Source: CCTV.com

06-30-2008 11:30

An outstanding exhibition of objects and costumes from the opening ceremony of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games is on at Beijing's Capital Museum. It's one of the major events during the Greek Culture Year in China. Through the exhibits, visitors are able to experience some of the grandeur of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

An outstanding exhibition of objects and costumes from the  opening ceremony of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games is on at  Beijing's Capital Museum. (Photo: CCTV.com)

At one forty-five P.M. - Beijing time, August 14th, 2004, Olympic Stadium in Maroussi, Greece came alive. The grand opening ceremony for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games commenced before a capacity audience and television viewers around the world.

The costumes and props used in the opening ceremony - and photographs and videos of the preparations are on display at the Capital Museum in Beijing.

The exhibition pays homage to the Olympic ideals of fair play, peace, participation and love. The displays are also a gesture of good will from the people of Greece, as Beijing prepares for the 2008 Olympic Games.

The 2004 Athens Olympics opened with the theme "Calling to the Ancient Olympic Spirits". The program began with a drummer clad in traditional costume. As spectators watched him play, on the jumbo screen, a spotlight picked up another drummer, wearing modern attire. The two drummers cooperated in a duet, drawing the connection between the ancient past and the present. These were the drums they played.