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Picture Index

Introduction

Beijing 2008 First Olympic Cultural Festival will start on September 21, 2003. Mr. Sun Weijia, Deputy Director of the Media & Communication Department of BOCOG said at an exclusive interview with the official website of BOCOG that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival will bring forth the unique culture and image of China and Beijing to the world. He said the Cultural Festival has profound significance.


2008 Beijing University Students Poster Design Exhibition.

Sun said to hold the Olympic Cultural Festival during the Olympic Games is an essential element of the tenet of modern Olympics that combines sports and culture. As the modern Olympics develop, cultural activities are becoming more important to the Olympic Games, and the Culture Festival has become a tradition of the Olympic Games, he said. "Cultural Olympics" is one of the three concepts of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Holding the Olympic Culture Festival will promote the spread of the Olympic spirit in China, introduce the rich Chinese culture to the world and bring forth the profound meanings of the Cultural Olympics.

Sun noted that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be a great event to promote cultural exchange between the East and the West, as well as a great opportunity to merge Chinese culture with the Olympic spirit and culture. China has very profound and rich culture and is regarded as the headwater of culture in the East. The BOCOG is presenting the China's history, culture and modern civilization to the world.

Five years before the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the first annual Culture Festival for the Games will be held in Beijing, said Sun. He said the historic task of spreading the Olympic spirit can never be accomplished within merely 17 days of the Olympic Games competition. To hold an annual Olympic Cultural Festival will greatly help the 1.3 billion Chinese people to understand the meaning of the Olympic spirit and culture, and will make a major contribution to the world Olympic movement, he said.

Sun said the annual Beijing 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival would enable the Chinese people to share the glory and dream of the Olympics with people around the world in an aspiration for peace, friendship and unity. It would convey the message to the world that the Chinese people have a unique and deep understanding of the Olympic Movement.

First "Beijing 2008" Olympic Cultural Festival: "Charming Beijing, Cultural Olympics"

21- 29 September 2003

Agenda and Activities

Authorized by the State Council, the Ministry of Culture, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the General Administration of Sport, the Beijing Municipal Government and the BOCOG will jointly hold an annual Beijing 2008 Olympic Festival from 2003 to 2008. The first Olympic Cultural Festival will be held from September 21st to 29th.

The Cultural Festival will be held under the principle of giving prominence to advantages and concentrating on cultural essence

Opening ceremony for the First Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival


Beijing 2008 First Olympic Cultural Festival Opening Ceremonies.

A grand opening ceremony for the Beijing 2008 First Olympic Cultural Festival was held at the colorfully decorated China Millennium Monument at 10 am, September 21.

Leaders attended the opening ceremony include Mr. Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the CPC and Party Secretary of the Beijing municipal government, Mr. Yuanweimin, president of the State Physical Culture Administration and the Chinese Olympic Committee, executive president of BOCOG, Mr. Wang Qishan, acting major of Beijing and executive president of BOCOG, Mr. Zhao Weisui, vice minister of culture; and Mr. Hu Zhanfan, deputy director of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. The opening ceremony was chaired by Wang Qishan.


Exhibition of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games emblem. (1)

In his speech, Mr. Liu Qi said, "on the eve of the 54th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Beijing 2008 First Olympic Cultural Festival opens today.

"This is another important event in preparation for hosting the best Olympic Games and promotion of 'Olympic Culture.'

"I, on behalf of the Beijing municipal government and BOCOG, thank our colleagues from the central government and the State Council who joined us in the preparations for the festival.

"And I also convey my warm greeting to the specialists, scholars, artists and those from all circles who are directly involved in the festival."

Mr. Liu Qi pointed out that the modern Olympics is a global social and cultural event which, using sports as the medium, makes enhancing friendship and world peace its goal. From the day it was founded, cultural activities have been an important part of the Olympic Games. Sports have close ties with culture and the Olympic Games open new vistas for cultural understanding. Precisely because of this integration of culture, the Olympics is one of the most celebrated events of mankind.

This Olympic Cultural Festival explores new areas for us to carry forward the "Three Represents," promote cultural development, and construct a socialist, spiritual civilization, Mr. Liu Qi said. The Olympic tenet of "Faster, Higher and Stronger" not only inspires athletes but also reflects the concept of advanced cultures. To integrate the development of culture and the socialistic spiritual civilization, enhancing the Olympic spirit will promote a new cultural ethos in the entire society and add new vigor for the development of the culture.

