Chinese netizens give high praises to the long-awaited opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics Games, hailing it as "masterpiece" and "very dramatic".

"The idea of rolling out a Chinese painting scroll in the center of the stadium gives very tranquil and vacant atmosphere. With graceful Kun Opera and other ancient melodies, it explains well the inner tranquility of Chinese people," "Flying bird" commented in a forum at Xinhuanet.com.

"Zhang Yimou has artfully put the country's 5000-year-old history into a painting, and it was really a masterpiece. He's really ambitious, and he did it," wrote "terra cotta warrior" in its blog, adding that the opening is even better than his films.

Most netizens described the opening as a visual "epic" which expressed the powers of civilization. From paper-making to printing, from compass to gunpowder, from Kun opera to modern starry night, the opening is said to present all the touching parts in the Chinese history.

The twenty-nine "big foot prints", representing the twenty-nine Olympic Games, is listed among the most beloved parts by netizens.

"The firework footprints strolled all the way along the central line of the capital to the Bird's Nest. It was like I saw a historical giant striding," said "Pilot" in Baidu.com, one of the most popular portal website in the country.

A netizen named "red fox" said it even climbed on the roof of their house building to witness the fireworks. "The fireworks blossomed right above my head. I was so astonished and completely speechless."

According to an online survey at people.com 24 hours after the ceremony, among the 13,658 respondents, 31 percent give it 60 out of 100 points while 24 percent give it marks above 90.

"A huge number of people participated in the opening performances as a symbol of collective efforts rather than individuals. It really comes from our populous country," wrote "deer".

However, among the 253 million Chinese netizens, criticism is inevitable and also positive.

Some complained that the stage was too small to express the real feelings and the idea of Peking opera puppets was overlapped with other parts of the ceremony.

Many called upon the country to continue its efforts in carrying out a successful Olympics and avoid errors as best as it can.

(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2008)