The Olympic Opening Ceremony may be over but its creative directors are still hard at work getting ready for the closing ceremony. Chen Weiya, the executive director, said staging the August 24 closing ceremony will be even more challenging than last Friday's opening.

Chen Weiya [Sina.com]

Time is the biggest problem. "We had a long time to get ready for the opening ceremony; it was two years in the planning, and we were able to stage several dress rehearsals in the Bird's Nest stadium." Chen said. "But the closing ceremony is another matter altogether."

There will be a full program of events in the Bird's Nest on August 23, and the stadium is the start and finish point of the marathon which takes place the same day as the ceremony. So last minute preparations will have to be crammed into the period from noon to 8 pm. "We have to set the stage up and move all the machinery in. And we have to allow eight minutes for London as hosts of the next Games. It makes the schedule very tight." Chen said.

Chen said the way the flame will be extinguished is the team's most closely guarded secret. But he dropped some hints about the content of the ceremony. The opening ceremony attempted to sum up Chinese history and culture; to tell the world about China. The style of the closing ceremony, he implied, will be totally different.

Despite widely differing creative styles, Chen said the three directors, Zhang Yimou, Zhang Jigang and himself, blend well as a team. "We respect each other's opinions, and we all put the interests of the country first. So we get on quite well," Chen smiled.

(China.org.cn by Wang Wei, August 13, 2008)