Director of the Olympic opening and closing ceremony, Zhang Yimou, said the closing ceremony was never intended to be as grand as the opening ceremony.

Firework in the closing ceremony

One reason was that there were still events taking place in the Birds Nest on August 24, making it impossible to move heavy equipment into the stadium in advance. Furthermore there were 10,000 athletes present at the ceremony, leaving no room for the massed ranks of performers seen at the opening.

But more importantly, all closing ceremonies focus on happy memories, farewells, and making a date to meet again. They are an opportunity for the athletes to relax and get together. The closing ceremonies in Athens and Sidney turned into big parties.

"A closing ceremony should convey happiness and togetherness; not focus on the content of the performance. It's just like saying goodbye to a guest having spent a wonderful time together."

Zhang said he did not want to make a big deal out of putting out the flame, but to create a fun occasion and bathe the audience in a warm, nostalgic atmosphere. The "torch" on the stadium floor that replaced the flame was meant to express that the holy flame is eternal.

In a way the closing ceremony did not really matter because the Beijing Olympics were already a great success, he said. The audience didn't care what was happening on the stage; the performance was just for fun and to make a date for the next Olympics.

The athletes outshone the ceremonies

Zhang said no stage performance could or should try to compete with the 16 days heart-stopping performances by athletes from the whole world. The athletes are the real leading actors. The closing ceremony was for the athletes to celebrate their achievements and let their hair down.

Zhang said he watched the games every day till midnight. "I was enthralled. The performances of the athletes were way beyond anything we achieved with the opening ceremony. They are the true stars of the Beijing Olympics."

Zhang said all the worries in the western media about air quality and security were shown to be groundless by the performances of the athletes. Phelps made his historic achievement in the Water Cube, which is also one of Beijing's great successes. "Countries like Mongolia won their first gold medals in Olympics history. It was very moving. For a country to win its first gold medal is just massive, and it's the same for Beijing."

"When you calm down from the fancy opening ceremony and watch the events day by day, you understand the most important thing is the competitions. The athletes express the spirit of the Olympics. I used the closing ceremony as a final opportunity to pay homage to them in song and dance. It's time to say goodbye. I hope everyone is happy. We will all remember the Beijing Olympics and the wonderful stories that unfolded over the past 16 days."

About the "Memory Tower"

"The inspiration for the 'memory tower' in the closing ceremony was actually an ethnic minority sport. It aimed to express the Olympic spirit; at one point there were 390 people on the tower. The tower appeared exactly as the flame went out. The tower represents the torch in our heart; the torch that never goes out".

Zhang Yimou said directing a movie did not come close to the enormous workload imposed by the ceremonies, "we had to coordinate tens of thousands of people, dozens of teams, argue out differences of opinion; get people from different countries working together." But, he said, the work has renewed his passion and inspiration. "I have made a lot of friends in the movie business over the years, but now I have different kinds of friends with whom I talk about nationality, culture and humanity. I think this will help me in the future, both in art and in life."

(China.org.cn by Hou Xiaoying, August 26, 2008)