LEAKED: Video of Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony Rehearsal

***UPDATED FRIDAY 8/08/08: OPENING CEREMONY VIDEO***

Click HERE To Watch

A Korean film crew gained access to the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium yesterday to rehearse the Korean national broadcast of the Olympic Games. While the cameramen were inside, they secretly filmed a rehearsal of the opening ceremony, also being rehearsed at the Bird's Nest. This video has been banned on the Chinese news site Sina.com and has been taken off YouTube in mainland China.

The Korean news report claims that the ceremony has been prepared for over 3 years and China has spent over $300,000,000 on, what according to the Korean station, is the most "magnificent, brilliant and mysterious" ceremony in Olympic history. The report claims the video features over 10,000 performers -- kung-fu fighters, trapeze artists and traditional Chinese dancers -- using the "most modern of laser technology" to execute the 10-second Olympic countdown. The only mystery still left for the opening is how the Olympic torch will arrive to the Bird's Nest and who will be the final torch bearer.

Read more HuffPost Olympic coverage here.

Comments

[chinationreport]

Excerpt:
“Seventy years ago, my mother had a dream - to represent China in the Olympics. She was one of the fastest women in China, and she awaited the 1940 Olympics in Tokyo with pride and anticipation.”

Read Kai-Fu Lee’s article ‘A Dream Being Realized’
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/01/INPL12027K.DTL

From a blogger on http://www.chinationreport.com/
'For the vast majority of Chinese people, it is a dream come true. The West should understand that they don’t own the terms democracy and freedom. Chinese culture cherishes a different kind of philosophy which is more based on collective spirit than individualism. It is not the ruling of the current government that makes Chinese think of the country and family first. It is in the tradition. An example would be that English names start with first name first and then family name. Chinese names start with family names first and then given name.
Thank God that the world allows differences. They make us see strength and weakness of each system and hopefully we can dialog to make things better.'

[elan4444]

This production did not look imaginitive at all. All I saw were masses of people doing the same thing quite methodically. Things have a way of being seen as they really are.

[kenbomc]

My Korean is a little rough, but I could of swore that reporter said 'McCain = a third Bush term'.

[CKieffer]

*laughing*

[2bad]

I saw republican Sam Brownback railing against the fact that this deal also means the Chinese government will be able to monitor what is being seen on the internet as well. How ironic. His is the party, right here in America, that has been illegally monitoring Americans phones and internet activity for several years now. Can you spell H Y P O C R I S Y!!!

[thefringecenter]

Corporate America deserves more respect for bringing us the Olympics. Now we can see sporting events and the home of what used to be our jobs without having to flip channels.

[walsh]

Amazingly- mostly Americans are screaming about "The Evil China!". How blind... US provoked the worst war since WW2, elected (TWICE!) the worst president ever, who was allowed to destroy their image, economy, military, steal xilions of dollars and start a cold war with Iran (threatning with WW4) while polarising two major religions and creating extremism never seen before.

You must understand that everything is from China and if they'd put sanctions on US, you would be ruined but their economy could survive... US badly depends on China.

+US still has capital punishment
+The second biggest polluter today.
+It will soon start drilling in offshore areas that will deteriorate the enviroment even more
+Your goverment spies on you too;)
+Not to mention TORTURE

US has done more bad things in their 200 years old history than China's 5000 years and MOST IMPORTANTLY - all crimes China commited were inside their own or neighbour territory. They did not:

a) drop uneccesary atomic bombs on Japan +create the worst weapon ever +start the Cold War
b) support foreign dictators
c) enforce sanctions, support coups on democratic presidents
c) vapourise a country called Vietnam
d) make chaos in the Middle East that will not be solved during our lives
e) endanger the world's economy

So dont preach if you dont comprehend the bigger picture...

This is China's moment to say - We will own the world in the morning when you wake up and look at the stamp on your forehead that says "Made

[Uosdwis]

I can't wait to be able to make out individual particles of soot on the HDTV, plus the capillaries in the bloodshot eyes of spectators.

[HeIsTheOne]

Wow, that looks hi-tech. Only wish they had spent as much time trying to remediate the air (our athletes need to breathe) by more than the 20% of toxins they were able to do over the last year.

