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BEIJING — Just minutes before the Olympics began, the people of Wenhuiyuan Road were gathering eagerly to watch the show. Everyone flicked on their television sets – and the fuses blew, plunging the six-storey building into darkness.
But nobody was going to let a mere electrical failure spoil their party. Determined to celebrate, people spilled out into the street, looking for a place to watch the opening ceremony. Three men raced off to find a giant outdoor screen. Others rushed to the apartments of their friends or neighbours.
It was one small example of the Olympic mania that has gripped the entire country. There hasn't been such excitement on Wenhuiyuan Road in living memory, and the fuses weren't built to handle it.
After decades of isolation, followed by years of uncertainty and timidity on the world stage, this was the moment China had been waiting for, the moment when the eyes of the world were turned upon it, legitimizing its new power. China is back in the global spotlight, and most Chinese are elated that the Olympics are creating a fresh buzz of enthusiasm for their country.
Members of the Canadian team hold up their national flag during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium, Aug. 8, 2008. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Retuers)
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“We've waited for this for 100 years,” said Zhang Qinping. “This is a great start for the Olympics. It proves that we have the ability to hold a successful Olympics.”
Mr. Zhang, a 57-year-old music teacher, and six members of his extended family were thrilled to watch the long-awaited opening ceremony. When the electricity had been restored, they huddled around their flat-screen television, with a Chinese flag perched proudly on top of it.
They sat in hushed silence for the dazzling spectacle of the opening show. They sang along patriotically to the national anthem. They applauded when the Chinese athletes entered the stadium. And they gasped in astonishment at the fireworks and the special effects.
“I never thought I would live to see this,” said Mr. Zhang's mother-in-law, Li Xiulan, a 76-year-old pensioner, as she watched the opening ceremony. “I can feel all the huge changes in this city. I remember when I had no television and no telephone. There used to be only small houses, and now there are big buildings everywhere.”
She was amazed by the high-tech effects that transformed the National Stadium's roof into a giant screen, projecting whales and doves. “China is very strong now,” she murmured.
Outside their apartment, the streets were almost deserted. Everyone was watching the opening ceremony at home or on outdoor screens at neighbourhood parks.
Mr. Zhang's son-in-law, 34-year-old technician and businessman Wei Runjie, said the opening ceremonies were the realization of a dream that began a century ago, when Chinese intellectuals first talked of their dream that some day China could hold the Olympics.
“It's a symbol of China's growing up,” he said. “I feel very proud of it. It means that China is entering into the world. It doesn't mean that China is a threat to the world: It means China is a member of the world.”
Mr. Wei's wife, Zhang Yijing, was impressed by the combination of ancient themes and ultra-modern special effects at the opening ceremony. “We are showing our 5,000 years of history, but we are also showing how modern we are.”
Three hours later, when the Chinese athletes finally marched into the stadium in a parade that seemed to go on forever, the family was delighted. “Look at them, there's no end to it because we are so strong,” said Mr. Zhang's wife, Xie Yufang.
They cheered loudly when Chinese President Hu Jintao declared the Olympics officially open. And then they gasped again when Chinese gymnast Li Ning was winched up to the upper rim of the stadium, where invisible wires help him to run toward the giant Olympic flame and light it.
“It's like he is running on a cloud,” Mrs. Li said.
