Chen's grand ceremony: Study in creative design

MANILA, Philippines - Director Chen Weiya, who was assistant director of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremonies, made two important innovations that have made the Guangzhou Grand Ceremony unique in many ways.

His production integrated Lingnam, Chinese, Asian and sports culture all under one theme, with the Pearl River as the stage and the entire city as background.

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He made extensive use of lighting effects covering a wide area (200 square kilometers) to project the city of Guangzhou, and used water in its various forms as key element of the opening ceremony,

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On TV or from a bird’s eye view, Haixinsha seems to be a large wheel on the Pearl River. He transforms the grand stand and stage of the opening ceremony into a sailing ship (Asian Harmony) facing east and sailing towards sunrise.

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The artistic design of the stage carries one to a distant land of fantasy unbounded by time and space.

Haixinsha Island had been chosen because of its geographic location. Not because an official of the Communist Party suggest it, but because it is in the middle of Pearl River and has urban axis and east-west intersection which is the main focus of a beautiful scenario – an awesome panorama of buildings and brightly lit boats cruising under the warm yellow lights on the Pearl River.

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With the Pearl River as stage and the city as background, Chen also uses the river, the river banks, urban landmarks including the West Tower, Grand Theater and other buildings as real-life, picture-perfect props like poster cards of Hong Kong Island at night seen from the quiet banks or cafes of Kowloon on the opposite side.

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 He uses laser, firework, fountain, sails and tower, light and shade elements, integrating sky, earth, water and bridge.       

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Sound, light, and electricity enhance each other’s beauty to create entirely new and dynamic stage effects.

Water is an important element of Chen’s artistic genius.

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The entire artistic performances of the opening ceremony revolves around the “water theme”. Chen uses stage props, a combination of lights and personnel working on backstage half-covered by dim lights to transform “a drop of water” to heavy raindrops that turn to a boundless sea.

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Using a combination of visual aids and human props at the background, Chen creates a magical shift from a tiny boat to a gigantic ship, a puddle of water to tidal waves, and the performers in the water, on the water surface, in the air and one the river all bring the charm and fantasy the genius of Chen has brought to three million spectators and many more across the continent.