Priorities are always a problem.

[the964kid]

How many political prisoners were executed today?

China executes more people then any other country in the world.

[bigeugene]

Well I'm sure several people were executed over this leaked video.

[TerryWrist]

How many Iraqis have been killed by the US army today? Oh well I'm quite sure there's dozens of innocent civilians get killed by your troops in Iraq and Afghanistan during the time you watching this video and post your replies. How ironic is that how dare you Americans judge other countries. Get rid of George Bush first !

[TerryWrist]

How many innocent people get killed today in Iraq and Afghanistan today by the US troops, I do have the confidence of them doing a better job than the Chinese.

[onlinesavant]

And coming in at number 2. The United States of America

[CaptainHowdy]

LOL. Are you American? If so, your attitude is quite arrogant and hypocritical.

The US is pretty much one of the 2-3 remaining 1st world industrialized nations that still has the death penalty. For some reason, most Americans don't see this as barbaric in themselves, but are quick to be hypocrites about others that do the same...

http://ask.yahoo.com/20060802.html

Countries and territories still using capital punishment include Afghanistan, the Bahamas, China, Cuba, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, North and South Korea, Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Uganda, and Vietnam.

The U.S. government and its military allow the death penalty. Capital punishment is legal in 38 American states

[loudspeaker]

It is wrong to execute people and we wish China and all other death penalty practicing countries would stop doing that. Stuff like that is pretty medieval.

Now, the U.S.A. and the U.K. have probably caused the deaths of about a million people in Iraq already. What have you done to stop that? Oh, and blogging has no noticeable effect as we have seen.

[starrianna]

Sung to "I'm Turning Chinese" (a cover of I'm Turning Japanese)
by the Vapors

PRODUCTION NUMBER SPOILER:

One of the production numbers has 10,000 dogs and cats,
waving little American flags, eating Chinese dog food
and

dying in complete synchronization to music.

"I'm Turning Chinese"!

[starrianna]

Another show-stopper!

"Celebration" by Kool and the Gang
PRODUCTION NUMBER:

Young women, carrying more than one baby in their arms,
being chased by big Red scary TANKS!!!

The women are being told to drop the extra babies on the ground
so that the Big Red Scary TANKS will crush them because they are
very naughty to have had more than one baby in the first place.

Silly Chinese women! Celebrate China!

[MagisterLudi]

oh, ma god, like this charicature of a country of 1.5 billion people is like so gnarly... like wow

[starrianna]

Another production number features:

100,000 colorful and charming Tibetan people
in full regalia dating back 5,000 years,
led by 1,000 super-holy Tibetan monks...

being BEATEN by huge Chinese disposable chopsticks!!!
at the hands of 1,000 Red Chinese Communist policemen

all to the tune of: "Give it to me Baby" by Rick James.

fabulous! don't miss it!

[popecorvo]

China has been China for a very long time.

It continues to remain China to this day, despite the modernization.

Its culture is not your culture.

I know many of you do not like this.

So you condemn it out of hand.

Nevermind the log in your own eyes.

[goodbyehorses]

popeorvo, I understand what you are getting at.

Its very easy for when ignorance is rampant.

Its always easier to see the faults in others than the faults in oneself.

The West believes it occupies the moral high ground.

I say let History be the judge

[stepintothelight]

So you all are thuming on who is the more evil of the two???

McTools!!!

[11907281]

I respect most of China's long, long history. Their people. But I don't respect any, any government ... especially one that denies it's citizens the right to protest, to be heard and to be treated with dignity. If you can't handle some criticism then you should not try to be a player on the world stage. respectfully.

[bayside]

China has been closed off for a long long time. After this event I bet they open up..realize there is only one race. the human race.. Maybe even be a shining example for us to folow.....­..........­.

[Dvmx]

Do I detect some sour envy? The Chinese have done incredible things, the futuristic transport systems, all the fantastic architecture, and these gala ceremonies? After all, China is our friend, right?

[GetoffMylawn]

For a grand finally, all the performers are executed with multi-colored lasers and poison fog machines.