The Olympic flag has a white background, with five interlaced rings in the centre: blue, yellow, black, green and red. This design is symbolic; it represents the five continents of the world, united by Olympism, while the six colours are those that appear on all the national flags of the world at the present time.


"Dancing Beijing" is a milestone of the Olympics. It serves as a classic chapter of the Olympic epic inscribed by the spirit of the Chinese nation, calligraphed by the deeper import of the ancient civilization, and molded by the character of Cathay's descendents. It is concise yet deep inside, bringing forth the city's gradual changes and development. It appears dignified yet bears a tune of romance, reflecting the nation's thoughts and emotions.

"Dancing Beijing" the embelem for the 2008 Sumer olympics shows the eastern ways of thinking and the nation's lasting appeal embodied in the Chinese characters. It is an expression that conveys the unique cultural quality and elegance of Chinese civilization.

The color "red" is intensively used in the emblem, it carries Chinese people's longing for luck and happiness and their explanation of life. Red is the color of the Sun and the Holy Fire, representing life and a new beginning. Red is mind at ease, symbol of vitality, and China's blessing and invitation to the world.


The iconic olympic rings and Beijing's ident were complimented with these cute characters. Fuwa served as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship, peace and good wishes from China; to children all over the world.

Designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who form an intimate circle of friends, Fuwa also embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals and the olympic flame. Each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name -- a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow.

When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing," offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of Fuwa as young ambassadors of the Olympic Games.

Despite many of the troubles on the way, the torch relay was one of the most spectacular things that occur preceeding the games. The torch was carried by 21,880 torchbearers and travelled over 137,000km; making it to the summit of the highest mountain in the world, Olympia - Marathonas - Athens (Greece), Istanbul (Turkey), St. Petersburg (Russia), London (Great Britain) – Paris (France), San Francisco (USA), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Muscat (Oman), Islamabad (Pakistan), Mumbai (India), Bangkok (Thailand), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Jakarta (Indonesia), Canberra (Australia), Nagano (Japan), Seoul (South Korea) and Pyongyang (North Korea) amounst many other places.

Chinese climbers display flags at the top of the 8844.43-meter summit of Mt. Qomolangma (Everest) in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on May 8, 2008. Mt Everest in Chinese is called 珠穆朗玛峰 Zhūmùlǎngmǎ Fēng. (literally meaning bright pearl summit: though 圣母峰 Shèngmǔfēng refers to the sky goddess of the mountain).


The Olympic Flame was carried through London by 80 torchbearers including double Olympic gold medal winner Dame Kelly Holmes and England cricketer Kevin Pieterson. During which time there was an attack, as with other places in the relay, these troubles threatened to put a stop to the incredible tradition. But the epic journey itself is so incredible, hopefully they wont cancel future torch relays.

China invented fireworks, and put on one of the most amazing displays the world has ever seen in the Olympic opening ceremony. It featured a colorful display of nearly 30000 fireworks, and was absolutley spectacular coming from the new National 'Birds Nest' Stadium. Again not to go without controversy, it was revealed that some of the fireworks (about 55 seconds) had been digitally enhanced for the recorded viewing, however that shouldnt really detract from the spectacle, and what was done, was using new technology to create an even more incredible show.

The sparkling display that lit up the night sky included giant dragons, the five Olympic rings, footprints and even smiling faces. The show was divided into several parts and ran throughout the ceremony. The pyrotechnics were not just for the Bird's Nest, but all across Beijing. Fireworks were set off from 29 other locations, including Yongdingmen and Tian'anmen Square.

This table shows all of the countries that participated in the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Each country is listed in the order that they came out during the opening ceremony. This is also the order that is 'Alphabetical' in the Chinese Mandarin dialect. The order is established by taking the amount of strokes it requires to write the first syllable in Simplified Chinese characters. When two or more are equal, it goes to the next syllable. These are not all the countries in the World, just the 204 that competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.