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Travel Blog: Beijing Olympics 2008Published on Jun 3, 2008 by yiwen |
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1. Chapter: Media Blitz |
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It takes an hour on the subway to get from my university dorm to downtown Chaoyang District for my internship every week. During the subway ride, the trains are too packed for passengers to read, or talk, or do anything else except stand squished in your little corner of the cabin. To alleviate the tedium of the ride, television screens have been installed along both sides of the train where practically every passenger can see them, and lately the screens only feature a non-stop stream of Olympics-related information. To date i've seen short documentaries on the construction of the olympic stadium and village, introductions to sports events and Chinese athletes, and a barrage of Olympic-related commercials. It's a wonder that the Chinese people are not yet bored/fed up of the Games; on the contrary, they seem to be pretty excited about the arrival of August. Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: china beijingolympics subway preparations |
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2. Chapter: Media Blitz (2) |
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The three most prominent figures in the Beijing Olympics advertising campaign are Jackie Chan, Yao Ming, and Liu Xiang (perhaps least known internationally but is China’s world champion hurdler, and probably the most attractive of the three). Jackie and Yao Ming feature in the Visa ads, and apparently in China women swoon over the prospect of Yao Ming treating them to a candlelight dinner with his Olympic Visa. I still don’t quite understand this, but even before the Olympic fever began, Yao had already been endorsing a ton of products in China and makes sports headlines in the country almost daily. Liu on the other hand turns out more classily, usually in ads related to cars, or aftershave, or snazzy sports gear. It’s odd that China’s very outstanding female athletes and celebrities are nowhere to be seen.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: media olympics celebritiespreparations |
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3. Chapter: Rules and Regulations |
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One day as I was speeding merrily down the 3rd Ring Road (actually, that’s a lie because speeding is not possible on a road that is perpetually congested, even at 2am), I noticed huge signs with equally huge bright red characters erected all along the street, right next to the sidewalks. Faced with the daunting task of getting 18 million Beijingers to behave during the Games, the authorities had come up with the “10 Dos and Don’ts of the Olympics”. (Translated below) No concrete data on how effective the signage has been, but when I asked my co-workers, they were only vague aware of the billboards and many had just walked past every day without bothering to read them.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: olympicrules |
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4. Chapter: Rules and Regulations (2) |
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10 Dos and Don’ts of the Olympics (loosely translated by me) Do respect the intellectual property rights of the Olympics Don’t buy pirated, illegally produced or fake goods Do abide by the Olympic village protection rules Don’t misuse or abuse the Olympic flag, song, and symbol Do remember traffic safety rules well Don’t cross guard-rails, run red lights or speed Do obey directions and orders while lining up Don’t clamor to be ahead and push and shove Do beautify the city and protect the environment Don’t spit everywhere or set up stalls by the roadside Do treasure the capital’s cultural sites Don’t dirty, damage, draw or post flyers on sites Do take care of sporting and stadium facilities Don’t make trouble or create a scene Do maintain order and safety at competition venues Don’t litter or bring your own drinks Do strive to be civilized and law-abiding Don’t gamble, bet, or obstruct safety precautions Do increase awareness of Olympic rules Don’t break the law and affect the country’s image Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: olympics rules |
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5. Chapter: Construction Galore |
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Everyone’s erecting new buildings or renovation existing ones for the Olympics. A friend took us on a campus tour of the Beijing Foreign Language University, and half the campus was shrouded in scaffolding, with dust and grime everywhere. He explained that a lot of university dorms were being used as Olympic housing, and some universities were even hosting sports (Peking University is the site of the ping-pong event), so everyone is racing to get things ready by August. The Olympics have definitely infiltrated campus life. All three campuses that I visited in Beijing had official Olympic merchandise stores, and Peking U even has 2 of them. An American friend met a local student who wanted to be his language exchange partner, and was given a gift of the mascot keychain as a gesture of thanks.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: olympics preparations |
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6. Chapter: Airport Madness |
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I almost missed my flight out of Beijing because in the 2 short months since I had last been to the airport, they had built a new terminal about 20 miles from the old ones, and my airline, along with most international airlines, were now based in the new Terminal 3. Not knowing this, I had the taxi drop me off at the old terminal and proceeded to get desperately flustered, before hopping into another taxi and spending a lot of extra money to make my flight. Found out from the driver that they were expecting to double the passenger flow during the Games, but he didn’t think the new terminal was a good solution. You use the same highway to get from the city to the airport, but the road forks leading to the two sections, so eventually all the traffic gets congested on the highway again. He also said that he wasn’t sure what would happen to all the extra space after the Olympics, but maybe since China is booming, they’ll get more and more visitors anyway.