Mr. Liu Qi also pointed out that a "Green Olympics, Hi-Tech Olympics and People's Olympics" were the three major concepts for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Olympic culture has a profound impact in all three of these. The Olympic Cultural Festival puts these three concepts into effect, especially the concept of the culture of the Olympics. We hope to further enhance Chinese culture and promote understanding, trust, and friendship among the people in the world. We will make the Olympic Cultural Festival a promoter of the concept of the culture of the Olympics.


Close up of the Millennium Monument, a prominent role in the First Cultural Festival Opening Ceremonies.

Liu Qi, Yuan Weimin, Wang Qishan, Zhao Weisui and Hu Zhanfan cut the ribbon for the First 2008 Olympics Cultural Festival during the opening ceremony. Afterwards, they viewed the children's large-scale art creation- "Children's Drawings for the Olympics Games" and visited the "Dancing Beijing"- Olympic emblem exhibition.


The Millennium Monument, a prominent role in the First Cultural Festival Opening Ceremonies.

The theme of the cultural festival is "Charming Beijing, Olympic Culture". In the following 10 days, the festival will hold exhibitions of Beijing's Olympic Games emblem designs and a collection of the emblems of previous Olympic Games.

Well-known domestic and foreign scholars and experts will be invited to this cultural festival to give interesting talks about the Olympic Games' emblem, Olympic torch customs, Chinese jade culture, Olympic spirit, the Olympic education, and a digital film of the Olympic Games.

The Cultural Festival will encourage people in different fields to participate in cultural activities such as the performance of Taiji, open-air cultural square activities, English Speech and singing contests and other cultural and sports activities. The wonderful closing ceremony will be held in Century Hall at Peking University.

Other leaders attended the ceremony include: Mr. Long Xinmin, deputy Party secretary of Beijing municipal government, Mr. Lin Wenyi, deputy director of Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Beijing municipal government, Mr. Liu Jingmin, Beijing deputy mayor and executive vice-president of BOCOG, and BOCOG's vice-presidents, Duan Shijie, Jiang Xiaoyu, Li Binghua, Wang Wei and so on.

It is reported that the State Council has authorized the Ministry of Culture, the State Administration of Radio Film and Television, the State Physical Culture Administration, Beijing government and the BOCOG to jointly hold the 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival each year until 2008.

BOCOG Vice President Encourages Youngsters to Participate in Olympics


A total of 2008 children participated in the First Cultural Festival Opening Ceremonies.

"Youngsters are not only the future of our country, but also the future of the Olympic Movement," said Vice President Jiang Xiaoyu of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) here in the morning of September 27, 2003.

The Olympic Games enhance friendship and cultivate and carry forward our national spirit. To join such activities is of great importance for our young people," Jiang said at the "Dynamic Beijing" open-air cultural and sports event held at Yuandadu Park in Beijing Saturday morning.

Jiang said the BOCOG was working hard on preparations for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, including the construction of stadiums and gyms, improvement of the cultural environment, so as to carry forward the Olympic spirit and display the spirit of Beijing youth.

He told the young people attending the event: "In 2008, you will be the hosts of the Beijing Olympic Games. I hope that you will study and work hard to develop both physical strength and willpower and make a contribution to the Olympic Movement!"

After the opening ceremony, Jiang watched Taekwondo and other performances by the young people.

Children's drawing to open Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival


A large-scale artistic pasting activity named "the Children's Drawing for the Olympic Games"
A large-scale artistic pasting activity named "the Children's Drawing for the Olympic Games" will be the prologue of the opening ceremony for the first Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival, said sources with the BOCOG.
According to Mr. Sun Weijia, deputy director of BOCOG's Media & Communications Department, 2008 children will, by pasting together their original artwork and red scarves, reproduce the logo of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as part of the opening ceremony of the first Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival, with the aim to manifest the idea of the combination of culture and education in the Olympic Games, and to widely disseminate Olympics culture among young people. Leaders from BOCOG, the Cultural Festival Organizing Committee and their corresponding departments will also work together with the children to complete the work.
Sun Weijia explained that not only does this activity encourage children to participate in preparation for the Olympic Games, but the name itself, "the Children's Drawing for the Olympic Games" conveys a special meaning, the Chinese language pronunciation for the children" in this context is the same as that for "with the same heart," which expresses the determination of the Chinese people to "work with great efforts and cooperation to hold an excellent Olympic Games."

The Emblem of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and Its Cultural Connotation

Ladies and Gentlemen, Good morning!

