China painted a memorable canvas on the sky, as lithe girls danced on water and strong men jumped around high in the air, in front of four huge sail-boat screens that towered above the arena to mark the opening ceremony of the 16th Asian Games here on Friday.
The city was lit up beautifully — the Canton tower stood majestically on one side and the skyscrapers with colourful lighting formations provided a brilliant backdrop.
From an arena on the Pearl River that had speed boats whizzing past, spraying water all around and fountains rising into the sky, the stage turned into a platform.
White horses galloped across it and eventually it turned into the stage for the athletes to march. And then the cauldron emerged.
Gagan Narang carried the flag for India and the contingent was almost in strength to imbibe the energy of the electrifying atmosphere.
Novelty
In another novelty, the cauldron was lighted like a firecracker by Olympic diving champion He Chong.
A flower pot threw sparks so high that it lit the cauldron that was 26-metres high.
And then it was time for massive fireworks. The 600-metre tall Canton tower, the tallest TV tower in the world, had fireworks from the top to bottom.
The president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah aptly said, “we are proud of the opening ceremony.''
It was a ceremony that surpassed everything that has been performed in all the Olympics including the Beijing Games. In taking the opening ceremony away from the limitations of a stadium, Guangzhou turned the whole area into an amphitheatre. It was art and craft at its best.
With 45 floats, depicting 45 Asian countries and regions in a fabulous spectacle on the river, it was time to set sail on the wings of imagination.
A boy floated from the sky on a leaf, and poured water from a bottle, and that stretched into the venue.
Then it was time to set the Pearl River on fire at the Haixinsha island. The Chinese did it in great style, in a spell binding programme that did not lose momentum through two-and-a-half hours.
Beautifully painted
It was tough for the 100 television cameras to capture the huge mosaic that was so beautifully painted.
Words fail, and one is not ashamed of it, for it was a spectacle that was beyond imagination, let alone description.
The Chinese told the story of the Maritime Silk Road, and a dozen others, with dance and energy. Their energy showed why they win so many gold medals at the Olympics or Asian Games.
The dance of the red Kapok petals threw up a charming Canton girl who danced with water. That was followed by 180 girls in light-emitting skirts.
The ship from the ocean made a round in front of the audience with sailors at their robust best, and the fisherwomen bidding them adieu, providing a captivating picture. It set out on a voyage, carrying the red lanterns along with hope.
Mermaids then lit up the water with their antics, and eight motorboats swept across the water, enacting difficult stunts to wow the audience into silence.
Another high
Another high point was when 180 performers presented a four-dimensional show on the huge sail-shaped screens, with 1320 operators on the ground moving them into various patterns by pulling the strings.
The sight of the gymnast on roman rings, rising from the water and jumping from a height was indeed stunning.
The Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, declared the Games open. Badminton star Fu Haifeng took the oath of honour on behalf of the athletes while gymnastics referee Yan Ninan took the oath on behalf of the referees.
