Edited by QI Liming

With the flame lit, Beijing became the first city to host both winter and summer Olympic Games. Many world leaders attended the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony driven by technology reflected the “simple, safe and spectacular” ambitions of the International Olympic Committee(IOC), as IOC President Thomas Bach addressed assembled athletes: “Dear fellow Olympians: Your Olympic stage is set.”

The opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

Nations(UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attend the opening ceremony. He said, IOC is a close partner of the UN, and the Olympics brings together people with a message of solidarity and peace.

The show opened with a light spectacle illuminating the darkness as performers swayed with yellow-green fluorescent poles in dandelion formation, symbolising the start of spring in the traditional Chinese calendar.

The ubiquitous technology

According to tech media Protocol, China is looking at the Olympic Games as its showcase for not just its athletes and the country’s culture, but also its technological sophistication and its investments in the future.

China has deployed cocktail-pouring robots in the Olympic Village, installed futuristic remote-controlled beds for visitors and implemented its new digital currency system, eCNY, for its first international test.

According to Techradar, China built the world’s largest LED screen for the 2022 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony. It’s 10,552 square meters, uses 40,000 LED modules and reaches beyond 8K resolution.

The screen was used as the main stage of the opening ceremony and was built by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), and producer of carrier rockets. According to the CALT, the screen offers “a visual feast even better than 8K resolution” and claims that it’s the largest LED screen of its kind ever made.

A cauldron holding the Olympic flame during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

IOC President praising China

IOC President Thomas Bach espousing the message of peace and understanding around the world and praising China’s role in making “sporting history”.

“China is now a winter sport country where over 300 million people are engaged in winter sports in over 2,000 resorts and ice rinks,” Bach said towards the end of the ceremony. “This is an extraordinary achievement and opens a new era for global winter sports.”

“It will raise global participation to new levels, benefiting Chinese people as well as winter sports enthusiasts around the world. We can only write this new chapter in sporting history because of our gracious hosts, the Chinese people who we thank wholeheartedly for welcoming us so warmly.”

The opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

Positive reviews from mainstream portals

According to mainstream media platform, China kicked off the 2022 Winter Olympics in an unprecedented manner. The focus was on a spectacular technology-driven visual show that featured fireworks and a light show before culminating with a block of ice that was “broken” by ice hockey players, giving way to five snow-white Olympic rings.

This grand event provided a stunning visual feast that combined digital technology and beautiful creative designs. It was not only technologically advanced, but dynamic, aesthetically pleasing, and experiential.  This was also an opportunity to showcase some of China's newest technology innovations to the world.

According to South China Morning Post, Beijing put on a spectacular and stirring show of technology and artistry at the opening of the Winter Olympics.

Although it was a scaled-back affair because of Covid-19, the “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium was awash with light and symbolism as 3,000 performers enacted the theme of China’s quest for world peace and its Games motto of “together for a shared future”.

In the closed loop system, athletes, officials and other stakeholders are confined to the three Winter Olympics zones of Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou.

“I would remind you that we’ve never set a target of zero cases inside the closed loop,” Dr Brian McCloskey, head of the Beijing 2022 Medical Expert Panel, said. “The target is zero spread. And the closed loop is there because that’s what protects the people both inside and outside the loop.”

Artists perform before the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

Fashion with no boundaries

Several delegations stand out with vibrant patterns or unique shapes that catch the eye at the Bird’s Nest. American Samoa’s flag bearer Nathan Crumpton braves freezing temperatures to pay homage to his heritage.

Indeed, many countries at the Games chose to outfit their athletes in uniforms made by representative national brands. Some delegations stood out with vibrant patterns or unique shapes that caught the eye.

The Ukrainian delegation dazzled with geometric patterns of yellow and blue, styled after their national colours. The Czech Republic delegation, meanwhile, had triangular and rectangular motifs layered on their coats.