Zhang Yimou Explains the Opening Ceremony

An interview with Zhang Yimou, the director of Friday’s Olympic opening ceremony, was published by China Military Net the next day, and has since been circulating around the Chinese forum circuit and blogosphere. As he discusses his guiding ideas, Zhang reveals that some of his original plans had to be scrapped for the final performance. The original article also includes interviews with two other directors involved, but here we devote the translation to Zhang Yimou alone.

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THE ARTICLE:

Zhang Yimou, Zhang Jigang, Wei Ya Explain the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

Zhang Yimou: born in 1951, famous contemporary Chinese film director. His works “Red Sorghum” and “Raise the Red Lantern,” “Ju Dou” and “The Story of Qiu Ju” etc. have many times won major international awards, the Golden Rooster Award, the Hundred Flowers Award. He’s successively shot the blockbuster films, “Hero,” “House of Flying Daggers,” “Riding alone for Thousands of Miles,” “Curse of the Golden Flower,” etc.

Master director Zhang Yimou

To present a long history[*1] of Chinese culture to the world

The Bird’s Nest seethes with excitement for the Beijing Olympics’ big show, the “Beautiful Olympics,” the official performance. Under the reflection of multicolored fireworks, the space between Zhang Yimou’s eyebrows is tightly locked in more than three years of wrinkles, which are finally starting to unwind.

Pleasantly surprised? Moved? Successful? As Zhang Yimou and his core group were seeing off their dream of China’s red Bird’s Nest, they were giving high fives, and left saying, “We’re finally safe, we’ve been successful, the circle is complete; of course having success is also having regrets!”

Extracting the essence of 5,000 years of Chinese culture

Since taking over the contract for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, Zhang Yimou gave the audience the right to comment on the success of the Bird’s Nest’s night, August 8, 2008. At that time, he declared to the people of the whole country: “I will pour in all my energy and all I’ve accumulated, to bring the world a unique opening ceremony; however much they are pleasantly surprised, the degree of their satisfaction, after watching, the audience will have their own appraisal.”

As the opening ceremony entered the countdown, the group of directors had three rehearsals in front of a live audience; adding today’s formal presentation and the television audience, it is estimated that more than 4 billion people in all saw the scene, a show to make the world shake.  Some of the competitors in the ring shared the feeling that this opening ceremony perfectly embodied the creative ideas, “an extensive manifestation of the best elements of 5,000 profound years of Chinese culture, clearly showing its antiquity, civilization, its luck and moods, expressing Chinese people’s happiness and pride.” During the one hour program, besides actually seeing those things everyone has heard about,[*2] people of every country in the world accepted and understood each of the cultural elements and symbols — such as the four main inventions, Kungqu Opera, shadow play, the drums of war, taichi kungfu. The most important thing is seeing the artistic forms Zhang Yimo used to present these elements and symbols: a hundred meter long portrait, seeming like a Chinese painting, like rice paper, like a screen, the whole scene always unrolling in the middle of the arena. On the long roll, at times the “painting” evoked “drilling wood to make fire,”[*3] “Nüwa Repairs Heaven[*4];” at times the “writing” brought out heiroglyphics, ancient calligraphy; at times the “reflection” brought out print letters, Dunhuang frescoes[*5], at times a carrier rocket launched, at times a fast train careered about, at times a golden field, at times a dove of peace flew freely, this kind of vision was overabundant and intense.

At one time there was a project called “A summation of the Yellow River”

According to Zhang Yimou’s earliest original concept, he would not use people for a naval battle, he only wanted a few performers interpreting Chinese cultural elements. At the time when he and the group of directors planned the first blueprint called “a summation of the Yellow River,” it was to be a long painting and also an LED screen; this screen would be larger than the current screen, its reel would run straight down from the Bird Nest’s crest, through the floor, and overflow out of the Bird’s Nest.
At the start of the performance, a white-haired old man opens the rice paper, brandishing dipping ink and writing with a rafter as though with a large brush pen[*6]; when writing a character, the surging water of the Yellow River would permeate the LED screen from the sky, falling down — indicating that the water of the Yellow River comes from the sky. Following this, a small boat would be downstream, stopped in the center of the dancing platform. On the boat, an old person scoops the Yellow River’s water; when finished scooping, oracle bone[*7] characters come out, and in the passing splash, the whole ground is covered with oracle bone characters; China’s earliest characters allegorically appear. The four big inventions continue to appear along with this artistic masterstroke. The pity is that, because of a lack of funds, difficult technologies, etc., this blueprint was finally scrapped.