We are here to discuss the relations between the Olympic Games and culture. Since we share a common view that People's Olympics is by no means a hollow talk. The evolution of the modern Olympic Movement proves that sports can only demonstrate spirit through physical competition, and that sports can only express emotions through physical exercises. Only through such means, can sports make people develop common ideals and believes in daily life- equality, justice, peace and friendship.

Therefore, I am pleased to have this opportunity to share with you my experiences in bringing the emblem of the 2008 Olympic Games into being and discuss the unique Chinese cultural content of the emblem.
(First, please allow me to show you a short video film about the Beijing 2008 Olympic emblem)
On August 3, 2003, the emblem of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was officially unveiled to the public. It was a milestone in our preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games. The "Chinese Seal-Dancing Beijing" emblem has received wide attention and favorable response worldwide. It is a perfect combination of traditional form of Chinese arts and the Olympic spirit. It reflects the aspiration that the 1.3 billion Chinese people cherish to the Olympic Movement and their unique understanding of the Olympic spirit.

The official Jade 2008 Beijing Olympics Seal chop.

 

Through more than 100 years of development of the modern Olympic Movement, its image and related scenery have become unique intangible assets of every Olympic Games. As the core of the image of Olympic Games, the logo of the Games has become not only one of the most widely recognized emblems in the world, but also the most valuable intangible asset of the host cities and organizing committees in terms of image application and market development.

The emblems of previous Olympic Games have different design and reflects different ideas. However, most of them show the characteristics of the host cities and have unique design. Over the past more than 100 years, the design of the logos has grown from unskillful to mature and finally develop its own formula that is accepted around the world. According to the formula, the Olympic emblem consists of three elements, unique and original design, name of the host city plus the year and the five interlocking rings of the Olympics. Organizing committees of the previous Olympic Games always took great pains in designing a unique graphic image and the matching characters.

In terms of the concept of design, the design of the Olympic emblems attempts to reflect the Olympic spirit and cultural and regional characteristics. An excellent design should be a perfect combination of the two elements. In recent years, the trend of putting regional cultural characteristics into the design of Olympic emblems is on the rise.

In terms of the styles of design, the design of Olympic emblems are usually divided into three categories: 1. Using sports image as the main element, e.g., the emblems of the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympics and the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games; 2. Using regional characteristics as the main element, e.g. the emblems of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, 1980 Moscow Olympic Games and 2004 Athens Olympic Games; 3. Combining the elements of sports image with regional characteristics, e.g. the emblems of the1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. At last, the combination of typical local elements with sport images is the most popular way of designing the Olympic emblems at present.

Generally speaking, an excellent design should be in line with modern aesthetic requirements, embodies the fine traditions of Olympic emblem design and clearly distinctive from previous Olympic emblems and the emblems of other global sports events. It should leave room for recreation so that it can be easily adapted and applied to various forms of Olympic image and scenes. It should also be convenient for TV broadcasting, for reproduction in either plane or multi-dimensional forms and for the manufacturing and processing of relevant carriers. In addition, it should have great potential for display in cities and competition arenas and facilitate post-Olympics utilization and market development. Finally, it should be easy for the Olympic organizing committee to use, develop and protect the emblem.


Exhibition of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games emblem. (2)

In order to create an Olympic emblem that reflects the features of the splendid Chinese culture and Beijing and to show the great charm of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the long-standing, splendid history of Chinese culture and civilization, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) has put into a great effort in organizing the design and selection of the Olympic emblem. The entire process took more than one year and achieved satisfactory results.
In the initiate phase of the work, we held the "Symposium on Olympic Visual Image" and the "Beijing 2008 Olympic Design Conference" respectively in April and July 2002. Over 600 international and Chinese designers and representatives of designing institute attended the meetings and thoroughly discussed the design of the Olympic emblem.
On July 3, 2002, a design competition of the logo of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games officially began. The contest drew attention from designers around the world. By October 8, 2002, the BOCOG had received 1,985 valid entries of designs. Some 1,763 or 88.31% of them were from China (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) and the remaining 222 or 11.69% were from abroad. Most of the designs had strong Chinese characteristics and made in-depth exploration of the Olympic spirit. Most of the entries contain the image of athletes and such patterns as dragon, phoenix and the Temple of Heaven. A certain proportion of them use Chinese characters as the basic patterns.

