The Beijing Olympics opening ceremony

A stadium full of drummers gave the ceremony a fitting beat [Reuters]

The Olympic rings like they have never been seen before [Reuters]

There was never any question of the scale of the opening ceremony [Reuters]

Time for more drummers [Reuters]

Colour was the order of the day [Reuters]

And there will be plenty more said about those drummers [Reuters]

Ancient Chinese traditions formed the core of the presentation [Reuters]

And they were combined with all the imagery of the Olympics [Reuters]

China used the opportunity to flex its muscle [Reuters]

All costumes were spectacular, even if their symbolism might have been hard to read [Reuters]

China's rich history was shown to full effect [Reuters]

There can't have many dancers in China not employed for the ceremony [Reuters]

The same could be said for drummers [Reuters]

No performer could claim they were lonely [Reuters]

But the performance space was an easy place to get lost [Reuters]

The Chinese dragon was out in all its glory [Reuters]

The ceremony was met with unbridled enthusiasm both inside and outside the stadium [Reuters]