BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Fireworks, athletes and pageantry on a scalenever before seen in the Olympics opened the Summer Games in Beijing onFriday, as the Asian nation kicked off the biggest and most scrutinizedGames in history.
Fans celebrate the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, on Friday.

Fans celebrate the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, on Friday.

Chinese President Hu Jintao declared the the Olympics officially open,retired Chinese gymnastics champion Li Ning was carried through the airto light the Olympic cauldron and pyrotechnics exploded throughoutBeijing as the crowd of 91,000 at National Stadium cheered wildly.

It was a stunning display from the nation of 1.3 billion people. Somemedia observers believe the Opening Ceremony may be the single mostwatched television event in history.

IOC President Jacques Rogge spoke of China's long-held ambition to hostthe Olympics. "Tonight, that dream comes true," he said. Roggementioned the Sichuan earthquake, saying the world was moved "by thegreat courage and solidarity of the Chinese people."

Emotion was high as Friday's Opening Ceremony not only officiallystarted the Summer Games, but also was a symbolic expression of anation seeking its place as a global superpower.

The ceremony began at 8 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET) on the eighth dayof the eighth month of 2008 -- that, in a country where eight is theluckiest number. The opening was an artistic mix of performance andlight depicting China's 5,000 years of history.

Fireworks shot off across the Chinese capital as thousands of drummers,acrobats, martial artists and dancers performed under a light displayat the National Stadium.

Children representing each of the 56 ethnic groups in China marched outinto the stadium, also called the "Bird's Nest" because of its uniqueappearance.

Dancers merged with objects that depicted China's ancient Silk Road,its Great Wall and ancient imperial past. Acrobats swirled around agiant sphere, depicting China's ambitions in space.

Delegations from Afghanistan, Taiwan, North Korea and the United Stateswere welcomed by huge cheers. But the loudest roars were saved for theChinese participants. Waves of emotion greeted China's delegation as itentered National Stadium, led by flag bearer and basketball superstarYao Ming.

U.S. President George W. Bush was joined by Russian Prime MinisterVladimir Putin and more than 100 heads of state, heads of governmentand sovereigns expected to attend, the International Olympic Committeesaid.

The joy in Beijing was countered by grave news in Europe. As theOpening Ceremony was under way, Georgia's president said that hiscountry was under attack by Russian tanks and warplanes. While inBeijing, Bush and Putin met to discuss the conflict in Georgia.

Earlier Friday, the anticipation over the Beijing Olympics wasunmistakable in China's capital city. Thousands were on hand early atBeijing's Tiananmen Square to witness the traditional flag-raisingceremony by soldiers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Blog:Anticipation at fever pitch

This version of the Olympics brings with it controversy, discord thatbegan in 2001 when the 2008 Games were awarded to Beijing. Criticismover China's policies on human rights for its citizens, its policies inTibet and the persistent pollution across the country have been thefocus of much international scrutiny and media attention. Video Watchprotests in Germany over China's Tibet policies »

For some world leaders, the decision to attend was a tough call. FrenchPresident Nicholas Sarkozy threatened to boycott the Games because ofhuman rights abuses in Tibet, but later changed his mind.

"It's inevitable that people from different countries may not see eyeto eye," President Hu said recently, "so we should try to expand ourcommon ground on the basis of mutual respect."

Political leaders do not attend Olympic opening ceremonies as a matterof protocol -- Bush is the first American president to attend themoutside the United States -- but China seemed determined to have asmany there as possible.

"They want those leaders to confirm the fact that China has returned togreat power, prominence in the world," said David Zweig, a politicalanalyst at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

"They really want to say to the people of China that we, the Communistparty of China, have done a great job." Video Watch why China hasinvested so much in the Olympics »

As for the Games, an estimated 10,000 athletes from 205 countries willcompete in 28 events for about 300 gold medals. The first medals willbe awarded on Saturday, and China hoped to claim the first gold of theGames. See a timeline of moments to watch for »

The Olympics will offer plenty of drama. China has put a priority onfinishing first in the overall medal standings. Government officialshave said they expect nothing less than a repeat gold medal from110-meter hurdler Liu Xiang.
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On Sunday, swimming competition begins, along with U.S. swimmer MichaelPhelps' quest to win eight gold medals -- more than any individual in asingle Games. Even if he fails, Phelps could become the all-time leaderin gold medals.

Also on Sunday, an early showdown in basketball, as the U.S. basketballteam led by stars Kobe Bryant and LeBron James faces host China and NBAall-star Yao Ming.