From October 10 to 15 and from November 3 to 4, 2002, a selection committee consisting of 11 international and Chinese artists and designers made initial and second-round selection among all the entries and chose ten of them as winners, including the designs of "Chinese Seal-Dancing Beijing," "Five- Colored Auspicious Clouds," and "Temple of Heaven."
In order to let the public participate in the design of the Olympic emblem and enhance transparency of the preparatory work for the Olympic Games, we held a meeting of the Olympic emblem appraisal committee that consists of 30 personages from all sections of the society. After re-evaluating he results of the Olympic emblem selection, the public appraisal committee draw the same conclusion as made by the selection committee.
To ensure the impartiality of the selection process and the validity of the results, we invited public notary agents to notarize the entire process of emblem selection. The members of the selection committee and appraisal committee, experts and other relevant personnel all signed confidentiality agreements as they took part in the work.

On November 21 and December 16, 2002, the Executive Commission of the BOCOG conducted two examinations of the award-winning designs. Judging from the perspective of creativity, future image application and marketing development, the Commission concluded that the top award winner "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing" had qualifications of becoming the emblem of the XXIX Olympic Games. It can be modified and improved as an option design. According to the decision of the Executive Commission, we organized the original designers and relevant experts to make repeated modifications of "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing".
In the process of modifying the design and in order to avoid similarity or duplication of the logo with other registered trade marks in the world, we asked the Chinese National Trademark Bureau and the intellectual property rights consulting company of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to conduct surveys of registered rights both in China and around the world. According to the results of the surveys, we invited professional designers to made further improvement of the design. At all, the modified logo of "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing" won the approved of both Chinese and international experts at a meeting of the special committee on Olympic emblem selection on February 11, 2003. The emblem was later unanimously approved at a meeting of the Executive Commission of the BOCOG on February 17 and was officially confirmed as the emblem of the XXIX Olympic Games.

In the afternoon of March 28, 2003, IOC President Jacques Rogge and Chairman Hein Verbruggen of the XXIX Olympic Games Coordination Commission and relevant IOC officials listened to the presentations of the BOCOG in Lausanne, Switzerland and examined the emblem. After listening to the presentations, Rogge spoke highly about the presentations. He said the emblem was a perfect design full of energy and poetic quality. He said the emblem reflected the long-standing history, the splendid culture and bright future of China. On behalf of the IOC, Rogge expressed consent and approval of the new logo that the BOCOG put forward. To everyone's surprise, Rogge took out a seal engraved with his Chinese name and stamped on the sample of the emblem and signed his name on it.
As for this moment, the XXIX Olympics emblem Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing" put forward by the BOCOG was officially approved by the IOC.
On August 3, 2003, the BOCOG held a grand unveiling ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games emblem at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. The ceremony used large-scale art performance to explain the concept of the emblem and brought forth the Olympic spirit and ideal through unique forms of the Chinese culture. The ceremony showed to the world the Chinese people's passion and aspiration for the Olympics. It displayed the attractiveness of the combination of the essence of Chinese culture and the Olympic spirit.

So far the 16-months process of selecting and releasing the Olympic emblem had concluded. The emblem "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing" came into being. Every emblem of the Olympics tells a story. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games emblem "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing" tells about Beijing's understanding of and commitment to the Olympic Movement.

  1. "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing" adopts a typical form of traditional Chinese art. It combines the arts of Chinese characters, seal carving and calligraphy and conveyed the rich and profound cultural content of the East in the form of a seal. The Chinese character "Jing" on the seal is artistically modified and resembles with a human figure who is running, dancing, chanting and embracing triumph. The Chinese characters in the emblem are in a unique font that was widely used on bamboo carving in the Han Dynasty. The style and features of the strokes of the Chinese characters are also used in the English letters of "Beijing 2008." Its natural appearance, simplicity, smoothness and easiness are totally in harmony with the emblem and the Olympic rings, thus forming a unique style.
  2. "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing" uses the most favored color of the Chinese people, red -- as basic color of the design. The red color expresses the Chinese people's passion to life and the Olympics. It has always been regarded as the symbolic color of China. The red star, red flag and red government jointly formed a red republic. Red symbolizes the sun in the East, the sacred fire of life, the ode to auspiciousness and beauty, the bliss and hospitality of the Chinese people to the world, a symbol of happiness and a reflection of the passion and vigor of Beijing.
  3. "Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing" inherits the outstanding tradition in the design of the Olympic emblems. It exemplifies the Olympic spirit of challenging the limit, winning glory and being "Faster, Higher and Stronger." The emblem uses a human figure as it major subject and emphasizes the people-oriented and athlete-centered concept of the Olympic Games. It combines the themes of sports, peace, friendship and happiness and conveys the highest ideals of the Olympics.
  4. "Chinese seal, Dancing Beijing" is a perfect combination of Chinese culture and the Olympic spirit. It reflects the Chinese people's deep and unique understanding of the Olympics and their commitment and confidence to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The Chinese seal resembling a human figure is the most symbolic presentation of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Its friendly image shows a balance between movement and stillness, strength and flexibility, which is a reflection of the sincerity and open-mindedness of the Chinese people. On the Chinese Seal, the engravings means the oath that the 1.3 billion people and the 56 ethnic groups of China made to the Olympic Movement. It is a witness the Chinese nation's admiration of the Olympic spirit and the Beijing city's aspiration for the Olympic ideal. The emblem is symbol of faith, a manifestation of confidence and a solemn commitment that the host city Beijing made to the world and the human beings.

"Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing" belongs to not only China, but also the world. It uses traditional art forms to express the concept of New Beijing, Great Olympics. It is concise and dynamic, straightforward and rich in content, deep-rooted in cultural background and open to modern ideas. As a perfectly designed Olympic art piece, it will become a precious cultural legacy of the 2008 Olympic Games and find a place in the history of Olympic art design.
Friends, it is the goal of the design and selection of the Beijing Olympic image to create a unique visual image of oriental wisdom and add new concept and elements of design to the Olympic Movement. Chinese civilization has a history of more than 5,000 years. Our ancestors had made unremitting efforts to pursue the philosophical idea of harmony between heaven and man. In the long and splendid history of Chinese art and culture, there has always been a tradition of combining sports with culture. The design of the scenery of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games should clearly and concisely express the aesthetics and value of the Beijing Olympics, reflects the tradition of combining sports with culture in Eastern civilization and spreads the concept of People's Olympics.
What we do today is to create a sound cultural environment for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Let's use our wisdom and talent to write a glorious new chapter of the Olympic Movement with Chinese cultural characteristics.
Thank you!

Speech at the Olympic Torch Forum

Mr. Tu Mingde, Assistant President of BOCOG

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning! First, please let me express my congratulations to the Olympic Torch Forum on behalf of BOCOG! I also would like to extend my warm welcome to both foreign and domestic experts and scholars. I would like to thank the sponsors of this forum and the media reporting the forum.
Cultural activities play a very important role in the Olympics, and the two can at no time be separated. Combining sports and culture not only explores new territory for cultural development, but also makes the Olympic Games a more cultural and more attractive sports event. Only through the involvement of culture does the Olympic Games become a great event that people around the world await with great expectations.
"Green Olympics, Technology Olympics and Cultural Olympics" are the three concepts of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Among the concepts, "Cultural Olympics" has the richest and most profound significance. The purpose of holding the forum is to carry out the three concepts, especially Cultural Olympics, and to bring forth the splendid Chinese culture so as to enhance related academic studies.
The Olympic fire was lit in Amsterdam in 1928. The Olympic torch relay was held in Berlin in 1936. Since then it has always been a vastly important part of the Olympics and symbol of the Olympic spirit. The fire of the Olympics represents holiness, sports and the pursuit for world peace which are all reflected in the Olympic spirit.
The plan for the torch relay for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is far from unveiled. However we are here at this forum discussing the operating mode for the torch relay, especially the plan for the Olympic torch to be passed across Mount Everest, and taking pleasure in sharing our experiences. No doubt, the forum will impel a more mature and practical plan for the torch relay of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Here, right now, we are offering our initial efforts in making the coming torch relay the best in world Olympic history.
I now declare the start the Torch Forum of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Thank you!

