BEIJING — The Chinese flag waved strong and proud throughout the entire Opening Ceremony of the 2022 Olympic Games, an impressive sight all its own … and even more so because of the fact that there was no wind inside the Bird’s Nest.
The flag, which waved in what seemed to be a gale-force breeze, was an appropriate symbol for China’s approach to these Games: perfect beauty, even if a little extra enhancement is necessary.
Coming in at 125 minutes — less than half as long as the mammoth 2008 Opening Ceremony, which lasted an epic 250 minutes — this year’s extravaganza felt restrained, but only because the world’s already very aware of the spectacle China can produce.