Among the highlights of the opening ceremony for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing was the special-effects laser show that displayed the names of previous host cities on a digitally projected block of ice, and the formation of a giant snowflake comprising dozens of smaller ones each representing a participating region or country.

The companies behind these visual spectacles include Shanghai-based Nuctopus Studio, which had since last April been working on perfecting these elements of the show.

According to Huang Chen, co-founder of Nuctopus Studio, the creation of the digital block of ice was a major challenge because it involved putting together a massive screen that measures 77 meters long and 157 meters wide.