What bird was released at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics?

It’s a pigeon! ~~

(Peace Dove) The ceremony of releasing the peace dove at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is a traditional and important part of the Olympic opening ceremony. But no real white doves were released at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Because at the opening ceremony of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, many peace doves were released before the main torch was lit. As a result, when the torch was finally lit, several pigeons happened to land on the torch and were unfortunately burned to death when the torch was lit. Therefore, the International Olympic Committee decided not to fly real pigeons, but to use other artistic techniques instead. And it was already night. We know that pigeons will not fly at night even if you open the cage and let them fly. The effect of releasing pigeons is not great, and the droppings of pigeons will also cause a lot of trouble. For the above considerations, the main ones are environmental protection and animal protection considerations.

The pigeons were released during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games. In the dove part, a group of dancers dressed in white lead the audience, athletes and actors to dance with their hands to create the image of a 'peace dove', as if thousands of white doves are flying in the bird's nest. At this time, there are also appearances above the bird's nest. In addition to the flying birds played by the actors, they complement each other with the flying dove of peace composed of lights in the center of the venue. The scene is still very grand, beautiful and spectacular.

Because the dove is a symbol of peace, friendship, unity and holiness, the logo of the "International Year of Peace" is a pattern of a dove flying with rice ears surrounding the hands, which symbolizes peace, friendship and grain. Fengdeng. Thousands of pigeons are raised in many famous city squares in the world. In Brussels, Belgium, there is still a statue of a woman wearing traditional ancient Greek clothes and holding a pigeon with open hands. Doves and flowers welcome tourists, allowing people to remember the misfortune of war, cherish peace and love life.

As a messenger of peace, pigeons are also one of the indispensable roles in the world's major prosperity. At the opening ceremonies of grand events such as the 25th Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1988 and the Asian Games held in my country in 1990, tens of thousands of beautiful pigeons flew into the sky, indicating that the people of our country and the world yearn for the beauty of peace, friendship and unity. desire.

In the distant past, doves were regarded as a symbol of peace. Pigeons were once regarded as messengers of love. For example, in ancient Babylon, the dove was the sacred bird next to Ishtar, the goddess of love and education with boundless power. In daily life, the girl was called the "dove of love."

It was not until the beginning of the Christian era that the dove was regarded as a symbol of peace. "Old Testament Genesis" records that after the ancient flood, Noah released a dove from the ark to find out whether the flood had receded. God let the dove carry back an olive branch, indicating that the flood had receded and there was still hope in the world.

The religious reform movement in the 16th century gave the pigeon a new mission, making it the incarnation of the "Holy Spirit". It was not until the 17th century that Pigeon was "reinstated" and once again served as a peace messenger. Many cities in the German Empire issued a set of commemorative coins with a pattern of a dove holding an olive branch in its mouth, and the bottom of the pattern was engraved with "The Holy Dove Blesses Peace".

Schiller, an outstanding representative during the Sturm und Drang movement in Germany, introduced pigeons from a religious symbol of peace into politics. Pigeons became heroic fighters and were no longer defenseless. A symbol of hope.

The pigeon as a symbol of world peace has been recognized by the world since Picasso. In 1940, Hitler's fascist gangsters captured Paris, the French capital. At that time, Picasso was sitting in his studio in a dull mood. At this time, someone knocked on the door. It was his neighbor, the old man Mish. The old man was holding a bloody pigeon in his hand and told Picasso a tragic story. It turns out that the old man's grandson raised a flock of pigeons. He usually tied a white cloth strip to a bamboo pole as a signal to attract the pigeons. When he learned that his father had died in the battle to defend Paris, hatred and anger arose in his young heart. He wanted the white cloth strips to signify surrender to the enemy, so he used red cloth strips to attract pigeons. The conspicuous red cloth strip was discovered by the German invaders. The inhumane fascist gangsters threw him downstairs and died miserably on the street. They also used bayonets to kill all the pigeons in the pigeon cage. When the old man talked about this, he said to Picasso, "Sir, I ask you to draw a dove for me to commemorate my grandson who was brutally killed by the fascists."

Then, with grief and anger, Picasso drew a flying dove - this was the prototype of the "Peace Dove". In November 1950, to commemorate the World Peace Conference held in Warsaw, Picasso happily painted a flying dove with an olive branch in its mouth. At that time, Neruda, the famous Chilean poet, called it the "peace dove". From this, the dove was officially recognized as a symbol of peace.

There is a story in the New Testament: One day, God told Noah that the flood was coming, so Noah and his son quickly built a big ship, called the Ark. When the flood came, Noah and his family boarded the ark, and brought many animals on board. The ark floated on the rough water for many days. Finally, the rain stopped, and Noah sent out a dove to get information. Soon, the dove flew back with a newly picked olive leaf in its mouth. Noah knew that the flood had begun to recede, and peace was coming. After the flood receded, valleys full of green trees and quiet paths with flowers appeared in front of all living creatures in the world. Since then, people have used doves and olive branches to symbolize peace.

That’s why I let the pigeons go! ~~