Chinese Olympics

Tuned in to watch the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies tonight, and I was struck by the scale and beauty of the presentation. There was a giant LED screen in the shape of a scroll that reminded me of a favorite gift of mine -- a scroll souvenir brought back from Taiwan with a reproduction of a painting of the Yangtze River, I believe. There were 15,000 performers doing all kinds of feats, definitely enhanced by technology with glowing lights and everything, but with a distinct human element as well. They even painted on a pad at the center of the LED scroll, using their entire bodies in dance moves designed to simulate brushstrokes. The display of Tai Chi was impressive, even though I know nothing about it. I still don't know how they got over 2,000 people to run in concentric circles in opposite directions without collisions occurring. Still, I wonder how much of these Olympics is going to be used for propaganda reasons. Here's a photo: