China is preparing to dazzle the world again with a glittering closing ceremony of the Olympic Games on Sunday.

Unlike the opening ceremony, which was repeatedly rehearsed at the National Stadium, the closing one will not be rehearsed, Beijing News said yesterday.

The men's marathon will end at the stadium at about noon, leaving only eight hours for the organizers to prepare for the closing ceremony, the newspaper said.

Time has also been allotted to the London 2012 team to rehearse an eight-minute handover ceremony.

However, small rehearsals are being held at training sites away from the stadium, the newspaper said.

Though the content of the closing ceremony remains a secret, the newspaper said the electronic "scroll" depicting China's history, and the miniature globe, which rose from the ground carrying the two Olympic theme song singers, will not be used again.

However, another kungfu display, featuring 350 practitioners from a local martial arts school, will be part of the show, in addition to 60 erhu (Chinese violin), players from Jiangsu province.

Zhang Yimou, chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies, said earlier this month that the climax of the show would come as the Olympic flame is extinguished.

"We are dedicated to creating a happy atmosphere at the closing ceremony. The message is to say goodbye, and to promise to meet again in four years," he said.

The Beijing News reported the organizers had made contingency plans for any emergency that might occur during the ceremony - rain being the biggest threat.

"Organizers may have to cut or readjust part of the show should there be rain on Aug 24, but on the whole it should not spoil the event.

"The closing ceremony will present to the world a grand party," the newspaper said, quoting an unidentified official from BOCOG.

Source:China Daily