Olympic opening ceremony plan revealed

Lavish fireworks, colorful dancing by ethnic groups and performances portraying 5,000 years of Chinese history are among the highlights of the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony, state media reported Wednesday.

The extravagant 3 1/2-hour opening ceremony — designed in secrecy by the country's most famous film director, Zhang Yimou — could include performances such as traditional Chinese opera, kung fu, pandas and acrobats representing China's culture from ancient to modern times. The theme is "Civilization and Harmony," the China Daily reported.

Organizers have taken numerous measures to ensure a smooth opening ceremony on Aug. 8, including heightened security measures.

"From the ceremony, the world will see China's 5,000 years of flourishing culture, the present promise and open-mindedness of China," Chen Weiya, a choreographer for the opening ceremony, was quoted as saying by the China Daily.

Details for the opening ceremony of each Olympics are closely guarded by organizers. The process for lighting the Olympic flame at the Beijing ceremony has been fixed, according to Xinhua, but the torchbearer to light the Olympic cauldron at the end of the opening ceremony has yet to be announced.

Like many aspects of the Beijing games, the opening ceremony has become political issue. Steven Spielberg sparked controversy in February when he withdrew as an artistic adviser for the opening ceremony to protest what he saw as China's refusal to do more to help end the humanitarian crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.

Although President Bush has said he would attend the opening ceremony, some world leaders have said they might boycott it to protest the most recent Chinese security crackdown in Tibetan areas of China.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said this week he would attend if the latest talks between China and the envoys of the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama, made progress.