Beijing 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony

The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. It began at 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (UTC+8) on August 8, 2008, as 8 is considered to be a lucky number in Chinese culture. Featuring more than 15,000 performers, the ceremony lasted over four hours and cost over $100 million USD to produce.

• Zhang YimouDirector

• Hu JintaoSelf
• Henry KissingerSelf
• Barbara BushSelf
• George H. W. BushSelf
• George W. BushSelf
• Laura BushSelf
• Shimon PeresSelf
• Anne, Princess RoyalSelf
• Lee Myung-bakSelf
• Jiang ZeminSelf
• Kobe BryantSelf
• Yao MingSelf