Who will light the cauldron at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony on Friday night?

Liu Xiang? Xu Haifeng? Li Ning? He Zhenliang? Yao Ming?

One big name after another was mentioned and then excluded as a heated discussion was spreading in the office of U.S. publication Sports Illustrated at the Main Press Center.

"I still think Yao Ming has a fat chance to light the flame," said Craig Neff, assistant managing editor of the iconic weekly magazine.

The giant Houston Rockets center could have missed the glory of lighting the flame at the opening as he was more than satisfied to carry the Olympic torch in Beijing on Wednesday.

Tradition usually goes that whoever has carried the torch before the opening will not be chosen as the one to light the cauldron.

Claiming he "never had the wild wish" to light the cauldron in the National Stadium, the Shanghai native has undoubtedly presented a positive image of China's new generation to the rest of the world in recent years.

Confidence, self-discipline, a sense of humor and teamwork have featured prominently in Yao's NBA career in North America, who has won the hearts of millions of sports fans worldwide.

Such an image is exactly what China wants to achieve through the Olympiad. The Games have attracted tens of thousands of critical journalists to cover this vast country.

In the meantime, China is eager to exhibit its splendid culture to the outside world to those suspicious of China's rise as it could pose great challenges to the current world order.

The opening ceremony could be the best occasion for China to clear itself of any suspicion.

"I'm focusing on how China will showcase itself at the opening ceremony," said Jonathan Paterson, a BBC News assignment editor.

The ceremony must be very exciting, very colorful, he added. "What I want to know is whether the public display could live up to the expectations."

Reuters photographer Gary Hershorn, who has covered numerous Olympic opening ceremonies in the last 25 years, watched two rehearsals for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.