The lowering of the national flag draws hundreds of people to Tiananmen every day, but many were there on Saturday for a far older pillar of the country's culture - fireworks.

Thousands of people flocked to bridges and streets near the "Bird's Nest" to watch the fireworks that accompanied the secret dress rehearsal for the Olympic opening ceremony.

Beijing Resident, said, "The bus I took was very crowded. Many people have come here to watch the fireworks. We are so excited. I've come a long way to be here and maybe I'll only be able to watch the fireworks for just a couple of minutes. But I still feel it's worthwhile and I'm very happy."

All together 3 rehearsals will be carried out. Chinese workers involved in the Olympic project and some of their families and friends were given tickets for the lavish rehearsal, filling the 90,000-seat national stadium to near capacity.

(CCTV August 4, 2008)