By sportswriter Chen Yu

    BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- An around-50-minute art performance of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Paralympic Games unfolded a touching journey into the world of the disabled community Saturday night at the National Stadium in north Beijing.

    Firework, music, flashlight, and superb performance staged by more than 4,500 performers, among them about 420 are disabled, created a dreamy night for the 91,000 or so spectators.

Photo taken on Sept. 6, 2008 shows the art performance of the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in the National Stadium in Beijing, China. (Xinhua/Guo Dayue) Photo Gallery>>>

    The performance, entitled "Flying with the Dream", tried to create an atmosphere of "dream, grace, warmth and happiness," interpret the idea that "all life has value, all life has dignity, all life has dream" as well as promote harmony among "sky, earth and human beings".

    The show, comprised of three chapters -- "Journey of Space", "Journey of Time" and "Journey of Life", had a sensational start when blind singer Yang Haitao sang in soft voice and told a sunbird, a symbol of light and warmth, about his utmost wish: "If I could see for only three days, the people I want to see most are my mom, my dad and all of you."

Photo taken on Sept. 6, 2008 shows the art performance "Hello, Stars" acted by over 300 deaf girls during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in the National Stadium in Beijing, China.   (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    During his dialogue with the sunbird, the singer unveiled his mental journey to the belief that "there are dreams in life" and spoke about the good wishes in his heart -- to look for, discover and feel the truth of life from the mysterious vast ocean, land and sky.

    "Hello, Stars" added to the show another warm and moving touch when, underneath the star-studded sky, a trumpeter quietly plays the music of "Hello, Stars" and more than 300 deaf girls, dressed in white gown, communicated their inner feelings to the stars with sign language, manifesting the wonderful state of unity of man and nature.

Photo taken on Sept. 6, 2008 shows the art performance of the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in the National Stadium in Beijing, China. (Xinhua Photo)  Photo Gallery>>>

    In the second chapter "Journey of Time", Li Yue, a 11-year-old girl who used to study ballet but lost her left leg in the devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan province, might have recalled the nation's painful memory of the quake.

    But Li, on the central stage of the stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, was not a symbol of the country's painful memory but the symbol of those in the quake-stricken province who never give up their dream. The girl performed her never-ending dance in wheelchair with her hands, a scene bringing tears to eyes of many spectators.

Li Yue, a ballet student who survived the May 12 earthquake that hit southwest China's Sichuan Province but had one of her legs amputated, performs during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in the National Stadium in Beijing, China, Sept. 6, 2008. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)Photo Gallery>>>

    The ending chapter "Journey of Life" stroke an optimistic tone when a blind pianist played against the backdrop of picturesque changing seasons, featured by snow flakes, peach flowers, lotus flowers and golden wheat field.

    With 750 pairs of nimble hands, 750 performers displayed a spectacular scene of a group of flying petrels, swans and birds above the blue sea surface, echoing the theme "flying with the dream".

    "The performance opened a window for us to see into the world of the disabled, a world we know little about before," said Xie Feng, who worked with a state bank.

An artist who has visual impairment plays piano during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games held in the National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest, in Beijing, China, Sept. 6, 2008. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) Photo Gallery>>>

    "They (the disabled performers) are just so great and in some ways, I think their performance at the opening ceremony showed to us that they are as capable, or even more capable than most of us."

    Sun Xiaobo, whose company bought the tickets for him and his colleagues to watch the opening ceremony, made a comparison between the opening of the paralympics and the Beijing Olympic Games last month, which Sun also watched.

    "I would say that the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games was splendid and stunning, but the opening of the Beijing Paralympics was more moving and reaching into your heart," he said. "They are of two different styles but both successful. I really admire these disabled performers because they are just unbelievable."

    Some spectators said they loved the hearing-impaired girls' "hello, stars" performance and some favoured the "changing seasons" part, a scene believed to have reflected the oriental aesthetics.

    "These girls in white are so beautiful and they are just like angles," said Gao Lin, a female reporter from China's southern Guangdong province. "You can see the tranquil and beautiful mind of the girls through their performance. "

    "What moved me most is that these girls could not hear, but they presented the most beautiful performance following their soul," said Gao.

    "Unbelievable", "stunning" and "moving" are words used most by spectators in describing the art performance. For people like Xie and Gao, the performance is also enlightening.

    "I used to think the disabled are disadvantaged and pitiful, now I realize they are as happy, strong and capable as all of us," he said. "They can do everything we can, and even can do better."