Caring for the feelings of 4,000,000,000 TV viewers.

Zhang Yimou was still very optimistic, and he said: “In order to satisfy different audiences, we should combine motion and stillness, the many and the few very carefully in such a vast space in the Nest. For, the Chinese people like a magnificent scene and big breadth of spirit.”

Regarding the overall style of the opening ceremony, professionals who are familiar with Zhang’s directing style said with emotion, “It’s too much like Zhang Yimou.” “Without a single story running from beginning to end, without a master plot line that can be traced, the ceremony, which uses a movie’s montage technique, enlarges every attractive Chinese cultural point with ingenious ideas, magnificent colors, dance art, or high technology stage props. The ceremony brought to the people a wave of art to shock continually and radiated warmth and humanity. Finally, the ceremony was only partially moving, but overall satisfying.” This was from the famous artist Jia Ding, on behalf of quite a lot of people’s impressions. In response, Zhang Yimou didn’t deny this: “I have to do so, because not only need I satisfy the 90,000 people present in the Nest, but I also have to take into consideration the feelings of 4 billion viewers in front of the television. My expression with the camera lens may bring them a big surprise.”

Intense use of color by Japanese master designer

When talking about the team, which is constantly together, Zhang was exceptionally excited: “I have been very honored, for I have met a staff which can endure hardship and fight. Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya took charge of the first half and the second half respectively. As you have seen, the production directed by them was full of wisdom and wonderful ideas and every section brought the audience surprise. The fashion designer is Eiko Ishioka, who is a famous Japanese master designer and collaborated with me on the movies ‘Hero’ and ‘Curse of the Golden Flower.’ She has satisfied me to pursue the gorgeous colors and feeling to such a great extent. She makes a big surprise for the audience by making intense use of different colors in the ‘ritual music.’ Chen Qigang is the music director who I invited by name. An affable, harmonious, friendly aspect and even somewhat light sadness could be found in the music of the ceremony, which makes you feel the warmth and blending of the global family.”

Some good ideas were abandoned

Zhang told the group of directors many times that we must achieve our creativity by finding some cultural elements that have never been used before. Success is always accompanied by pity. Zhang spoke frankly that his biggest regret was that some good ideas were abandoned. The reason is that in the initial planning phase a lot of thoughts and ideas were collected for the group of directors and these ideas were compared to each other for a long time. There wouldn’t be enough time to produce it when the idea proved to be a really good one. This is a kind of regret, but one written in our hearts with gratitude[*8]. The cultural elements such as Shanxi Opera, the shadow figures, the burial figures of warriors and horses were favorites of Zhang. The program was finally taken down, with no alternative but to say it’s a kind of regret.

“It’s not possible to live up to anything perfectly. So long as we have been earnest and tried our best to show the whole world China’s well-established culture and to clearly express the wish of ‘one world, one dream,’ we will have no qualms in the fatherland and the people.” Zhang is still confident of himself. ❑

– Translated by David Liu and Jason Weinberg

ORIGINAL STORY: 张艺谋张继钢陈维亚解读奥运会开幕式

EDITOR’S NOTES:
[*1] 源远流长 (yuányuǎnliúcháng) Literally, the source is distant and the flow is long (成语 saw). Used for something that goes back to the most distant past. A distant source and a long stream. (Baidu)

[*2] 耳熟能详 (ěr shú néng xiáng). Familiar to the ear. (Baidu)

[*3] 钻木取火 (zuān mù qǔ huǒ). Drilling one piece of wood into another to make a fire, i.e. a fire drill. (Baidu)

[*4] 女娲补天 (Nüwa bǔ tiān). Nüwa repairs heaven. Nüwa is the creator of humans in Chinese mythology. (Baidu)

[*5] 敦煌壁画 (Dūnhuáng bìhuà) Dunhuang Frescoes. (Baidu) For an explanation of the frescoes, see “Notes on China’s Dunhuang Caves”

[*6] 如椽大笔 (rú chuán dà bǐ) Using a rafter like a large brush pen. Figuratively, the style of recording major affairs, also means the vigor of style found in powerful writing. (Baidu)

[*7] 甲骨 (jiǎgǔ). Oracle bones are tortoise shell and animal bones used in divination. (Baidu)

[*8] 刻骨铭心 (kè gǔ míng xīn). To be engraved on one’s bones and heart; to remember with gratitude constantly and forever; to inscribe debt of gratitude on one’s mind. (Baidu)

Additional Reading:
China Digital Times — Zhang Yimou and State Aesthetics
China.org.cn — Zhang Yimou reveals Olympic opening ceremony secrets