It wasn’t good because it wasn’t militaristic??? The opening ceremony was fantastic. China’s opening ceremony consisted of Borg-like drones. And speaking of the Chinese, they seem to have enjoyed it more than they did their own.
China
“Zhou Libo, a leading comedian and a host on “China’s Got Talent”, the Chinese version of the UK TV show, commented that “2008 Beijing was solemn, 2012 London is humour. Solemnity and stateliness tells the world you are strong. Humour lets the world feel you are strong; it’s about confidence.”
“Huang Jianxing, one of the best-known sports commentators in China, also stressed the light-hearted nature of the ceremony. “Its strength was its humour and self-mocking tone. You could see that even the Queen was enjoying it.”
“Ordinary Chinese were positive about the ceremony too, contrasting it to the much more formal Beijing 2008 Olympics ceremony. “I was shocked. I’d never have thought that you could have an opening ceremony like this,” said one Weibo user named Li Lingdang. “There was singing and dancing, JK Rowling, Mr Bean, James Bond , Beckham….The opening ceremony for Beijing was splendid but London’s was more individual.”
The Brits were in a tough spot...they were sensitive that a glorification of British history would be tantamount to praising Colonialism, which on the global stage, might not have been the best thing to do.
So, they focused on their main contributions to the world for the past 50 years, things that are known world-wide, in the areas of entertainment (James Bond, The Beatles, and the other bands that made an impact) and their role in technology, hence the tribute to Tim Berners-Lee.
Oh, so the dancing doctors and gigantor baby was IRONY, NOW, I get it!
Bejing’s opening ceremony was fantastic, but it was also curiously unengaging.