Zhang Yimou and his team
tour the National Stadium.
Two of China's most important annual celebrations -- the
Mid-Autumn Moon Festival and National Day -- are just around the
corner. Zhang Yimou and other officials from the Opening and
Closing Ceremonies Operation Center paid a special visit to the
workers at the National Stadium on Tuesday to deliver "moon cakes"
and to thank them for their hard work.
Zhang Yimou is the chief director of the Opening and Closing
Ceremonies for the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games. His
arrival at the National Stadium stirred a great deal of excitement
among the workers, and many of the workers wanted to have their
pictures taken with the renowned film director.
Zhang Heping, director of the Beijing Organizing Committee for
the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) Opening and Closing
Ceremonies workgroup, conveyed that his group has wanted to meet
the workers at the National Stadium for some time now.
Zhang Yimou and others paid
a visit to the National Stadium construction workers.
Zhang Yimou thanked the stadium's construction workers for their
help and support. Throughout the creative phase of planning the
Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and now in the production phase,
the workers have been very accommodating in making modifications to
the stadium. Without the workers' dedication and hard work, Zhang
and his team's ideas would not be realized.
Installation of the National Stadium's 53,000 sq m inner
membrane structure is already underway. In addition, the workers
have also begun installing the equipment that will be used for next
year's ceremonies. When construction work ceases next March, the
rehearsals for the ceremonies will move onsite.
(BOCOG September 20, 2007)
