On August 8, the themed exhibition “Fifteen Years of Dream Pursuit” – commemorating the 15^th anniversary of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games – opened ceremoniously at the National Stadium (commonly known as the “Bird’s Nest”) in Beijing. Present at the opening ceremony was vice president Liu Jingmin of Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA); Duan Shijie, vice president of All-China Sports Federation and vice president of Chinese Olympic Committee; BODA vice president Jiang Xiaoyu; former executive vice president Tang Xiaoquan of Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games; Wang Ning, member of CPPCC National Committee, secretary of the Party Leadership Group and president of the National Center for Performing Arts, vice chairman of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation; and Han Zirong, member of the Party Leadership Group of the Beijing Municipal People’s Consultative Conference and full-time vice President of Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Kicking off the exhibition

(Caption: Liu Jingmin, Duan Shijie, Jiang Xiaoyu, Tang Xiaoquan, Wang Ning, and Han Zirong jointly launching the exhibition)

Senior officials at the opening ceremony

(Caption: Senior officials and guests at the opening ceremony together)

Group photo of senior officials and guests

(Caption: A group photo of senior officials and guests after the opening ceremony)

The exhibition is part of the serial activities held to commemorate the 15^th anniversary of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. It is organized by BODA, jointly undertaken by Beijing Olympic City Development Center and Beijing State-Owned Assets Management Co., Ltd., with support from National Stadium Co., Ltd. From the entries received through an earlier public call, 15 representative figures (groups) of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games were selected, and a mix of pictures, texts, audiovisual materials and physical objects are used to illustrate their growth stories in the past 15 years and show the great changes Beijing and China have gone through since 2008. These 15 representative figures (groups) are listed as below: Yao Ming, a world-famous Chinese basketball player and the flag bearer of the Chinese delegation at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games; Wang Yongfeng, an Olympic torch bearer who carried the Olympic flame to Mount Qomolangma; Zhang Juanjuan, an Olympic champion in archery; Hou Bin, a Paralympic torchbearer; the Olympic songwriters Chang Shilei and Wang Pingjiu; Yuan Xikun, an artist who “inherits Olympic culture through art”; the sculptor Huang Jian who “connects China with the world through sculpture”; Li Xinggang, the architect of Olympic venues; the Olympic medal designer Hang Hai who “integrates Chinese culture into Olympic design”; Olympic uniform designer He Yang; Dang Yu, a medical worker serving the Olympic Games; Cai Canhuang, a Olympic volunteer and the fireworks designer; Lu Baoling, an Olympic volunteer; Olympic photographer Zhao Yingxin; Xiao Junfeng who communicated to the world China in the Olympics; an ordinary citizen Chen Yong; and the Olympic Community Running Club. Fifteen years ago, with “One Dream” in mind, they participated in the preparation and hosting of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and joined numerous others in making the century-old Olympic dream come true. Over the 15 years, they have continued to work hard and been doing their part in building China into a modern socialist country in all respects. They are the representatives of hundreds of millions of dream chasers, and their stories will further carry forward the spirit of the Beijing 2008 Games and the Beijing 2022 Games in society, and gather more powerful momentum for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

At the opening ceremony, Wang Yongfeng, a representative of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, donated the interview videos of these representative figures (groups) to the Beijing Olympic Museum. At the exhibition site, the entries received for the online call were also showcased, and Olympic pins were displayed and exchanged.

Video donation

(Caption: Wang Yongfeng donating videos to Hou Ming, head of Beijing Olympic Museum)

The exhibition will continue until September 17, 2023. The admission is free of charge, and the visitors can book the ticket on the mini-app “Piao Chao.” The visitors can share their own Olympic stories on the spot, to continue to respond to the call for representative dream chasers of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Spectators at the exhibition

(Caption: Enjoying the exhibition)

Beating the fou, an earthen jar

(Caption: Enjoying the exhibition)

Foreign visitors at the exhibition

(Caption: Enjoying the exhibition)

Also present at the opening ceremony were former departmental headers of Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games including Zhao Huimin, Yuan Bin, Li Qing, Xin Tieliang, Zhao Dongming, Sun Weijia, Zhang Qiuping, and Yu Chunquan; senior officials of relevant authorities including Wang Yanqing, Fu Xiaohui, Wang Shuxian, Zhang Jie and Zhang Shangqiang, Li Jie, Han Wen, Gao Yunchao, Ji Chuanpai, Wang Kun, Meng Rui, and Dong Jian.