Hundreds of Chinese, international tourists and expats had flocked to the plaza square for organized live site activities. Even when no more event tickets were available, most stuck around anyway to watch the ceremony on several large screens.

"We came all the way to China - if we had wanted to watch it on TV, we could have stayed home," says Swede Michael O'Neill. He and his compatriot Carl Romallo flew in for a two-week holiday "just to experience an Olympic city" even though they didn't have tickets to any events.

Guangxi resident He Yiming and five classmates from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications came to the square because they didn't have TVs in their dorm but "could not miss the show".

And, like 31-year-old Thai You Tachai, they didn't want to miss any of the off-screen action either.

"I knew there would be a lot of people here, and they all would be really excited, so I wanted to see that firsthand," says You.

For Shi Xiaofang, of Jiangsu province, seizing the chance to be in Beijing was her No 1 priority.

American Gabriel Haydu (left) and his fellow Camp Adventure counselors catch the stares with their unique appearances.

"Even though I didn't see the screen clearly, the most important thing wasn't what I saw, it was that I was there," says the 28-year-old. "I was out in Beijing, and I was a part of it."

Such is the appeal for many people taking to the streets as the country celebrates the Games.

Guangzhou residents Gao Yin and Huang Quancheng were thrilled about the volleyball match they were to watch on Sunday. They couldn't remember who was playing - but they didn't care.

The big draws for them were experiencing the spirit of Beijing during the Games, checking out the capital's tourist spots and "celebrating with a lot of people from different countries", says Gao, clutching a "Beijing 2008" Olympic flag.

Beijinger Chang Yawei, who has lived in New York for nine years, says the Games provide "all the more reason to go out with friends". On the opening night the 27-year-old hosted a house-warming party with four Beijing buddies and five foreign chums. They handmade jiaozi (Chinese dumplings) and chatted about China's development.

After watching a few tournaments at home the next day, he joined friends for barhopping around the Nanluoguxiang hutong bar area to catch more tournaments.

American Michael Wood says the happy hullabaloo in the streets, especially at the venues, has both lifted his spirit and helped him develop a new interest in certain sports.

After hopping on the new bullet train from Beijing to Tianjin - an experience he calls "amazing" - for two days of football matches, he developed a new appreciation for the game.

"I thought soccer was kind of boring before but everyone was so excited," says the 28-year-old. "I was so excited; I never thought I'd actually get to watch the Olympics (live)."

Wood says watching China defeat Sweden was particularly fun, because "people in the crowd just went crazy".

He adds he also enjoyed visiting the Olympic Green when he went to watch artistic gymnastics, because "it was so beautiful", and he was impressed by the athletes' abilities.

For Shi, the Olympic celebrations are a great source of revelry, but it's not just mindless fun.

"The (Olympics) makes me proud of Beijing as a Chinese," she says. "It's a big event in China and an opportunity for people from other countries, who might misunderstand China, to get a sense of the real China."

(China Daily August 12, 2008)