(BEIJING, December 31) -- On New Year's Eve, a grand gala show was staged at the China Millennium Monument in the Olympic City to welcome in Olympic Year 2008.

In attendance for the festivities with nearly 4,000 assembled guests were Duan Shijie, Vice Minister of the State General Administration of Sports (SGAS) and Executive Vice-President of BOCOG; Jiang Xiaoyu, Executive Vice-President of BOCOG; and Tang Xiaoquan, President of Executive Board of China Disabled Persons' Federation and Executive Vice-President of BOCOG.

 

The New Year is greeted by jubilation among the crowd.

The gala, hosted by Chinese anchors and TV personalities Bai Yansong, Yang Lan, Pu Cunxin and Nie Yijing, began at 10:45 pm.

Renowned singers, including Jackie Chan, Kris Phillips, Dai Yuqiang, Wei Wei, Han Lei, Guo Feng, Zhou Chuanxiong and Shang Wenjie, delivered brilliant performances, expressing the Chinese people's hopes for the Olympic Games at the dawn of 2008 while giving the televised audience a taste of the festive atmosphere throughout the country as the Olympic Year begins.

 

Then, amid thundering applause from thousands of spectators as the clock struck midnight, Duan Shijie, Jiang Xiaoyu and Tang Xiaoquan turned on a dazzling sign reading "We Are Ready". The famous dancer with a disability Tai Lihua and other celebrities struck the Olympic Year Bell.

When the choir started singing "We Are Ready", the ceremony reached its zenith.

A satellite connection was made with Hong Kong, during which more than 50,000 local people were seen on the huge screen taking part in the countdown celebrations. Olympic songs were intoned and best wishes exchanged.

Live video feeds from Qingdao, Shanghai, Qinhuangdao, Shenyang and Tianjin also flashed on the screen so that none of the cities of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad were left out of the joyous evening.

The gala was hosted by BOCOG and co-hosted by Aokang Group, the official leather goods supplier of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the official leather goods exclusive supplier of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.