BEIJING — They failed to turn their smoggy skies blue. Their authoritarian government remains under fire for human rights violations. But Beijing Olympic organizers dazzled an audience of 91,000 at the whimsical Bird's Nest stadium and another estimated 4 billion watching on television Friday with a colorful, imaginative opening ceremony that bridged ancient and modern Chinese history and befitted the Games' $40 billion price tag.

The four-hour extravaganza featured 30,000 fireworks and remarkable precision from 14,000 performers, the result of a year of rehearsals. Practices regularly lasted from 7 a.m. until 3 a.m. the following morning.

The ceremony opened with 2,008 Fou percussionists banging drums in unison, creating a thunderous welcome for a crowd that included 80 heads of state. President George W. Bush, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and French president Nicolas Sarkozy were among those in attendance.

Despite sweltering heat and humidity, tens of thousands of fans gathered outside Tiananmen Square and around the barricaded perimeter of the Olympic Green to be part of the festivities. They wore red Olympic armbands and waved Chinese flags. Everyone wanted to be part of the coming out party for this emerging world power.

One U.S. scalper said tickets for the cremeony were going for as high as $10,000 apiece.

Spectators all over the Chinese capital got to see 29 gigantic firework footprints walk across the sky along the axis of the city, from Tiananman Square to the Bird's Nest, representing each of the 29 previous Olympic Games. The footprints transformed into falling stars, which turned into huge lighted Olympic rings.

That is when the history lesson began, and it covered China's invention of paper scrolls, ink painting, movable type, opera, terracotta soldiers, silk, and martial arts. Among the most memorable scenes were the 897 moving type dancers, who moved up and down in boxed costumes, the piano duo of Lang Lang and 5-year-old Li Muzi, and the singing duet of Great Britain's Sarah Brightman and Chinese pop star Liu Huan.

As Brightman and Huan sang the theme song, "You and Me," photos of 2,008 of children's faces were projected onto the upper stadium walls, and 58 actors ran around an enormous globe in the center of the stage. Fireworks formed 2,008 smiling faces in the sky, a symbol of the Beijing Olympic motto: One World, One Dream.

And then began the two-hour Parade of Nations, ranging from the barefoot Burundians to South Africans in green Crocs, from red-blazered Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal to the bright yellow coats of the Jamaicans. The 205 participating teams entered the stadium in order of how many brush strokes it takes to write the name of their country in Chinese characters. The United States was 140th in the procession.

The U.S. delegation, wearing navy blue blazers and white pants, was escorted into the stadium by flagbearer Lopez Lomong, a Sudanese refugee whose inspirational story compelled his American teammates to bestow him with the honor. Lomong, a 1,500-meter runner, was separated from his parents at gunpoint when he was 6 years old, and he spent the next 10 years in a Kenyan refugee camp. He moved to the United States in 2001 and became a citizen 13 months ago.

Lomong has been an activist for Darfur, and has said he'd like to take advantage of the Olympic stage to draw attention to the atrocities in his home country. His selection as flagbearer sent a message to the Chinese government, which has been criticized for its relations with Sudan.

"I am honored to represent my country and I'm so happy to be an American and to live there," Lomong said.

The Americans and Bush, shown on a jumbo screen received a rousing ovation.

Other flagbearers included Swiss tennis star Roger Federer, who was celebrating his birthday, and NBA players Sarunas Jasikevicius (Lithuania), Emanuel Ginobili (Argentina), Andrey Kirilenko (Russia), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), and Yao Ming (China).

The Americans and Bush, shown on a jumbo screen received a rousing ovation.

The Cuban delegation, dressed in tan suits, also received a warm reception. Wrestler Mijain Lopez was the Cuban flagbearer. "I can imagine that when I walk into the stadium it will be like nothing I have ever felt before," he said before the ceremony. "I feel a great sense of pride to carry the flag for my country. Everyone is feeling very good, and we are very united."

Host China was the last delegation to march in, led by the 7-foot-6 Ming. The basketball icon was joined by a 9-year-old boy who saved two other children's lives during the recent earthquake in the Sichuan province. The Chinese athletes were among the most colorful. The women wore bright yellow jackets with black skirts, and the men wore red blazers with yellow shirts over black pants.

Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, congratulated Beijing and urged athletes to "remember you are role models for youth, so reject doping and cheating."

As the clock struck midnight, it remained a mystery who would ignite the huge cauldron. There was speculation it would be hurdling star Liu Xiang, but instead, it was former Olympic gymnast Li Ning. He needed gymnastics skills to handle the task at hand, as Li, suspended high above the stadium from a cable, ran around the upper rim of the arena and then ignited the torch.

An elaborate fireworks show followed, which filled the already thick sky with even more smoke.

Competition begins Saturday, including the men's cycling road race, during which athletes will race 151 miles, from the center of the city up into the mountains to the Great Wall. It will be the first test for endurance athletes in the smog, and it could lead to more criticism of the quality of air here. But for a few hours Friday night, the athletes seemed to be perfectly happy to celebrate in the haze.