The names of the artists who will lend their voice to the theme song of the Olympic Games opening ceremony are out.

World pop-opera star Sarah Brightman and Liu Huan, China's most versatile¹ singer, will regale² the audience toward the end of the opening ceremony on Friday.

But whether it will feature white-winged doves or will they sing a song of sixpence is a suspense³, still.

The Beijing Olympics organizing committee (BOCOG) gave out the information yesterday, but refused to say whether the theme song would be in English or Chinese - or in both. It did say, however, that the lyrics⁴ and music have been written and composed by Chinese artists.

The three-and-a-half-hour gala will begin with the beating of the ancient Chinese drum, fou.. It will be followed by the display of the Olympic rings and the Chinese national flag.

The one-hour "main" performance, divided into two parts, will be intervened by "a Chinese scroll⁵ painting". About 15,000 performers are expected to wow spectators in the Bird's Nest, as well as billions of others watching it live on TV across the world.

Modern technology and wire performances will highlight China's iconic civilization through to the modern times, said Zhang Heping, director of the BOCOG's opening and closing ceremonies department. "It's a Chinese story told in the language of the world."

Their performance will be followed by athletes' parade, speeches by the International Olympic Committee and BOCOG presidents, oath-taking by athletes and referees⁶, releasing of doves and lighting⁷ of the Olympic flame in the stadium, to be accompanied by 30,000 "shells" shooting into the sky above the Olympic Green.

The parade will see a Chinese twist in the order of the teams. The countries will be arranged according to the number of strokes it takes to write their names in Chinese. It will be in ascending⁸ order.

This means Guinea, whose acronym⁹ Ji has two strokes, will enter the stadium behind Greece that leads the parade because it is the birthplace of the Olympics. Zambia, will enter just before host China because it takes 14 strokes to write its acronym, Zan.

The two Koreas, however, will not parade as one team this time. The BOCOG and the Foreign Ministry¹⁰ have arranged the ROK to be the 176th delegation¹¹.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea will enter after another four countries, Vietnam, Fiji, Botswana and Portugal.

The opening ceremony team refused to disclose more details about the show, which is expected to attract 4 billion viewers worldwide.

 
Questions:

1. Who are the two performers singing the Olympic theme song on Friday night?

2. How many “shells” will be launched above the Olympic Green?

3. How many performers are expected to participate in the Opening Ceremony?

Answers:

1. Sarah Brightman and Liu Huan.

2. 30,000.

3. 15,000.