Most Memorable, Magnificent and Mind-blowing Olympic Games in Modern Times

The 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. It began at 8:08 pm China Standard Time (UTC+8) on August 8, 2008 (888) because in Chinese culture, 8 is considered to be a lucky number. The number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture.Organisers claim that the stadium was full to its 91,000 capacity.

In the space of three hours on August 8, 2008 China presented a history of several thousand years, the ancient, the modern and the futuristic giving depth to the moment.

From the precision of the drummers and the martial arts display to the performers in starry suits and a sky-walking torch-bearer, the Chinese organizers has put forward the millennia of inventiveness and prowess that is not only impressive but also intimidating to the athletes who have come to compete.

China's leaders set out to make a statement with gigantic scale and flawless execution. And they have succeeded at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic games. The sheer logistics required for the massive performances speak of a nation that has the capacity, the means and the knowhow to dazzle the world, and not simply with lights and fireworks, but also with the performances of its athletes.

China has captured more gold medals than any other nation, even surpassing the United States by a margin of 51 to 36, but the Americans have been awarded the most medals - a total of 110 gold silverf and bronze medals. China followed closely with 100 medals.

For 17 days from August 8 - 24, 2008 every Chinese-American who either went to Beijing, China to watch the Games or stayed in America to watch it on television must surely be proud of his or her Chinese heritage and also American citizenship. They can identify themselves with the best of the two greatest nations on earth.

Yao Ming (Chinese: 姚明; pinyin: Yáo Míng; born September 12, 1980), Chinese is a professional basketball player who plays for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in America. He is currently the tallest player in the NBA, at 7 feet 6 inches (229 cm).

^{Yáo Míng also plays for the Chinese National Basketball team.}

Lin-Hao is a second-grader at the Yuzixi Primary School in Yingxiu Town, Wenchuan County. Wenchuan was the epicenter of a devastating 8.0-magnitude earthquake on May 12, 2008 that killed over 69,000 people.

According to media reports, when the May 12 earthquake struck that area, Lin- Hao was buried under the collapsed school building. He struggled to get out of the rubble, then got back to it and risked his life while suffering from multiple injuries to rescue 2 of his classmates from the collapsed buildings. He was later awarded the title of "Young Hero in Earthquake Rescue and Relief."

Michael Fred Phelps (born June 30, 1985) is an American swimmer. He has won 14 career Olympic gold medals, the most by any Olympian. As of August 2008, he also holds seven world records in swimming.

Phelps holds the record for the most gold medals won at a single Olympics with the eight golds he won at the 2008 Olympic Games. With this record, he surpassed Mark Spitz, who was also a swimmer and had held the previous gold medal total with the seven that he won at the 1972 Olympic Games.