A FEAST: The indoor performance of the opening ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo 2010 kicks off at on April 30 at the UFO-shaped Expo Culture Center alongside the Huangpu River (CHEN RAN)

The opening ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo 2010 kicked off at 8:10 p.m. on April 30 at the UFO-shaped Expo Culture Center alongside the Huangpu River.

Some 8,000 spectators, including Chinese President Hu Jintao and heads of state from over 20 countries, watched both an indoor performance and an outdoor show of lights, fountains and fireworks.

Long before it was finally staged, Shanghai Vice Mayor Yang Xiong was quoted as saying that the tone of the opening ceremony would be "simple and passionate." The production team managed to put words into action as the costumes were not as lavish as those of the annual Spring Festival TV galas.

"The performance aimed to send a signal of harmony, showcasing the sincerity and new vision of the world from the bottom of Chinese people's hearts," Teng Junjie, chief director of indoor performance, told Beijing Review. "So I think there's no need for exaggeration in terms of stage settings."

Multiculturalism was the highlight of the ceremony. The four-act indoor performance was jointly presented by several A-list stars from around the globe such as Chinese kungfu star Jackie Chan, veteran Japanese musician Shinji Tanimura, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, the South African Soweto Gospel Choir, and the Maori Dance Theatre of New Zealand.

"We studied Daodejing (Classic of the Way and Virtue) by Taoist philosopher Lao Zi and tried to convey 'The highest good is like water' through the performances," Teng said.

No wonder the Danube in Europe could "converge" with the Yangtze River, the longest river in China, on stage in Act II, Love for Rivers, as the famous waltz The Blue Danube performed by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra was followed by the newly composed Concerto of New Shanghai, which incorporated the melody of Song of the Yangtze River, with the stunning cooperation of ballet dancers and pianist Lang Lang.

"The ceremony was great! I've never seen a fireworks show on a river before," Frank Wong, 38, a Canadian Chinese, told Beijing Review. "It's amazing, spectacular and very impressive."

David Atkins, executive producer of the outdoor show, said the two biggest challenges were pressing time and the venue, as his team had to create an outdoor show across four districts and 3.5 km along the Huangpu River, the 24-hours-a-day commercial river, within five months.

"It's a very ambitious task," Atkins said. "In my experience as a producer of international events, I don't believe that outside China this could be done within the time.

"This is an extraordinary example of Chinese technology and ability to facilitate extraordinary things in such a short period of time," he added.

"It's lovely. Child performers, dancers, singers, fireworks—everything is lovely!" said Quincy Jones, Jr., writer of the theme song Better City, Better Life for Expo 2010 in collaboration with Oscar winner Tan Dun.

"I think the ceremony was amazing, and one of the highlights was Jones's song," Chinese American Yue-Sai Kan told Beijing Review.

"I don't think it's fair to compare the Expo's opening ceremony with the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games given the pressing time and budget," said Kan, the Emmy-winning television producer, bestselling author and cosmetic entrepreneur. "The production team did a wonderful job."

(Reporting from Shanghai Expo site)