![]() ![]() For the cauldron lighting, Chinese athletes born in succeeding decades passed the torch along to one another, ending with two athletes born in the 2000s (one of whom embodied a message to the world, but more on that in a second). That theme played heavily into the opening ceremonies, from the presence of seas of cute children smiling and singing onstage to a video featuring kids not much older than toddlers skiing and skating to the passing of the Olympic torch. Since 2021 was the Chinese Communist Party’s 100th anniversary, that narrative has also aligned with a heavy emphasis on the importance of youth to carry the nation (and Chinese communism) into the future. It’s in keeping with China’s messaging since the pandemic began: We’re all in this together, getting through this together, thanks to the tireless commitment of “ ordinary heroes” like volunteers and essential workers - who had to execute China’s draconian (though highly successful) Covid policy. It happens to be in accord with China’s year-long “QingLang” campaign to rein in the status of celebrities and their fans - a sweeping attempt to control both the undue influence of idols as well as their often out-of-control fandoms. This was due perhaps in part to the difficulty of coordinating live celebrity performances while Beijing is still under a period of intense lockdown due to the pandemic. The ceremony emphasized these citizens above all else, with no famous singers or actors performing - a first for any Olympics in recent memory. The government also rolled out a massive winter sports initiative prior to the Games, claiming it had successfully engaged more than 300 million Chinese citizens in winter sports participation, especially targeting kids and teens. In the buildup to the ceremony, China had encouraged athletes to sign a “ truce mural” with other nations. The unifying aesthetic was about as peaceful as you could get: snowflakes. The production, which dovetailed with the Chinese New Year spring festival, included about 3,000 performers, most of them teenagers, and emphasized peace, world unity, and the people around the world who have battled the pandemic. But inevitably, the tense geopolitics surrounding the event snuck in. Directed by legendary Chinese film director Zhang Yimou (who also directed the 2008 Beijing opening ceremony), this year’s opening ceremony focused on visual spectacle, with giant LED screens covering the floor and lining the stage, and no celebrity entertainers.įacing a diplomatic boycott from many countries over its human rights violations, including the US - meaning the United States sent no official government envoy to the Games but its athletes are competing as usual - China took a low-key approach to this year’s opening ceremony. The Beijing Winter Olympics kicked off to an expectedly weird start, thanks to the unprecedented challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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