China launched the 29th summer Olympics Friday with a glittering opening ceremony combining 5,000 years of its history with a modern firecracker of a show, dpa reported.The start of the three-hour extravaganza saw the Beijing sky light up after each section of the show which was a journey through the 5,000-year history and culture of the once reclusive country. The 91,000-strong crowd in the National Stadium, and more than a billion television viewers, saw the hoisting of the Chinese flag which was carried into the stadium by children from China's 56 ethnic groups. The trip through China's rich history featured ancient paper-making and calligraphy, the Great Wall, opera puppets and China's arrival in the space age. Performers included famous piano player Lang Lang. China President Hu Jintao and the communist party's politburo watched in the VIP section along with almost 90 state leaders including US President George W Bush and Russian Premier Vladimir Putin. Directed by Zhang Yimou, the show featuring some 15,000 performers, stayed away from politics with no mention for instance of chairman Mao (Zedong), the former communist revolutionary leader, as Chinese organizers had insisted all the way that politics and sport should not mix. More show elements were scheduled after the parade of a record 204 nations, with Taiwan receiving a roaring welcome early on as the teams paraded in the order of the Mandarin alphabet. Host China was to conclude the parade set to last almost two hours. Hu was due to officially open the Games with the traditional formula: "I declare open the Games of Beijing celebrating the XXIX Olympiad of the modern era." Before the concluding fireworks, the final torch bearer was due to light the Olympic cauldron with the flame lit on March 24 in ancient Olympia. The Olympic flame travelled some 137,000 kilometres, mostly by air, over 130 days of international and Chinese torch relay legs, including a leg to the summit of Mount Everest. The anti-Chinese government protests that dogged several international legs of the relay prompted some International Olympic Committee members to propose curtailing or ending the recent practice of holding international legs. Security was tight all over Beijing and the international airport closed for the duration of the ceremony for security reasons. Around 11,000 athletes from a record 204 nations will compete in 28 sports for 302 gold medals at the first lympics in China and third in Asia, following Tokyo 1964 and Seoul 1988.
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