The little girl who sang the "ode to the motherland" was not the same little girl that appeared on stage in front of the world during the opening ceremony. Poor Yang Peiyi, the real voice behind the song, was not deemed pretty enough to present the Olympics. She was replaced by "perfect" Lin Miaoke, who mimed to Yang's voice.

Photo: AFP via The Daily Telegraph.

This cartoon was posted on the China Digital Times. It reads "I just learned a new put-down: ‘your look is violating national interests!!!'", referencing the message that dissident webusers usually get.

Photo: buzz buzz

The picture of this kid who escaped the Sichuan earthquake and NBA star Yao Ming was simply not publshed. Why? Lin Hao, the child, holds the flag upside down.

A local paper discovered that the grand firework display - seen by the whole world on TV - was actually the result of a great deal of special effects. The real fireworks that soared over the Bird's Nest were indeed there, but they were not the ones we saw on television. The Olympics Committee decided that it would be too dangerous for helicopters to fly over the stadium when the fireworks went off. Indeed...but why was this information not passed on to the viewers?

This amateur photo of the ceremony was posted on a Chinese discussion forum on Sunday.

These were posted on Rivercoolcool's blog:

The red ring was added by the Observers.

Although they come from different sources, some web users say they've been faked.

These photos are definitely real and taken during the opening ceremony. You can use software to see the EXIF info of the photos, to check the shooting times and other original information. For example, one photo contains both the BSOD and the players standing in the center of the Bird's Nest, and it's taken on Aug.8 at 23:50:47. I believe many other people who sat near my position (Sector H, Tier 3) on that night also shot such pictures, even though they haven't recognized it or published it.

I guess it could be software or hardware errors, maybe not even a mistake with Windows but something wrong with third-party devices or drivers. Anyway, in my view the beauty of the ceremony was not affected. If you had heard the time-to-time sincere cheers from people sitting near me, you would admit it's a great success. I think it's really beautiful and exciting, and just a carnival for many people, either on the spot or sitting before TV.

I believe the Games is the time for displaying fun of life, strength of human body and heart, and friendship between people. And I was really inspired by those players when watching their competition during these days."