Up until a few years ago, renowned artist Cai Guo-Qiang's works could not be shown in China, and back then he could not imagine he would be selected to be the visual and special effects director of the Beijing Olympic Games' opening and closing ceremonies.

The New York-based award winning Cai views his return to his home country two years ago to plan the ceremonies as a reflection of the changes that have been happening here - changes which he said are often overshadowed by criticisms of China's human rights record.

"In 2001, my products were still not allowed to be published or exhibited in China. At that time, modern art was underground art, very little of modern art could be exhibited," said Cai in an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"Nowadays, China has changed ... they are beginning to think how the world sees China. They've changed. I've changed also," said Cai, one of the most well-known and influential Chinese contemporary artists.

The native of southeast China's Quanzhou city, Fujian province grew up surrounded by art as the son of a Chinese painter, but he rebelled against traditional Chinese artforms and concepts and spent many years of his career in Japan and the United States, where he built a name for himself as an expert in using gunpowder to create artworks.

His gunpowder drawings and shows incorporating fireworks and other pyrotechnics attracted large audiences in museums around the world and in 2001 he was invited to design the fireworks display for Shanghai, which hosted the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

Along with award winning Chinese film director Zhang Yimou, Cai is now one of the key directors of the much anticipated Olympics opening ceremony, which is expected to be watched by 4 billion viewers worldwide, according to state media.

Several fireworks displays will be featured in the program of the opening ceremony on Friday evening - which draw on feng shui, Chinese medicine, dragons, roller coasters, computers, vending machines and gunpowder.

Although the extravaganza is largely kept secret, Cai said the climax of the performances will release fireworks depicting pictures of 2,008 smiling faces collected from all around the world in the sky - a technically demanding endeavor which has taken two years to perfect.

Cai said he tried to spread the celebratory atmosphere around the city, by setting off fireworks at several locations instead of limiting it to just the National Stadium, or Bird's Nest, where the ceremony will be held.

"This way citizens also have a chance to take part in the opening ceremony. Otherwise, the Bird's Nest is at one side, the city and citizens are at the other side," said Cai.

The opening ceremony will be the biggest piece of work he's ever done, and Cai is leading a team of 600 people who will help him.

Some 35,000 fireworks at the opening ceremony will last a total of about 20 minutes and will include the first aerial display of the five Olympic rings.

The challenge was to turn the ceremony into a work of art, even though such events carry the risk of appearing like government propaganda, Cai said.

Although the 51-year-old likes to use gunpowder as artistic material for the energy it creates, he does not favour explosive changes when it comes to politics in China.

"Stability is the priority. Many issues or problems can be handled or solved under a stable circumstance, but cannot be handled well under disorder," Cai said.

"I think the Communist Party has the ability to manage the country in a relatively good and stable way and our mainstream society is becoming more transparent, closer to the world concept, and is beginning to consider the common interests of the world, foreigners, with more of a stress on human rights," Cai said.

Conscious he may sound like the Chinese government, Cai nonetheless makes no apologies.

"Foreigners misunderstand China. Many things that happened in China were treated as bad things in the West," said Cai.

Cai said the world should not have unrealistic expectations of the Olympics' impact on China, such as hoping the Tibetan issue can be solved by the Olympics.

"The opening ceremony will finish on Augugst 8 and the 2008 Olympics will finish on the 24th. I wish history could be written so easily," said Cai.

"In my opinion, Olympics is not all-purpose. It cannot solve all of the problems in China; it can not solve all of the problems between China and the world. But it can facilitate a dialogue between China and the world," said Cai.

An exhibition of his art is scheduled at Beijing's National Art Museum on August 19.

Cai won the 48th Venice Biennale International Golden Lion Prize and 2001 CalArts/Alpert Award in the Arts.