The modern Olympic Games have become as much a global contest among designers and architects as among athletes. Each Olympics is expected to produce a logo, a signature building — and a characteristic torch that symbolizes local tradition and national character. This is a design history of the Olympic torch from 1936 to the present day.
A Collection of Olympic Torches - Interactive Graphic by NYTimes. With Audio!
Beijing held its formal opening ceremony today for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The ceremony, held in the National Stadium known as the Bird’s Nest, was attended by thousands, and watched by millions more on television. Below are some highlights of the nearly 4-hour performance.
A dancer performs during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Happy 2008.08.08, Today begin the Beijing Olympic! The photo is the advertising campaign “adidas (Gold is not a Given)”. Watch the adidas: Countdown!
With over 20 million people in its extended metropolitan area, Shanghai is China’s most populated city. With an area of nearly 5,300 km² (2,046 sq mi), it is also one of the world’s largest urban areas - and it’s growing fast.
On the third floor of the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum, there is what probably is the world’s largest scale model of a city. The room-sized model of central Shanghai in 2020, as envisioned by the urban planners, fills an area larger than 100 square meters (1,000 square feet)
Photo: brandon [Flickr]
200 years ago, Napoleon was asked what he thought of China. The French emperor responded: “China is a sleeping giant. Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will shake the world.”
China’s workforce is estimated at 760 million workers. This country turns out half a million engineers each year, who will work for 10% of what a professional would charge in the United States or Europe.
The intention of this photographic display is to rise “The bamboo curtain” and catch a glimpse of this society - to observe it and think of China as a superpower on the verge of awakening. The inhabitants of the country with the world’s largest population share a collective consciousness of the power of masses, rather than individualistic arrogance and pride. This is why China loves jade, a modest semi-precious stone that does not dazzle and yet possesses immense value. It may be that China has already awakened discretely and we still see her as a sleeping giant.
