One world. One dream. One unforgettable start.

One of the most anticipated Olympic Games in history kicked off with a spectacular opening ceremony Friday night.

For four hours, a sellout crowd of 91,000 at the National Stadium and an estimated worldwide television audience of nearly 4 billion people were awed by an unprecedented pyrotechnic and audio-visual buffet, including our boy, Rafa Nadal.

Any doubts the world had about China's ability to host the 29th Olympiad were temporarily put on hold by a spellbinding hourlong preamble to the traditional athletes' entry into the stadium. For at least a little while, criticisms of the city's smog and heat, and the nation's dismal human rights history, were muted as thousands of performers chanted, danced, banged on drums and waved brightly colored light sticks.

This fulfills "the dream of the Chinese sportsmen for generations and also the common aspirations of 1.3 billion Chinese people, " said Li Ning, a gold medal-winning gymnast from China who lit the torch at the end of the ceremony. "The success of lighting the flame means the realization of China's 100-year-old dream."

An hour into the extravaganza, the bells and whistles gave way to the games' prime-time performers: the 10,000 men and women who will compete during the next two weeks.

The festively dressed contingent of athletes, most sweating while marching in the stultifying heat, included tennis standouts Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, and basketball stars Kobe Bryant and the Hornets' Chris Paul of the United States, Yao Ming of China, Dirk Nowitzki of Germany and Manu Ginobili of Argentina. Each was stopped several times to pose for photos with star-struck peers as they made their way around the floor of the massive stadium, known informally as the Bird's Nest because of its architectural design of interwoven steel beams.

The pageantry was produced by artistic director Zhang Yimou, a blockbuster filmmaker in China and a multiple Academy Award nominee. He said it was his goal to celebrate China's rich cultural history throughout the ceremony and he did so by highlighting various customs, from paper-making to drumming to silk artistry to shadow boxing.

Even the ceremony's date, Aug. 8, 2008, and starting time, 8:08 p.m., were taken into account. The No. 8 is associated with prosperity in Chinese culture.

Among the highlights were a illuminating scroll that spanned 100 yards, a giant revolving globe that was raised from beneath the stadium floor and a human replica of the Bird's Nest formed by the limbs of gold-clad contortionists.

To bring the scenes to life, Zhang used 14,000 performers and 600 fireworks personnel. The fireworks displays extended beyond the stadium to incorporate the entire downtown footprint, lighting up the hazy night sky in brilliant, multicolored hues.

"For a long time, China has dreamed of opening its doors and inviting the world's athletes to Beijing for the Olympic Games, " said Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, in his address to the crowd. "Tonight, that dream comes true. Congratulations, Beijing. You have chosen for the theme of these games, 'One World, One Dream.' That is what we are tonight."

The night's climax came after midnight local time, when Li was lifted from the stadium floor to the sky by suspension wires from the stadium roof. While suspended, the former three-time Olympic gold medalist circled the ringed opening in the roof as if defying gravity and made his way to a massive ornate torch affixed to the roof of the stadium, where he lit the ceremonial flame.

"This is the best memory of my life, " Li said.