And scrolls and fireworks were used to assert China’s discovery of paper-making and gunpowder.

And once the athletes had marched past — the Americans having the pleasure of their president’s cheering presence for the first time in an Olympics not hosted by them — the spectacle continued. Word of the scale and impressiveness of the opening ceremony had leaked out after dress rehearsals, but the big mystery remained. How would the Olympic cauldron be lit, and who would do the honours?

It could not have been more ambitious and enthralling. Gymnast Li Ning, winner of three medals at the 1984 Olympics, appeared to race around the top of the stadium before lighting the cauldron that had come up almost unnoticed amidst the fireworks above and pageantry below.

But the ceremony was not only given over to Chinese national pride. As the 10,000 athletes marched in, the roar of the crowds showed how much the composition of squads has changed. The record-breaking athlete has been overshadowed by the big-game star: so there were football giants Brazil and Argentina inviting roars from the 90,000 spectators, little Switzerland appearing curiously popular till Roger Federer’s face came up on the big screen a few seconds later, and just the sight of Kobe Bryant setting the crowd hysterical.

So, even as the security helicopters criss-crossed overhead, the Beijing skies having been cleared of all commercial flights for the duration of the ceremony, China left the world with subtle messages that will be decoded for some time to come.