Speech at Beijing 2008-Symposium on Digital Film & Television for Olympic Games

Li Wenyi

Ladies and Gentlemen, Good morning!
First, please allow me, on behalf of the sponsors of the symposium, to express warm congratulations to successful start of the Beijing-2008 Symposium on Digital Film & Television for the Olympic Games! I would like to extend warm welcome to Chinese and international experts and scholars attending this forum. I would also like to convey my heartfelt thanks to the sponsors of the symposium and friends from the media.
"Green Olympics, Hi-tech Olympics and People's Olympics" are the three concepts of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Among which "Hi-tech Olympics" has profound meanings and richest content. From the 1990s, digital film technology has become a rising trend in the world. The rapid expansion of the global film industry was driven by the rapid development of digital technology. The fast development of digital, computer and network technology has changed the film and TV industry completely and at the same time stimulated the development of the technology of computerized special effect.
Digital technology is now one of the pillar industries of our country. The market potential of digital product is enormous in our country. Results of market survey for the first half of 2003 show that the growth of market for digital products such as digital cameras, MP3 and portable memory disks exceeded 50% over the same period of 2002. The growth of demand driven by rapid introduction of digital products is a major factor for the growth of the market as a whole.
The development of industry cannot go without the training of industrial talents. Since 2002, 15 universities around the country have strengthening the training of software development talents in a bid to meet the requirements of industrialization and commercialization. The move helped ease the shortage of talents in the development of basic programs and management of software engineering and promote the development of the software industry. Under this favorable industrial environment, the symposium is held in the right time and will be fruitful.
The main topics of the symposium are the opportunities and challenges that digital Olympics brings to such industries as film and entertainment, education, service and public security, personnel training and application of high-definition TV technology in digital Olympics, digital processing in English language training for the Olympics and challenges of utilizing digital means applications in English teaching at primary and middle schools.
We wish to push forward academic cooperation and the development of related industries through broad exchanges so as to provide strong technological support to the best ever Olympic Games in history.
Now I declare that the International Symposium on Digital Film & Television for the Olympic Games of the First Beijing 2008 Olympic Culture Festival begins!
Thank you!

Closing Ceremony for the First Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival

Curtains fell on the first Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival as musicians from China Philharmonic Orchestra played a high tune to the theme of the Olympics at Peking University in the evening of September 29, 2003. Dignitaries such as Deputy Mayor of Beijing Wang Qishan and Vice President Hu Zhanfan of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television attended the closing ceremony.


Thousands of people gathered at the Great Wall to do "tai chi chuan", a system of physical exercises consisting of slow balanced circular movements, chiefly for attaining bodily or mental control and also for self-defense.
September 28, 2003

In a speech at the ceremony, Wang expressed warm congratulations on the success of the Festival. He said combining sports closely with culture was the best way to promote the Olympic spirit and spread the Olympic ideals. The festival had added glory to the civilization of the capital city, breathed fresh air into people's cultural life and opened up new fields for cultural and art development and exchanges, Wang said. He expressed the hope that the sponsors of the first Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival would summarize their successful experiences, perfect the combination of sports and culture, expand public participation, deepen the theme and enrich the content of the festival and expand its scope and influence. He said the Beijing 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival should become a new international cultural event that reflects Chinese characteristics, Beijing style and the Olympic spirit.

Under the theme of "Dynamic Beijing, People's Olympics," the first Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival was opened on September 21. The 2008 Olympic Games Emblem Exhibition revealed the charm of the Olympic culture to the people. The Olympic forums on such themes as Olympic cultural innovation & games image design, Olympic Torch relay, digital film & television, Chinese jade culture & Olympic Spirit, Olympic education and etc. had come up with valuable ideas and suggestions for the preparation of the 2008 Olympic Games. Such popular activities as Taiji performance on the Great Wall, Open-air Culture and Sports Activities and English-Speech Contest among Beijing high school students showed the solid foundation of the development and spread of the Olympic Movement in China. The activities represented the aspiration that the Chinese people, especially the youth cherished for the Olympics. Statistics showed that hundreds of thousand of Beijing citizens took part in the Olympic Cultural Festival, making the festival a truly people's sports and culture event.


Closing Ceremonies of the First Cultural Festival.

At the closing ceremony of the Festival, famous conductors Yu Long and Yang Yang, solo pianist Lang Lang and the China Philharmonic Orchestra staged brilliant performances. Symphonies for the 100th anniversary of the Olympics and the 1984 Olympics were performed. The vocalists also sang the theme songs for 1988 Olympics and other Olympics. Lang Lang played a Tchaikovsky piano concerto with the orchestra. Invited by the audiences' prolonged applause, Lang Lang played five encore melodies and took the enthusiasm of the audience to a new height.

It is reported that although the first Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival was concluded, the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Emblem Exhibition, a major event of the festival, would be extended to October 10. This move was designed to let more people learn about the process of creating the emblem of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Mr. Cai Fuchao, member of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal Government; Mr. Jin Shengguan, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of Beijing Municipal People's Congress; Vice-President of the BOCOG Mr. Jiang Xiaoyu, Mr. Li Binghua and Mr. Wang Wei; Mr. Min Weifang, Party Secretary of Beijing University also attended the closing ceremony and concert.