In February 2022, Beijing’s National Stadium (nicknamed the Bird’s Nest) once again staged splendid Olympic Games.
After 16 days and 109 events, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics officially ended on February 20.
The “Moment of Remembrance” is a very important part of the Olympic Games Closing Ceremony, and for this year, the theme “A Willow Twig” presents a very Chinese performance.
The willow twig is a part of the willow tree, and in Chinese, the character for the willow tree is a homophone of the character liu, which means asking a person to stay when bidding farewell. So it symbolizes the sorrow of separation.
In ancient days, when two friends part, the traveling party will always receive a willow twig as a gift.
The athletes were met with success, disappointments, and historic memories, but now it is time to depart.
For the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, it was only fitting that the willow twig would be incorporated into the ceremony as the athletes depart to their respective countries.
The performers beautifully interacted with a LED floor to show imagery of the willow, one that showed the emotional symbolism of “a bittersweet goodbye.”
The theme of “one world, one family” was evident through the Games as 365 different individuals all held a willow branch that represented “the unwavering spirit of remembering the departed through the 365 days of a year.”
Translated by 汤伊然