The opening ceremony of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games has been one of the talking point recently, from its lavishness, artistic value, grandness of the presentation performance to its ‘fake’ elements, i.e. CGI cinematic enhanced effects of giant footprint fireworks and little cute solo girl Lin Miaoke mimed and lip synced after the actual singer, Yang Peiyi for “Hymn to the Motherland”, the patriotic song sang when the China flag was carrying.

For people who value and interest in the preparation stage of the opening ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, The Beijing Olympic Games Organizing Committee (BOCOG) has made available video of the making of opening ceremony of 2008 Beijing Olympiad. From the video, viewers can know how the idea of the opening ceremony been made into reality, with interviews with directors and producers, and exclusive behind the scene footage showing training process of the performers, creative ideas, theme songs and singers selection (You and Me was initially composed for another purpose, and Sarah Brightman and Liu Huan were called in only at the last minute decision), fireworks preparations, flame cauldron lighting secret and final torch bearer selection.

The video is in Chinese language, but there is English subtitle.