Why were willow branches used during Closing Ceremony wrapping up Beijing 2022?

At the Closing Ceremony for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games held at the National Stadium, known as the “Bird’s Nest,” in Beijing on the evening of Feb. 20, a show dedicated to cherishing the memory of people who participated in the Olympics won widespread praise from online netizens.

An artist performs during the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at the National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 20, 2022. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

During the show, the performers gathered together as the music “Dreaming of Home and Mother” was played, holding willow twigs in their hands. Willow branches symbolize people’s unwillingness to separate in Chinese culture. In ancient days, when two friends parted ways, the traveling party would always receive a willow twig as a gift.

The moment of remembrance and the extinguishing of the Olympic flame are rituals at Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games. During the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, a funeral ceremony was, for the first time, held during the Closing Ceremony for the Olympic Games, while the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games both held a moment of remembrance during their respective Closing Ceremonies.

There is a saying that Chinese people often use when they bid farewell to someone who has died: “I wish you will live a peaceful life in another world.” This reflects Chinese people’s optimistic view towards life and death, according to Zhang Yimou, chief director of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for Beijing 2022, explaining what had inspired the show.

It was by following such a philosophy that the directing team designed the show in which the performers held willow twigs to express their unwillingness to separate, and at the climax of the music, the color green appeared during the show to represent the passing of winter and the arrival of spring. “We specially turned on green lights to express life, hope and growth. There was not much sadness involved, but a strong sense of remembrance,” Zhang explained.