Beijing 08.08.08: The Good, The Bad, And The Weird

So the opening ceremony's over. I'm going to serve my thoughts - still free of media influence - while they're fresh. Here goes.

THE GOOD

• Choice of Date
I could really nitpick here and say that in northern parts of China people actually prefer the number 6 over 8...nah, three eights is perfect enough.
• Choice of People
No faux pas, no out-of-place celebrities, fewer-than-normal clichés...this event is surprisingly well done considering what they churn out each Chinese New Year. Dai Yuqiang might be the natural choice for the singing, but when you think of it Liu Huan actually suits Sarah Brightman (squeee!!) better in terms of style and stage presence.
• Choice of Themes
Thank the Good Lord they didn't go with the monstrosity of a performance at the 2004 Olympics! I would have died with horror! Instead they stuck to classy themes like "Four Great Inventions" and the Silk Road and Peking Opera. Wise choice, as the Chinese are already branded over with red lanterns and psychedelic floral patterns...The opening drum matrix was especially spectacular, as was the Confucius part, though slightly overdone.
• The Podium
It's a scroll!! What more can I say??
• The Cauldron
I never knew they call that thing a cauldron...anyway, this year's is beautiful, very "Chinese" and brings to mind the Xiangyun relay torch.
• Entrance Order
Probably the most confusing entrance order in Olympic history - but we loved it! Muahahahahaha. Australians must have fallen asleep waiting for their nation's entrance.
• The Much-Abused Picture
Nice trick, letting the athletes do the stamping. I wonder why it wasn't soiled?
• The Lighting
When the lights were suddenly turned off during the drum sequence, I squealed in delight. There were many other instances of lighting setting the mood nicely.
• Giant Footprints
A pleasant surprise. I was wondering why the footprints didn't have toes - technical limits? Then I caught on: we're civilized enough to wear shoes, duh. (But the technical issue was probably true.)
• Choreography
London, you're in serious trouble :D

THE BAD

• Choice of Music
Another Olympic Opening Ceremony come and gone without a memorable piece of music to take home. What a shame. I would've loved to add the song of '08 to the list of Olympic theme songs that I can recall (which currently consists of only Amigos Para Siempre and Hand in Hand). Theme songs aside, I was really disappointed by the lack of recognisable Chinese music - true, there were instances from a wide range of styles, but few classics made it: Huanghe, Liangzhu, etc. A little girl sang Ode to Our Homeland as the national flag entered, and that was all. (Yet it was the most powerful scene of the night; I almost cried)
• Structure of Events
5000 years is a lot of stuff to portray. They got their priorities right, but the progression wasn't as smooth as it could have been.
• Handling of Particular Subjects
The Peking Opera part was quite creative, but I felt it was weak compared to the other subjects. Same for the Silk Road section, it didn't really explain the scope and purpose of the Silk Road.
• Cinematography
Many details were missed: dancers on the canvas, all the historic costumes, the cauldron coming out, Li Ning's facial expression during the final lap...maybe I'm asking too much of the camera crew =)
• Fireworks
Here's an idea: save a couple fireworks, and let people commute to work next morning, no?

THE WEIRD

• The Scroll
For about like, the first half hour it seemed so novel and elegant - after that it just gets in the way. Especially with all the irrelevant video clips. What an eyesore.
• The Feitian
Perhaps it was just me, or did those (supposedly beautiful heavenly beings) look like glittery intergalactic locusts?
• The Vanishing Brush Strokes
I was thrilled at the sight of dancers swirling ink onto the giant canvas - there were stylized clouds (xiangyun) among other things - but where did those strokes go? The finished picture shows no sign of them. They were far more prettier than the final hills and sun.
• The Doves
The wing-flapping imitations were pretty lame, but the big question is: did they actually release doves or not?

The Problem With The Bard

Ah the Bard the Bard the Bard. I read his sonnets a while ago, and have to say there's something very unsatisfying about them. Faithful followers are probably going to look daggers at me and screech "How dare you besmirch his hallowed name"etc.etc. Anyway...

Shakespearean sonnets are all very well, but there is something about them that irritates me: they start out magnificent, full of the spark that gives the Bard his reputation, but end fairly low-key. Consider this timeless example:

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate

Typical Shakespeare, packing punches into the first couple of lines. Then take another sonnet, in this case my favourite one (and one of the few things I actually like about Shelley):

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone...

Which fades in comparison as expected. Six lines along, we get the third quatrain, which by definition should be where the volta lies. The Bard takes a stab at an epic one:

But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

And misses by mere inches. Whereas the other fellow comes up with:

And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Okay I admit the latter has its volta at the last couplet. But Ozymandias leaves a burning impression of greatness, vanity and passing of ages...few Shakespearean sonnets have endings this powerful. This Chinese saying sums it all up: "Spurred on by first drumroll, tired by second, exhausted by third." (Yiguzuoqi, zai er shuai, san er jie.)

And that is all I have against the Bard.