Over 170 Chinese to perform at Athens Olympics closing ceremony

Some 170 Chinese will perform at the closing ceremony of the Athens Olympic Games on August 29 at the Olympic Stadium after the Olympic flag has been handed to Beijing, a top Chinese official revealed Thursday.

Liu Jingmin, executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games, told reporters at a press conference that the performance will last eight minutes.

But he declined to reveal any more details about the Chinese show and said it's a secret "that cannot be released to so many people."

He said that Beijing mayor Wang Qishan will take over the Olympic flag at the ceremony, followed by the eight-minute traditional Chinese art performance, which bears the theme of "from Olympia to the Great Wall."

"That will mark a new stage for our preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games," he said.

Reports back in China earlier said that the performance will be directed by world-famed Chinese film director Zhang Yimou.