Zhang Yimou's challenge By Tracy Quek
Publisher:The Straits Times - Publication Date: 13-03-2008

He has made contingency plans in case of rain, expects to stage a show that will outshine previous Olympics' opening ceremonies, and has lined up global stars to add celebrity cachet.
But most of all, the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony on Aug 8 will be a "surprise to the world and satisfy all Chinese people", renown film director Zhang Yimou said yesterday (Mar 12), in rare public comments about the highly-anticipated event which is a closely-guarded secret.
Zhang, who is the chief artistic architect of the Beijing Olympics' opening and closing ceremonies, was the star draw at a press conference held on the sidelines of China's annual parliamentary sessions. These media meetings are usually dominated by officials and bureaucrats.
Pressed for details on the ceremonies, the charismatic director, who has won international acclaim with movies including Red Sorghum and Raise The Red Lantern, played to the packed room of reporters, dropping hints but refusing to say too much, lest he "spoils the surprise".
"I can't tell you the concrete details, or you will lose interest in watching the opening ceremony," he said, adding that he has to keep things under wraps because he has signed a confidentiality agreement.
There are high expectations for the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing to be a lavish, spectacular event that will earn rave reviews as the best ever.
Zhang revealed that he has watched footage of previous ceremonies to "learn from their strengths", and said he and his team intend to "tap into the richness of Chinese culture to make ours an even more beautiful show".
"We hope to make it even more spectacular than the amazing 2004 Athens Games," he said.
The artistic performance, which will take up 50 minutes of the 3 1/2-hour ceremony, will involve a cast of 10,000. Rehearsals are already under way.
Audiences can expect to be dazzled by a brilliant and colourful show, lit up with many colours including red - a hue favoured by the Chinese people and used liberally in his films, he said.
The content will draw heavily on Chinese culture, he added, but condensing 5,000 years of history and culture into a 50-minute performance is a big challenge.
"So we've picked the highlights," he said. "We hope to convey who we are, and also that we are all members of the same family."
His greatest fear, however, is that rain might render the ceremony, which will be held at the roof-less National Stadium, a wash-out.
"Everyday, I pray for good weather," he said.
But he is not leaving it all up to the heavens: "We've made contingency plans, we might cancel some aerial items or those that involve high-tech equipment because safety comes first."
Asked if the ceremony was affected by American filmmaker Steven Spielberg's pull-out as artistic director last month, he said he found it "regrettable" but that the performance would not be affected because there were other experts involved.
He left reporters with a teaser. The ceremony will end, he said, with an item featuring 10,000 images of smiling children collected from all over the world.
"I am sure that will be a very special moment," he said.

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