【奥运】Picture power:Full moon shines over the Bird's Nest
Photo by Victor Liu/ 14 Sep. 2008
I am a photographer working for a news agency.I was running late, rushing for an important final event at the Bird's Nest when I saw a full moon rising above the stadium. It took me a while to get over the pleasant shock to realize that it was Chinese mid-Autumn Festival, or the Moon Festival, which falls on the 15th day of August according to Chinese lunar calendar.It is an occasion dedicated for family reunion when millions of Chinese would get together with their family and loved ones. Those who are unable to get together with each other would usually look at the moon. They believe the moon will transfer their missing to their beloved ones.Starting from this year, the Chinese government has allocated respectively one day of holiday in celebration of three traditional festivals, with the Mid-Autumn Festival being one of them, in an attempt to revive traditional values in the modern time.As this year the festival coincided with the Paralympic Games, I, as a photojournalist, couldn’t stay at home with my family. But I had nothing to complain.Right in front of my eyes was this pure full moon hanging above the Stadium, a spectacular view in itself where many were competing on the track and field inside as part of the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games to the cheers of thousands of spectators.I couldn’t asked more for a celebration of the Moon Festival this way – together with thousands of people from around the world.For a moment I hesitated if I should go on rushing inside the stadium for the sports event, or stop for a while capturing this splendid view, through which I would actually spend one minute for the celebration of the festival in the most traditional way. The answer was almost self-evident.For once in my lifetime, I realized how worthwhile it was to carry along with a long lens and a tripod, without which, I would not be able to capture a satisfactory image.In the end, I spent more time than I had expected. The photographer in me insisted that I should wait a few minutes for the moon to move in line with the woven dome of the Bird's Nest. When the moment arrived, the image was only a click away.
