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China spent seven years planning its coming out party, and it kicked it off in stunning fashion tonight, opening the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with a four-hour ceremony packed with pyrotechnics, multimedia and a lesson on Chinese culture and history.

A crowd of 91,000 filled the National Stadium — known as the “Bird’s Nest” — on a hot and humid Beijing night to watch the expensive extravaganza.

The show began with 2,008 drummers beating simultaneous rhythms with their hands while chanting “Welcome friends from all over the world.” Fireworks and a performance laced with Chinese cultural and historical references followed.

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Spectators for the 8 p.m. event began waiting in line before 4 p.m. At one entrance to the Olympic Green, spectators endured an hour-and-45-minute wait to get through security before taking a short subway ride to the Olympic Green. But no one left early, and what they saw may go down as one of the most impressive opening ceremonies in Olympic history.

Highlights included a choreographed segment by 1,000 dancers wearing a neon green suits who stood on each other’s shoulders to create a replica of the Bird’s Nest; a 16-ton replica of a globe that rose 65 feet out of the ground at the center of the stadium; and a fireworks finale that erupted across Beijing for three minutes.

Afterward, a procession of athletes from 204 countries paraded into the stadium over a period of more than two hours. The nations marched in a sequence based on the number of strokes it takes to write their names in Chinese characters — not alphabetical order.

The U.S. delegation, which included 596 athletes, was greeted warmly. The athletes wore a Ralph Lauren-designed outfit of blue blazers, white shirts, white pants and white newsboy caps. As it entered, the stadium’s giant LED screen showed President George W. Bush rising and waving.

The Cauldron Lighting

The ceremony culminated with a series of eight torch bearers exchanging the flame. The final torch was carried by Li Ning, a Chinese gold medalist, and the namesake for the Chinese sports brand. He rose skyward on a wire and then circled the entire stadium before he reached and lit the cauldron. It wasn’t exactly ambush marketing, but one has to wonder how BOCOG sponsor Adidas feels about it.

Three Cheers

Just after the procession, images of LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki flashed on the LED board, eliciting loud cheers from the crowd. Roger Federer received a similar cheer during the procession when he was shown on the LED board. Still, no athlete generated the eruption that Yao Ming received. The crowd chanted his name as he marched Chinese flag into the center of the stadium.

Opening Ceremony By The Numbers

63.75 acres of floor space in the Bird's Nest
45,000 tons of steel used to construct the Bird’s Nest framework
72-foot-by-118-foot LED screen
40 tons of steel ropes
482-foot-by-72-foot LED screen laid on the ground
68 total positions for fireworks around the city; 27 around the stadium
300 tons of lighting equipment
15,153 sets of costumes in 47 styles
516 amplifiers
13 months of training by participants in the event