Locked-down Beijing silent By Thane Burnett

BEIJING, China - On Friday night, Beijing once again became the forbidden city.

Far from the coveted seats of the new Bird's Nest stadium, the people of the People's Republic of China tried to celebrate the opening of the Olympics.

But at most turns, they were stopped.

In an attempt to control embarrassing protests during the opening ceremonies, and the days to follow, officials wrapped an iron fist around every block from the Bird's Nest to infamous Tiananmen Square.

There was joy and honor, but also a stern reminder that, despite what the posters say, this is not really "One World - One Dream".

It is a people showing the world their best side, while a government takes measures against their worst critics.

Families gathered all day in Tiananmen Square, under the illusion they would somehow be involved in the celebration.

But apart from a countdown and a few fireworks rising above them, they were met with a line of soldiers, giving them less and less space to stand.

There was no violence, but there was a sense of disappointment that many of the people who most support the Games, were being told to simply go on home.

Officials here are not relaxing their control, now that the Games have started. Instead, they are making more of a fist to stop trouble, before it can even step out of the car.

A pro-Tibet group said a trio of its members - all Americans - was stopped before they had the chance to protest near the opening ceremonies.

All were detained, and will likely be expelled from the country.

Tight control by the government has so far worked. The few protests to happen so far have been put down quickly or stopped before they can begin.

At least seven foreigners, who protested at Tiananmen Square and near a major Olympic venue, have been kicked out of the country.

Tiananmen is the emotional heart of Beijing, which is why the people here tried to make it a venue for their opening.

Most don't know of, or refuse to talk about a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989.

At the adjacent Great Hall of People, President Hu Jintao hosted U.S. President George W. Bush and dozens of other leaders at a lunch before they attended the Olympic celebrations. But the people of Beijing were turned away en mass.

It was apparently too risky to let them have their day, after waiting so long.

Still, those who gathered for the countdown there, after making it through police lines, found reasons to feel good about China.

Zhao Hui is a 30 year old blind man, who stood under the nose of Chairman Mao's painting.

Hui refused to acknowledge the bloody history of the square, but invited the world to come see it for themselves.

It stands for only the best of China, the blind man said, saying repeatedly: "That's plain to see."