There are only six days to go before this year's Youth Olympic Games open in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing. A rehearsal for the event's opening ceremony was underway on Sunday night. It was one of three rehearsals that are tested in front of an audience, before the real event on Saturday.
As part of what's aimed to be a frugal event, the opening ceremony will only last ninety minutes, instead of hours. It's composed of two parts: the athletes' entrance and a gala. Through five segments themed around chasing dreams and aspirations of the games, the performances fully showcase the vigor of Chinese youth. Cultural elements of Nanjing are prominently featured, like the Purple Mountain Observatory and Nanjing's signature brocade.
"Today's rehearsal is with an audience. Their reaction was very enthusiastic. The sections that we thought would generate applause all did tonight. On the real night we would have fireworks that we didn't have today. And all the performers will be dressed up in costumes on the real night, not like today. Some of the dresses haven't arrived yet," said Chen Weiya, director of Nanjing Youth Olympics.
On Tuesday and Thursday there will be two more rehearsals in front of an audience. And the real show will be at eight o'clock Saturday night. Final touches will be made during the days leading up to the big night. Advanced projection techniques, and virtual image technology are widely used, to create a visual extravaganza.
"Changes will be made to some dance moves. And there are lots of visual effects that can be seen by the TV audience, but not by the audience at the stadium. For example, when a piano is played, scores and web pages will be flying in the air. And when a telescope is used, a starry sky is projected all around. All this can only be seen by TV audiences," Chen said.
The opening ceremony will be held at the main venue of the event, the Nanjing Olympic Center.