b'T3 Journal - Student Writing in Drama, University of Exeter 2018-19full of meaning, precision and fusion. The choice to begin the ceremony with drumming played into the idea of the ceremony being heavily ritualistic. Often, we associate the sound of percussion as pre-empting an entrance or a start, as with a drum roll or with the chiming of Big Ben on an hour; a ritual has a distinctively marked beginning. The drums, in Chinas performance, evoked an image of China as seen from a western, perhaps touristic, perspective of an ancient civilisation thats a contrasting image (Said 2003: 2) of Europe. However, a directorial choice to have the ancient drums laced with LED strips, along with having LED drum sticks, aided the nations attempt at recreat[ing] the global narrativeas the story of a forward-looking, modern nation that can boast a long and glorious past (Askew 2010: 104): the drums here representing the long and glorious past (ibid.) and the LED showcasing a forward-looking (ibid.) China. By performing the idea of themselves in this way, China affirmed their place in the modern world by boasting rich roots and foundations whilst simultaneously using the technology to remind the global audience that China has been at the forefront of the Digital Age. 16'