After seventeen days of excitement, passion and glory, the twenty-ninth Olympic Games concluded in Beijing on Sunday night.

This is a party for celebration and joy.

For seventeen days, China surprised the world. Every facet of the Games presented a wider, deeper and fuller understanding about the host nation.

For seventeen days, the world's finest athletes competed in this land of wonder. An unprecedented number of world and Olympic records were broken.

This is also a party of memories and the future.

All the glorious moments will forever be kept in Olympic history.

The end of Beijing's grandeur is also the beginning of London's journey towards 2012.

A spectator said, "Absolutely fantastic, how London is going to march this, unbelievable."

Another spectator said, "This has been a spectacular event. This thing is just bigger than what anyone could have expected, friendship, peace, harmony. Well done, China. Congratulations"

Another spectator said, "Nobody can do what China did. Unbelievable."