Mark writes:
It was Beijing’s twitterers who broke the news of the Tibet protests at the Bird’s Nest this morning. There’s some Qik video here but the headlines this will get won’t impress the Olympic organisers here in Beijing very much.
We’ve also seen the pictures of the torch relay arriving in the city with the odd sight of 7 feet 6 inch tall NBA star Yao Ming carrying the flame – but with the obligatory “torch attendants” flanking him. As if he needs protecting from anyone.
Both the images of the protests and the torch attendants are an uncomfortable throwback to the negative publicity these Games were getting on an almost daily basis. And Team Darfur activist Joey Cheek (a previous guest on WHYS) has had his visa revoked too (also first on Twitter). My colleague Shrong Chen (our China editor) is sitting with me now and he thinks the mood of unalloyed joy may just be turning.
A far cry from last night’s Opening Ceremony rehearsal which was played out to a capacity crowd on a beautiful balmy evening under a pink sky. Minus me, it has to be said as my shameless attempt to get in with my accreditation only foundered at the first time a (smiling, as always) volunteer asked me if i had a ticket to go with the pass. I didn’t, so walked around the outside of the stadium towards the Water Cube, or Aquatics Centre which was lit up in blue, and above it a little crescent moon.
It was beautiful,and to see Beijingers (many of them dressed as if they were going to a classical music concert) making their way up the steps, full of expectation, was really quite moving. And judging by the roars inside the stadium, the Ceremony will be very good indeed.
The organisation, by the way, was superb and people got in and out quickly and the fleet of coaches to whisk people away was something to see.
Earlier in the day, we met a man called Jason, which is his English name. He was 68 when Beijing won the bid, and decided he was going to learn English so he could be a volunteer when the Games arrived in his home city. We talked to him in a tiny tea shop as he talked about the changes in his city, how the BBC helped him learn and how he could converse with his 5 year old grandson who was also learning English.
All the while the interview was being done we were served tea here (www.blogigo.com/wuyishanteashop) and when we offered to pay, were told it was free. Naturally, we weren’t having that, but it does mean in case any of my relatives are reading this, expect some Chinese tea cups for Christmas this year.
It was a pleasure to meet Jason – please listen to the interview HERE .
I’m also wondering if – as one texter said yesterday- if Twittering and blogging will ever become Olympic sports…
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Hi Mark, if twittering or Blogging becomes an olympic sport, for the media category, team WHYS would win gold. ;). About the protests, I think the whole world is already used to it. Its no longer a question of If but rather when.
It is a pleasure to read your posts.
The atmospheric conditions are reported in conflict.
IOC has tested and claims air fit to breathe. NPR reports thick pea soup type smog, not fog mind you, and athletes being seen in gas masks.
I can see the conflict as officials ban gas masks and authorities artfully smear lipstick on the pig.
Anyone remember when the EPA announced the air fit to breathe in NYC after 9/11, in spite of obvious contrary evidence?
Classic.
It was impressive to listen to Jason, who despite his age managed to learn English and to speak it fluently. His case contradicts the proverb which says that you can’t teach old dog new tricks.
One of the influences of China in Morocco is tea. It has become a national drink for more than three centuries. It was first introduced to Morocco in the 18th century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moroccan_tea_culture
From Mark’s description, the 2008 Olympic Games are going to prove to be the most politically charged games, this time not just about the foreign policy of the host country, but also about its internal issues, like human rights and Tibet.
It would take quite some doing for it to be the most politically charged, in my opinion — there are no national boycotts here despite the issues, unlike in 1980 and 1984.
And yes, Jason speaks English very well for someone who’s only been studying it since 2001, especially given his age.
Hi Mark,
it’s so interesting to read of your experiences in Beijing, it most be such a different world.
I finally came up with a question for tomorrows show: I would like to know how history is being taught in China, how much do they learn about their past before the revolution? What do they learn about the years during the revolution and the early Mao years? It’s of course naive to ask whether these lessons are “biased”, but do they learn in school about what went wrong during Mao’s reign and later?
Thank you,
Katharina