World Blog

Preparations as reported by the Telegraph, UK.

By the Telegraph UK.

Final preparations are being made for a spectacular opening ceremony to the most eagerly-anticipated moment in China’s modern history, when 35,000 fireworks will light up the sky above 10,000 dancers and performers in the stunning Bird’s Nest stadium.

The Games, which will open at precisely 8.08pm on Friday, on the date 08.08.08, come as the culmination of seven years in which the Olympics have dominated China’s politics, culture and industry, with £20 billion spent on venues and infrastructure in a desperate bid to improve the country’s image internationally.

Protests over Tibet, human rights and free speech have overshadowed the build-up to the Games and made them the most controversial since Moscow in 1980, but the Communist Party hopes politics will be temporarily forgotten during a 90-minute display which has been in rehearsal for months.

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