Fireworks brighten up the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube.

The opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games on September 6 touched the hearts of millions of viewers at home and abroad.

The 12-day event is the largest in the history of the Paralympics, involving more than 7,000 athletes, officials, and coaches from 147 countries and regions. It is also expected to draw the largest crowds and the largest television audience of any Paralympic Games in history.

The ceremony was broadcast live in Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Cambodia, Angola, and South Africa, among other countries. It was webcast live in the United States, and will be shown there on NBC on October 18.

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) presenter Steve Cram called the ceremony "impressive" and "stunning". Cram said the discipline and coordination demonstrated by the performers "shows the best of Chinese young people," and will definitely "inspire" young audiences.

Former Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson told the BBC she found the ceremony "very emotional" because so many disabled people participated in the performance.

Ade Adepitan, another British Paralympian, said he was "touched" by the little ballerina from Sichuan province. "This is more than just sports. It's about life, hope, and not giving up," he said.

In downtown Johannesburg, hundreds of South Africans gathered outside the Sandton International Shopping Center to watch the opening ceremony on an outdoor TV screen.

Li Yue, an 11-year-old girl who lost her left leg in the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan, performs a wheelchair pas de deux with ballet dancer Lu Meng.