Beijing 2022 Opening Ceremony starts with spectacular 'Beginning of Spring' sequence

The Beginning of Spring is an important part of Chinese culture, as it is believed that the extreme cold brings about new life.

And that was chosen as the starting point of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony, which took place on Friday (4 February), the first day of Spring in China.

Viewers saw the phrase 'One World, One Family', before a countdown from 24, to represent the 24 solar terms of the Chinese Year, namely, Start of Spring, Rain Water, Awakening of Insects, Vernal Equinox, Clear and Bright, Grain Rain, Start of Summer, Small Full Grain, Grain In Ear, Summer Solstice, Minor Heat, Major Heat, Start of Autumn, Limit of Heat, White Dew, Autumnal Equinox, Cold Dew, Frost Descent, Start of Winter Minor Snow, Major Snow, Winter Solstice, Minor Cold and Major Cold.

Each was accompanied by beautiful images from around China.

A snowflake theme was then introduced, with performers inside the National Stadium displaying neon lights that turned green and unfurled to represent the new life, before a short firework display spelt out the word 'Spring' in English and Chinese above the stadium, at the start of the Winter Games.

Full coverage of the Opening Ceremony and all the action at Beijing 2022 is in our Live Blog on Olympics.com and the official app.

The first Lunar New Year can be traced back to the Warring States Period of 475 BC to 221 AD in Chinese history.

In the book, Simin Yueling, agronomist and writer Cui Shi wrote: "The starting day of the first month, is called ‘Zheng Ri’. I bring my wife and children, to worship ancestors and commemorate my father."

Later he wrote: "Children, wife, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren all serve pepper wine to their parents, make their toast, and wish their parents good health. It's a thriving view."

To this day, Lunar New Year is the beginning of a calendar year whose months are Moon cycles, influenced by the historical Chinese lunisolar calendar.