It’s 8-8-08: Giant party begins for China
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:06:00 08/08/2008
BEIJING—Doves flew and confetti rained down as the Olympic torch was carried on the ancient Great Wall on a misty Thursday, the day before the opening of Games that China hopes will demonstrate its modern-day strength.
Hours before flying to Beijing for Friday’s opening ceremony, however, US President George W. Bush used some of his bluntest language yet in criticizing China on human rights.
And more than 40 athletes competing in the Games crossed the divide from sports to politics, sending a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao urging China to solve problems in Tibet peacefully and protect freedom of speech and religion.
In Beijing, excitement is building as the tortuous and troubled torch relay draws to a close and the country’s 1.3 billion people prepare for an opening ceremony—a three-hour “spectacular”—likely to highlight China’s ancient history and modern face.
The date and time of the ceremony—Aug. 8 at 8 p.m.—is no coincidence as, for many Chinese, 8 is a particularly auspicious number because it represents prosperity.
“Now is the time for the party,” said Weng Chengyu, a 28-year-old student watching the torch parade on the Great Wall.
“This shows how much the Chinese love the Olympics,” he said, gesturing at thousands of yellow-clad volunteers dancing and waving flags as far as the eye could see.
Patriotic music blared out from loud speakers, echoing around the wall, and drums and cymbals thundered out a pounding beat.
“We have travelled to so many cities from Olympia to the Great Wall. We have cried so many times, it is very emotional, especially when you see the reaction of the Chinese crowds,” said Xiaohong Lu, who accompanied the torch relay around the world.
Tickets sold out
For China, the Games are an opportunity to show the world how far it has come since the communists came to power in 1949 following a brutal civil war, and particularly the past three decades of phenomenal economic development.
The Olympics offer a promise of becoming an historic moment showing China’s social as well as economic transformation, similar to the 1964 Games for Japan and the 1988 event for South Korea.
Enthusiasm for the Games among the Chinese people has been so strong that tickets have sold out for the first time in Olympic history.
Nevertheless, the vast array of controversies that have swirled around the Olympics continued to bedevil the Chinese leadership, from the smog that has stubbornly hung over Beijing to human rights storms.
More than 100 heads of state and other senior national leaders are expected to attend the Games, ensuring a current of political tensions will flow through the event despite the Chinese leaders’ repeated efforts to dam the political issues.
However, that is all expected to be at least briefly swept aside during the opening ceremony kicking off Friday at 8 p.m.
Better than NBA crown
And sporting glory will undoubtedly be the main focus for the 10,000 athletes, with US basketball star Kobe Bryant reflecting those passions as he declared that winning gold in Beijing is more important than an NBA title.
“You’re playing for your country, there’s more at stake,” he said.
Beijing has ramped up security.
More than 100,000 security personnel are patrolling Beijing, antimissile launchers have been set up near the “Bird’s Nest” stadium, and the military and police are on the alert for terrorists.
Despite much publicized emergency measures to improve air quality, a mixture of pollution and fog again cut visibility across Beijing to a few hundred meters.
The pollution issue has been particularly embarrassing for China because it has highlighted to the world one of the worst side-effects of its historic modernization drive—massive environmental degradation.
Nadal tired, Federer prickly
Cheering crowds celebrated on Wednesday night as China’s women’s soccer team won its opening match, beating Sweden 2-1 in Tianjin.
Men’s soccer began on Thursday, with Ronaldinho intent on helping Brazil win a first gold medal. In its first match in Shenyang, Brazil capitalized on a 79th minute goal by Hernanes to beat Belgium, 1-0, in Group C play.
Tennis starts on Sunday, with many hoping for another classic encounter between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the men’s singles final. But neither man seems to be in top form.
Nadal said he had had little rest since his five-set victory at Wimbledon on July 6, but he still hoped to win a medal for Spain. “I’m very tired but I’m OK, all things considered,” he told reporters.
Federer was in a prickly mood at a practice session, and then complained on Thursday that constant attention from athletes had forced him to leave the Olympic Village.
“It is impossible really, there are so many athletes asking for photos and so on. It is not ideal to prepare,” he said.
Eyes on the skies
Many eyes continue to turn to the skies, with smog and sweltering heat a concern for athletes. The haze descended again on Thursday, but authorities, who spent $18 billion trying to cut pollution, said air quality was fairly good.
August is thunderstorm season in Beijing, and organizers had talked of using experimental technology to “seed” rain clouds to ensure it stayed dry for Friday’s opening.
The highlight of the opening ceremony is the lighting of the Olympic flame, the culmination of a 130-day relay.
Small groups of foreign protesters have also popped up in Beijing in a bid to grab the spotlight.
Plainclothes security officials dragged away three American Christian activists on Thursday after they attempted to protest for religious freedom in Tiananmen Square.
15,000 performers
Security measures can feel intrusive. Some foreign businessmen said they had been told to fill out forms with detailed personal questions, including political affiliation and source of funds.
“It just seems like everyone is terrified ahead of the Olympics that something will happen on their patch so they are overreacting,” one businessman told Reuters.
Some 15,000 performers are set to take part in the opening ceremony, with 29,000 fireworks due to be released into the night sky.
The ceremony is also expected to see Chinese pop star Liu Huan, together with British singer Sarah Brightman, sing a especially commissioned theme song in the closing “artistic” section.
Lotteries rolling, too
The opening ceremony has increasingly become an opportunity for the host nation to say something about its culture.
In an era of mass television, China, a country which once prided itself on being closed to prying eyes, is now keen to show itself off to a global audience of hundreds of millions.
However, one thing has remained secret and that is the identity of the person who will light the Olympic flame.
Basketball star Yao Ming had been tipped for the honor, but officials remained tight-lipped.
Although gambling is mostly illegal in China, punters have a chance to scoop $730,000 in special lotteries by correctly guessing answers like who will win the country’s first Games gold.
Ticket holders will have a chance to win up to five million yuan ($729,330) from a two-yuan ticket (29 cents) as the lotteries begin to roll out Friday, according to the www.lottery.gov.cn website.
Reports from Reuters and Agence France-Presse
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