The ‘heavy burden’ of Zhang Yimou’s second Olympics opening ceremony
- Acclaimed director is again overseeing the event and says it is important to show the ‘love, unity, and grand visions and values of the Chinese people’
- But ‘the times are different’ than in 2008 and the Winter Games show will be a lot smaller, with no more than 3,000 performers involved
His opening ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Games is ranked among the top Olympic ceremonies in recent history, owing to its magnitude, with 15,000 performers, and the breadth of Chinese history packed into the four-hour show. Zhang also led the closing ceremony in 2008 and will again do so at the Winter Games.
With many of his cinema classics – such as his directorial debut Red Sorghum and The Story of Qiu Ju – winning top awards at international film festivals, Zhang is among those who have introduced contemporary Chinese cinema to the world.
Chinese authorities have long entrusted him to take charge of international ceremonies designed to show China as a strong country and a force for good in the world.
Zhang has been involved in China’s Olympic journey ever since he directed a short film in 2001 to support Beijing’s bid to become the host city in 2008. He oversaw the eight minutes when China gave the world a taste of the Beijing Olympics in the closing of the 2004 Athens Games.
After directing the ceremonies in 2008, he was brought back to direct the promotional short film for the host city bid for the Beijing Winter Olympics and the closing teaser for the 2022 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018.
