[originaltext] The organizers of the Olympic Games in Beijing have marked the

The organizers of the Olympic Games in Beijing have marked the start of the year-long countdown to the event with an elaborate ceremony in Tiananmen Square.
  The exact moment the Games will begin next August was greeted with a fireworks display and 10,000 guests were entertained by troops of dancers and musicians.
  The festivities here in Tiananmen Square were a display of China’s skill in pouring off a meticulously planned celebration. It included traditional song and dance from people of all ethnic backgrounds in China, a spectacular fireworks display, all below the portrait of Chairman Mao in front of the Forbidden City. China’s financial might and its endless supply of labor has ensured the state-of-the-art venues will be completed well ahead of schedule and many of them, especially the National Stadium known as "the Birds Nest", take the breath away.