Tags for this Travel Blog Chapter: olympics |
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7. Chapter: The Crowds |
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Despite the Beijing authorities’ concerted efforts to keep the population at an acceptable level, throngs of tourists have descended upon the city to share in on the Olympic excitement. The newly-constructed highway that overlooks the Bird’s Nest Stadium has not even been opened to traffic, yet everyday taxis and tour buses stop for tourists to clamber up onto the highway to take pictures of the stadium, because that is where you get the best view. I have been in many taxi rides where the driver has slowed down as we drove past the stadium, telling me “that’s the famous Bird’s Nest Stadium!” However, I am sad to say that due to the hazy Beijing skies, I have yet to see a crystal clear view of the stadium, even though I have been less than 50 feet from it.
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8. Chapter: Olympic Food |
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One day while dining at a café in Haidian district, we chatted up the friendly waiter who told us that he was really happy to have the job, so that he wouldn’t have to go home for the summer and could be in Beijing for the Olympics instead. He told us that the café was planning Olympic-themed food to be launched closer to the Games, which include onion rings (multi-colored maybe?), “Olympic soda”, and Olympic set meals. Quite a McDonald’s-esque move to pull. If this is what regular restaurants are coming up with, I can’t wait to see what the fast food joints pull.
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1 Comments
( Show )
2008-08-26 01:06:16
from orangetravel
So, how was the Olympic food? I'm just curious. Ü
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9. Chapter: Ticket Scalping |
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A friend recently told me that she had decided to be part of the Olympic cheer after all (she had been resisting for quite some time until she found out that she was going to be in Beijing during the Games), and had started looking for tickets to the games. Needless to say the opening ceremony tickets are completely sold out, and the only way to get them is from scalpers/re-sellers. She said that the cheapest tickets she could find online were 2000 euros. Presumably you will be able to find cheaper tickets with the local Chinese scalpers, but that would also depend on whether you’re a foreigner. Speaking Mandarin might help, but the general rule here is that foreigners are automatically wealthy and should expect to pay more for things.
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10. Chapter: The Pandas are in Beijing! |
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8 endangered pandas have just been transported from the panda research center in Wolong, Sichuan Province, to the Beijing zoo, as part of the Olympic countdown activities. I guess this is just as well, being that the center was heavily affected by the May 12 earthquake. It’s a wonder all 8 pandas made it alive, but if you get the chance you should definitely go see them! I saw them in Sichuan and they are just adorable. I don’t think they shipped in any of the red pandas (they look like raccoons) but those are super cute as well – maybe they already have some existing ones in the Beijing zoo.
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11. Chapter: Changing Times |
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I watched a news documentary on CCTV5 the other day about the changing cityscape of Beijing. The reporter took a day tour around the city with a taxi driver, and got her to speak about some of the changes in the city. What I found most interesting was when she said that a passenger once asked to be taken to the Olympic building, and she said she didn’t know where it was. When the passenger gave her the address, she thought that the site was just a piece of empty land, but she drove there anyway, et voila! The building was right there. I figure that was a good indication of how fast things are changing in the city if even a taxi driver whose job is to know the city inside out, cannot identify a prominent location such as the Olympic building.
