Resurgent China opened the Olympics [Images] on Friday with a burst of fireworks at a spectacular ceremony that celebrated ancient Chinese history and aimed to draw a line under months of political controversy.

An army of 2,008 drummers pounded out the countdown to the Games, which mark China's emergence from impoverished isolation to economic might, but have also galvanized critics of the Communist government's human rights record.

Around 80 world leaders, including US President George W. Bush, joined 91,000 excited spectators in the majestic Bird's Nest stadium for the opening show. The global television audience is expected to exceed one billion viewers.

Firecrackers rippled around the rim of the arena, thousands of red, green and blue strobe lights flickered in the auditorium and a forest of drumsticks turned a luminous red, flashing bright in the hazy, humid air.

"Friends have come from afar, how happy we are," the drummers chanted before a series giant fireworks were set off, blasting across the heart of the Chinese capital and crossing Tiananmen Square as they progressed to the Bird's Nest.

The authorities opened Tiananmen Square, scene of a student uprising in 1989, ahead of the ceremony to let people watch the fireworks, prompting thousands of delighted Beijing [Images] residents to rush into the vast esplanade screaming "Go China!".

Friday's ceremony caps seven years of work that reshaped Beijing and sets the seal on an industrial boom that has boosted China's international standing.

However, the Olympic spotlight has also cast a harsh glare on the nation of 1.3 billion people, bringing the unrest in its Tibetan region to the forefront and showing that the Communist leadership is not ready to brook any internal dissent.

RECORD COST

The Games carry a $43 billion price tag, dwarfing the previous record of $15 billion splashed out by Athens in 2004, sweeping thousands of people out of their homes to make way for a host of state-of-the art stadiums.

National pride at the transformation of China has built steadily and the Bird's Nest crowd roared its approval when high-stepping soldiers took the nation's red flag from the hands of a group of small children and hoisted it above the stadium

The Olympics are due to be formally opened at around 11 p.m. by the president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge. The Games run until August 24, with 10,500 athletes from a record 204 nations chasing 302 gold medals in 28 sports.

The sporting action gets into top gear on Saturday with competition underway in 18 disciplines, including swimming and gymnastics, and seven gold medals up for grabs.

Among the early competitors is US swimmer Michael Phelps [Images], who could become the first athlete to win eight golds in a single Games and the most titled Olympian ever.

Record crowds are expected to cheer on the athletes, with 7 million tickets sold guaranteeing capacity audiences -- a stark contrast to Athens when some sports played out to empty stands.

But as in 2004, the build up to the Beijing Games has been marred by drug taking. A number of athletes have failed tests in the weeks leading up to the Olympics and officials have promised about 4,500 doping checks in Beijing to root out the cheats.