-- Exuding confidence with crystal-clear voices, a choir of 44 children sang the Olympic Anthem, in Greek, at the iconic "Bird's Nest" stadium during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games on Feb. 4.

-- Starting from scratch less than four months ago, the children learned the composition note by note and the Greek lyrics word by word, before presenting to the world a moving rendition of the staple program of Olympic opening ceremonies.

-- "Their singing seemed like music from heaven. I sensed exactly what I have been looking for -- the fragrance of the earth," said Zhang Yimou, director of the opening ceremony.

Before athletes from around the world began competing for the highest honors in winter sports in Beijing 2022, a group of Chinese kids from a remote mountainous village had basked in their own Olympic glory.

Exuding confidence with crystal-clear voices, a choir of 44 children sang the Olympic Anthem, in Greek, at the iconic "Bird's Nest" stadium during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games on Feb. 4.

Malanhua Children's Choir sings the Olympic Anthem during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at the National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Cao Can)

Starting from scratch less than four months ago, the children learned the composition note by note and the Greek lyrics word by word, before presenting to the world a moving rendition of the staple program of Olympic opening ceremonies.

"This is my first visit to Beijing and the Bird's Nest is really grand," said Xi Qingru, 11, a member of the Malanhua Children's Choir. "I am excited to have the opportunity of letting the world hear us sing."

JOURNEY TO BEIJING

In late September 2021, after Ma Xiaojing arrived in Fuping County, Hebei Province, with the task of auditioning performers for the anthem, she was immediately arrested by the innocence and sincerity of the local children.

"You can see the curiosity in their eyes; they were very keen to strike a conversation with us but were too shy to do so," said Ma, performance management supervisor of the opening ceremony.

At Malan Primary School, retiree Deng Xiaolan had been teaching local kids music for 18 years and formed a children's choir. "I love music. I use music to spread happiness among the children," said Deng. "All I hope is they stay happy and healthy."

Ma picked a preliminary roster of performers by choosing members of the choir and kids from other local schools, and shot a video of them singing.

"This is it," said Zhang Yimou, director of the opening ceremony, after watching the video. "Their singing seemed like music from heaven. I sensed exactly what I have been looking for -- the fragrance of the earth."

Zhang Yimou, director of the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, poses for a group photo with Malanhua Children's Choir before a rehearsal at the National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 15, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Yanan)

Once the performers were chosen, help poured in for the remote village nestled deep in the mountains to make the near-impossible mission of teaching the young amateurs to sing in Geek a reality.

"We sing to express our true feelings," said Zhang Hongyu, dean of School of Music and Dance of Baoding University and one of the music teachers. "Using the simple and innocent voices of the kids to express our love for the Olympics is a goal we can achieve."

From the very beginning, the teaching group had reached the consensus that teaching the kids to sing should never come at the cost of dampening their enthusiasm for music. They devised many fun activities, from voicing and breathing practices to music notation learning, to help the kids grasp the singing techniques.

Greek teacher Qin Yezhen from Beijing Foreign Studies University and his assistant Lin Jiahao arrived from Beijing to help kids pronounce Greek. They also translated the lyrics into simple Chinese to help the kids understand the meaning of the Olympic classic.

In the following months, the children practiced the song whenever they could. It was as if the Olympic tune had permeated every corner of the remote village -- the homes, the creeks and the mountains.