The Olympic flame is now burning in Beijing’s Bird’s Nest, poised in the center of an extremely unique cauldron that’s shaped like a huge snowflake. Rather than an inferno, its flame comes from a single torch, and the identity of one of its lighters made a major political statement.
Winter Olympics opening ceremony director Zhang Yimou had promised the cauldron would “certainly be different” and would take people by surprise. And those are the impressions many people quickly shared — along with questions such as “Is that it?”
The large snowflake comprises smaller snowflakes bearing participating countries’ names. And while many viewers appreciated that symbolism, they often circled back to a larger debate over a small issue: the cauldron.
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