Members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said they were impressed by Friday's opening ceremony of the Beijing Games.

The Beijing Olympics got under way with a lavish opening ceremony at the Bird's Nest stadium. The event mixed China's history and hi-tech present as a modern global powerhouse.

"It's absolutely sensational. It's a great spectacle," Kevan Gosper told Xinhua.

The four-hour show, choreographed by Zhang Yimou, China's internationally-acclaimed film director, ended with the final torch bearer, former Olympic gymnastics champion Li Ning, being hoisted aloft by invisible wires.

In the style of one of Zhang's martial arts films, he then "ran" along the rim of the stadium's roof before igniting the Olympic cauldron as thousands of fireworks lit up the skyline.

Gosper hailed the lighting of the cauldron as "truely, turely high-tech".

Wu Ching-Kuo, an IOC member from Chinese Taipei, said the opening ceremony was a wonderful presentation of Chinese culture.

"Every Chinese should feel proud tonight," he said. "I would rate it 95 out of the full mark 100."

The opening ceremony features more than 10,000 performers.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2008)