those polled say there will be an improvement in Western perceptions after the Beijing Olympics.
(Courtesy news.xinhuanet.com)