More than 90,000 people present at the stadium were treated to a 50-minute visual spectacular show masterminded by acclaimed Chinese film director Zhang Yimou, which involved 15,000 performers, a kaleidoscope of fireworks and the thunder of ancient drum beats.

The show celebrated some of China's greatest inventions - the compass, gunpowder, paper and printing - as well its ancient art and the magnificence of the Great Wall.

It concluded with a focus on unity in the modern world, with the final moments seeing performers on a giant elevated globe and a theme song entitled "You and Me".

The traditional parade of athletes then began amid huge cheers, with all nations and teams, receiving a warm welcome from the crowd.

After Chinese President Hu Jintao officially declared the Games open, Li Ning, a gymnast who won three golds at the 1984 Games, lit the cauldron. In a dramatic moment, he was lifted on wires and then "ran" around the roof of the stadium holding the Olympic torch.

Billions of people around the world tuned in to see the four-hour extravaganza.