According to Chinese state television, director Zhang Yimou wanted to evoke an "ethereal and romantic" atmosphere for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing's National Stadium. To achieve this, video content took center stage on the floor of the venue during the event which saw scaled-down live performers—3,000 versus the 15,000 seen at the 2008 Opening Ceremonies—in the wake of the pandemic.
The theme, "Together For A Shared Future" featured images of the Earth and the aurora borealis, as well as a snowflake motif created on the floor of the stadium with lighting, in video content on the giant LED screen which reached up to the stadium's third tier, and in a revamped version of the Olympic cauldron lit by the Olympic torch carriers. The cauldron's interlocking snowflakes featured the names of all the participating countries in a nod to the saying that no two snowflakes are the same, but emphasizing that by joining together, individuals can be powerful.
The arena, nicknamed the Bird's Nest for its unique design, was host to the Opening Ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympics, which Zhang Yimou also directed.
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