The hunt is about to begin for the song that will officially open the 2008 Beijing Olympics and in the process be beamed to billions of people around the world.

The search for the right tune will last until 2007, with 10 songs selected each year, until the organizing committee makes a final decision from the list of 50.

And it's not just open to professionals, with amateur musicians also invited to join the race, which officially kicks off next Tuesday.

"We want something extraordinary, emotional, popular and brimming with traditional Chinese culture," said Sun Weijia, deputy director of the Media and Communications Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad.

The theme song usually plays a big role in the opening ceremony by producing soul-stirring emotion and is guaranteed long-lasting popularity after the Games.

Some previous successful Olympic theme songs like Hand in Hand for the 1988 Seoul Olympics and Reach for 1996 Atlanta Olympics have even turned out to be worldwide smash hits, with the latter delivering US-based Latin pop sensation, Gloria Estefan, a Grammy nomination.

Even now, Hand in Hand is still well-known in China, with Chinese versions often performed by top pop stars.

Wu Yanze, a noted Chinese folk song singer and a member of the song search committee, said he is expecting songs that will match some of the most influential Chinese music pieces ever recorded, such as Reflection of the Moon in the Erquan Spring, Butterfly Lovers and Jasmine Blossom.

"It's time for Chinese musicians to get busy," he said.

This year's search will end by August 31 and organizers will set up a judging panel to select the top 10.

The winning 10 will then be broadcast on Radio Beijing, the capital city's leading broadcaster until the next year's round of entrants are selected.

Participants can log onto websites -- www.beijing-olympic.org.cn and FM974.tom.com for details.

(China Daily April 9, 2003)