Musical Instruments from the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Above: Giant “heavenly” drum (src)

Above: Costumes covered in silver bells (src)

Above: “Drum Cart” during closing ceremony August 24, 2008. (src)

Above: Flower drums with icons (notice the flowers on the drums) at the Temple of Heaven Park. (src)

Above: Opening ceremony drummers at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery. (src)

Above: Astounding tower covered in replicas of ancient Chinese bells outside of McDonald’s inside the Olympic Green. (src)

Above: Drum tower outside of McDonald’s inside the Olympic Green. (src)

Above: Audience participation drum. (src)

Above: Drummers with drum appendages at the Edinburgh festival cavalcade. (src)

Above: Olympic drumming during the closing ceremony. (src)

Above: A sea of percussionists on fou drums (traditional containers for storing wine) during the opening ceremony. (src)

Above: Two “heavenly” drums approach each other above 200 drummers. (src)

From Beijing 2008 Olympics:

The drum has the distinct symbolic meaning in traditional Chinese ceremonies; the drumbeat indicates the commencement of the ceremony. The drumbeat calls people to gather together, to express common dreams and passion through grand ceremonial performance.