Despite mydoubtswhether Beijing would pull off a successful Olympics and the controversy over free press, human rights, the Opening Ceremony, and other issues, in my opinion, China hosted an amazing Olympics. The skies were blue, there were large tracks of greenery, the Olympic Green was very attractive, traffic was not a problem, the volunteers were helpful and spoke English, security was present (most of the time, until you hear my friend’s story) but not imposing, the city was clean (almost sterile), the new subway is sleek and modern, and people were friendly and helpful. Everything was very well done, with a few exceptions. Visitors who didn’t speak Chinese were still at a loss when trying to communicate with taxi drivers and average folk. The buses shuttling spectators between venues were overcrowded and no one knew how else to get between venues. But my biggest complaint is the re-sale ticket market. There were a few scalped tickets available but nothing to justify the many half (or more) empty events. Where were all the other tickets? Where were the tickets to the Water Cube? Nonetheless, those who know Beijing, I believe, were all similarly impressed with how well Beijing pulled off the Olympics.
Unfortunately, those changes were not lasting. Despite the fact that the Paralympics are currently going on, the skies have already greyed over, the pollution has returned, and the streets are jammed again. Some of the changes will remain, though: the renovated airport (now one of the largest in the world), the modern, extensive subway lines, the unique venues of the Water Cube and the Bird’s Nest, and Beijingers pride in having hosted such an unrivaled Olympic games.
If you’re curious for more insight into China and reading the blogs of China-based expats isn’t enough for you, also check out NBC’s lessons in Chinese Culture 101. I can’t say I wholly agree with the portrayal, as many are far from complete and give only positive snippets of Chinese culture, but what makes them interesting is NBC’s take on Chinese culture.
I expect that with the upcoming election, China’s continued phenomenal growth, the 2010 Shanghai Expo, the 2010 Guangzhou Pan Asia games, and everything else, we’ll continue to hear a lot about and from China.
August 30, 2008 at 10:52 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Much like the Bird’s Nest, the Water Cube made a radical transformation from December of 2005 to August or 2008. While the Bird’s Nest has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the Water Cube was perhaps the most beautiful venue of the Olympics.
December 2005
August 2008
Tags: Olympics, Beijing, #080808, Olympic Green, Water Cube
August 16, 2008 at 12:29 am · Filed under Uncategorized
The first time I came to Beijing was in December of 2005. At that time I had the privilege of visiting the Bird’s Nest, Watercube, and Opera House all while they were still under construction. Wow, has the city, particularly these notable landmarks changed in 2.5 years time. Below are some photos comparing the then (Dec/05) and now (Aug/08) of the Bird’s Nest.
December 2005
August 2008
Tags: Olympics, Beijing, #080808, Birds Nest, Olympic Green
Yesterday was my first day attending the Beijing Olympics and was it a busy one! From the brand new but crowded subway to the mega-security lines and then into the Olympic Green, Beijing has impressed all around. After wondering around the Olympic Green, we attended the quarterfinals and the semifinals of fencing (men’s team epee). Later in the afternoon we saw the mens individual archery competition in which the American lost to the Mexican. Finally the Ukrainian won and I got to watch my first Olympic Medal presentation ceremony, live in person!
Later in the evening, I caught the USA women’s volleyball victory over China (on TV) and then we ended the evening at the Holland (Heineken) House, which was good fun.
August 12, 2008 at 6:58 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Here is a widget that shows the updated medal counts. C’mon USA, 加油！
What’s interesting to note is that when American sites, such as NBC in this case, organize the medals leaderboard, they do it by total medals (putting the US on top), whereas most other listings, including Wikipedia, list most gold medals first.
As of this morning, my plane tickets to Beijing are bought and in hand! I have a place to stay and the promise of Olympics Games’ tickets. Beijing Olympics, here I come!!!
I’ll be in Beijing from the evening of August 14th to the morning of August 19th if anyone wants to meet up. Yay!!!!
As of yesterday all the food & drink vendors and retail outlets in and around Shanghai’s subway stations have cleared out their inventory and closed. No more grabbing breakfast in the subway station for me. They’ve even put tape over the doors to make sure no one sneaks anything inside. Some larger, more established outlets are still running, such as McDonald’s.
How do they decide who stays and who gets closed down?
Do they compensate the stores that are forced to close?
To be an economic superpower, a country must be sufficiently large, dynamic, and globally integrated to have a major impact on the world economy. Three political entities currently qualify: the United States, the European Union, and China. Inducing China to become a responsible pillar of the global economic system (as the other two are) will be one of the great challenges of coming decades—particularly since at the moment China seems uninterested in playing such a role.
Something extraordinary is happening in China, and we are not talking about the Olympics. Rather, Chinese officials have been clamping down on visa applications and implementing bureaucratic impediments to new and renewed visa applications under the guise of pre-Olympic security.
The next month is supposed to showcase China as an open, rising power. Yet the International Olympic Committee and Chinese organizers have been criticized for failing to deliver on pledges of unblocked Internet access, TV reporting freedoms and clean air.
To mark the occasion, a feature in the current issue of Oriental Outlook magazine takes a look at the history of TV drama and how programs make it to air. This includes an interesting article on the workings of CCTV’s censors.
Welcome to Beijing, friends from the foreign press! I greet you on behalf of the many expatriates who’ve lived in Beijing for years. We’re all really eager to read the stories you file. We can’t wait to see what this city, which we know all too well, looks like from the perspective of visiting journalists — you, with your keenly honed observational abilities and your uncanny wordsmithery. (Is that a word?)
Hosting the Olympics was supposed to be a chance for China’s leaders to showcase the country’s rapid economic growth and modernization to the rest of the world. Domestically, it provided an opportunity for the Chinese government to demonstrate the Communist Party’s competence and affirm the country’s status as a major power on equal footing with the West. And wrapping itself in the values of the Olympic movement gave China the chance to portray itself not only as a rising power but also as a “peace-loving” country. For much of the lead-up to the Olympics, Beijing succeeded in promoting just such a message.
Hi Toffler,
I saw your link to Overseas Vote Foundation on your blog and wanted to thank you for providing it for your readers! This is an interesting site: What an enterprising person you are! Incidentally OVF has some news for you: FedEx Express will be shipping the ballots back to US in Asia free of cost; for more information about this, see our web site again –www.overseasvotefoundation.org — also notice that we have 4 choices now on our entry page including Youth Vote Overseas. Maybe you or someone you know would like to enter the video contest! Have a nice summer!
Marina Mecl
Director, Voter Outreach Overseas Vote Foundation
I also confirmed with my friend who works for FedEx in Shanghai, that FedEx will indeed be shipping the ballots back free of charge. She said FedEx would make an announcement about it soon.
They’ve even put tape over the doors to make sure no one sneaks anything inside. Some larger, more established outlets are still running, such as McDonald’s.
Censoring Chinese TV
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