The opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing are top secret. Director Zhang Yimou and assistant director Chen Weiya have promised that the ceremonies will be spectacular, but they are tight-lipped about the details. Some 300 people are part of the creative team putting the ceremonies together and over 10,000 performers will bring the ceremonies to life. Zhang has said that, in his view, the 200-minute opening ceremony should highlight the Olympic spirit as well as the 5,000 year history of China mixed with modern elements. "Like Beijing Olympics slogan One World One Dream, the ceremony should impress the world that the Chinese people are open-minded," he said.
Perhaps, some hints may lie in the Chinese presentation at the closing ceremonies of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, but the world will have to wait until August to determine if Zhang and Chen can make the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics the best ever.