The Chinese rolled out the red carpet to athletes from 204 countries in a spectacular opening ceremony at the Bird’s Nest on Friday.

It was an entertaining show of colour and splendour — a rare treat meant to floor the world-wide television audience — to mark the beginning of the 29th Olympic Games here.

The floor was the magic canvas and the Chinese put technology to optimum use in scripting breathtaking pictures through light and shade, in multiple dimensions, starting with the five Olympic Rings being lifted from the ground by ‘flying’ acrobats.