【译文】

中国奥运在激情中开幕

本周五，奥运史上盛况空前的焰火，运动员入场式和华丽的露天表演揭开了北京夏季奥运会的开幕式，同时也标志着这个亚洲国家所主办的历史上最大也是最受瞩目的奥运会的开始。

中国国家主席胡锦涛宣布奥运会正式开始，中国退役体操冠军李宁在空中点燃奥运火炬。伴随着国家体育馆内91，000名观众的欢呼声，北京城内焰火四起。

对于这个拥有13亿人口的国家来说，（奥运开幕式）是一次令人惊叹的展示。有些媒体观察家相信，这次开幕式是历史上观众最多的电视节目。

国际奥委会主席亚克・罗杰（在致辞中）提及中国主办奥运的长期梦想。“今晚，这个梦想成为了现实，”他说。罗杰还提到了四川地震，并说世界为“中国人民的极大的勇气和团结的精神”所感动。

周五的开幕式上群情激扬，因为开幕式不仅标志着奥运会的正式开幕，同时也是这个国家追求其环球超级大国地位的一个象征。

开幕式在2008年8月8日晚上8时开始 - 在中国，8是最幸运的数字。开幕式用表演和灯光艺术地展示了中国五千年的历史。

体育馆外，焰火在中国的首都燃起；体育馆内，数千鼓手，杂技演员，武术演员和舞蹈演员在灯光展示下表演。

代表中国56个民族的儿童们走入被称为“鸟巢”的体育馆，因为体育馆的独特外表看起来像一个鸟巢。

舞蹈者和体现中国古老的丝绸之路，长城以及其古老帝国历史的道具融为一体。杂记表演者围绕着一个巨大的球体旋转，描述着中国外空探索的雄心。

来自阿富汗，台湾，朝鲜和美国的代表团得到了观众的巨大欢呼。但是最大的欢呼声还是留给了中国代表团。当旗手和篮球运动员姚明带领着中国代表团走入国家体育馆时，迎接他们的是观众激动的欢呼浪潮。

美国总统布什和俄罗斯总统普京参加了开幕式，据国际奥委会透露，同时参加开幕式的还有一百多个国家或政府元首。

北京的欢乐气氛和欧洲的暗淡的消息形成了鲜明的对比。在开幕式正在进行时，格鲁吉亚总统说他的国家遭到了俄罗斯坦克和飞机的攻击。在北京，布什和普京也就格鲁吉亚冲突举行了会谈。

周五早些时候，对北京奥运的热切期待情绪毫无疑问地充满着中国的首都。数千群众很早就聚集在天安门广场上，观看传统的中国人民解放军升旗仪式。

本届奥运会一直是与争议相伴，这种争议从2001年北京获得2008奥运举办权时就开始了。针对中国人权政策，西藏政策，和全国持续的污染问题的批评之声一直是国际社会和媒体关注的焦点。

对于某些国家领导人，是否参加开幕式是一个非常棘手的决定。法国总统尼古拉斯・萨科齐因为中国在西藏的人权问题而以不出席开幕式相威胁，但是后来还是改变了注意。

胡锦涛主席最近提到，“来自不同国家的人们不可避免地会有一些分歧，所以我们应该在共同尊重的基础上扩大共识。”

按照国际惯例，政治领导人不参加奥运开幕式 -- 布什是第一个参加美国本土外奥运开幕式的美国总统 -- 但是中国似乎努力争取尽可能多的领导人参加开幕式。

“他们希望通过这些领导人来证实中国又重归世界主要大国行列。”香港科技大学的政治分析家大卫・维格说。

“他们非常想对中国人说我们，中国共产党干的不错。”

在比赛项目上，据估计有来自205个国家的10，000多名运动员将角逐28个项目的300枚金牌。第一枚金牌将在周六决出，中国希望能斩获首金。

奥运将是非常戏剧性的。中国代表队的重点就是拿到奖牌总数的第一。政府官员表示他们非常看好一百一十米栏冠军刘翔能再获金牌。

游泳比赛在星期天举行。美国游泳选手Michael Phelps希望夺得八枚金牌，这将是单项比赛中个人获得的最多金牌数。即使他不成功，他仍会是单人获得金牌最多的运动员。

星期天还将举行篮球赛，以科比・布兰特和勒布朗・詹姆斯为首的美国篮球队将对战东道主中国队和NBA全明星姚明。