Papermaking, one of China's special contributions to the spread and development of human civilization, was represented at the ceremony with a Chinese painting scroll that covered the center of the stadium and served as the platform for most performances.

The performance showing movable type printing used images of both ancient characters and a modern computer keyboard. Movable type printing began with the engraving printing of the Sui Dynasty (581-618). Bi Sheng of the Song Dynasty (960-1276), who is believed to be the first ancestor of printing, improved the process by making baked clay into movable characters for typesetting printing; thus he accomplished a significant revolution in printing history.

The compass was introduced to Europe in the 12th century. Its application to navigation resulted in Christopher Columbus's voyage to the New World and Ferdinand Magellan's circumnavigation. In the performance focusing on the Silk Road, an important passage for East-West economic and cultural exchanges, a dancer held an ancient compass in his hand.

Gunpowder was represented in the fireworks show. It was invented in the Song Dynasty (960-1276). It is the mixture of potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal-elements that people took as medicine in ancient times, hence the name "huoyao," which in Chinese means "burning medicines."

Other Chinese elements included an instrument called fou, a pottery wine container that can be struck with sticks to produce a musical sound. Taiji, a popular martial art, was also part of the ceremony.