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12. Chapter: Tower of Babel |
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Everyone is learning Chinese these days, whether for the Olympics or just in recognition of China’s up-and-coming role in global relations. There are so many foreign students at Peking University that I have heard French, Spanish, Russian, Portugese, etc being spoken all around me, everywhere on campus. I was speaking to my supervisor about the possibility of a summer internship, and he told me that he was getting an inordinate amount of internship applications this year from foreign students. I guess the easiest way to see the Olympics (and get paid!) is to intern in Beijing over the summer. This way you have an excuse to rent a super-expensive flat and not get kicked out of the city by the authorities, and get to share in on the Olympic fun.
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13. Chapter: The Olympic Song |
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Turned on the TV and saw the music video of the official Olympic theme song. It is an emsemble song sung by various singers from the Mainland and Hong Kong. I was able to recognize many many faces of singers that my parents used to listen to, and the newer crop of artistes. They even have a Singaporean singer in the mix. Some lines of the song are in English. I found this interesting because usually the theme song is just in the language of the host country, and maybe there is an English version, but I feel like the incorporation of English into the song is again part of China’s effort to increase the lure of the Olympics – and by association, the country – to Westerners.
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14. Chapter: Paralympics |
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Besides the Olympics, Beijng is also hosting the Paralympics simultaneously. Needless to say the Paralympics are not getting even half the publicity as the Olympics, but the Chinese government seems to be trying to fix that. Billboards have been going up all over the place featuring disabled athletes, and sometimes there are programs on TV highlighting a good Samaritan taxi driver who specialized in ferrying disabled people. I think it is the government’s intention to just raise awareness about disability in general, seeing as Beijing is a very inconvenient city for the disabled. On the most superficial level, a lot of tourist attractions require you to climb many flights of stairs, and there are no elevators at all, so the disabled would just have to give them a miss.
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15. Chapter: Olympic qualification |
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China has been hosting intensive Olympic trials to select their athletes, and the trials are broadcast over television for everyone to see. I feel like in some sports China has such a saturation of talent that it makes picking representatives almost arbitrary. Like China’s 2nd tier athletes in ping pong or diving could easily bring home medals for the country, and certain athletes have realized that they will never make the Chinese national team, and so they take up citizenship and represent other countries. A lot of ping pong and badminton players for example are Chinese born, regardless of the colors they are wearing.
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16. Chapter: Doping Fears |
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Watched a foreign sports program online that was discussing China’s doping history and the government’s efforts to ensure that these Olympics stay clean. Obviously this sort of discussion would never make it to Chinese TV, which only shows Chinese athletes working super hard to qualify for the Olympics on merit. Who can forget the 1998 World Swimming Championships scandal when practically the entire Chinese team was disqualified for drug use? There are fears that the doping will continue, but China has rushed a new legislation that promises a life ban from all competition for athletes who test positive.
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17. Chapter: Air Asia to Tianjin |
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I was on the Air Asia website buying my ticket to Shanghai when I saw that the next new route to be introduced will be Kuala Lumpur-Tianjin, which is essentially Beijing because it is 2 hours away by bus. Does anyone at all know when they start flying this route? I scoured the internet but all I could find was “coming soon”. They announced this route at the same time as the KL-Guangzhou route, and that is already up and running, so maybe this will just make it in time for the Olympics? Then again with the way the airline industry is looking these days I will be lucky to get a flight to Beijing at any price at all. It is worth noting, though, that trains are excellent in China and will get you practically anywhere.
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18. Chapter: Get your visas fast (but not too fast)! |
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The sheer number of people wanting to go to China these days is astounding. With the imminent arrival of the Olympics, it seems like the Chinese embassy is the place to be. I went to apply for my visa today only to be informed that they had changed their entry requirements and length of stay. You now have to enter the country within 9 days of your visa application, and can only stay for a maximum of 15 days. You also need to produce your flight details and a confirmed hotel reservation. In January there were no lines and I was done in 5 minutes; today I lined up for almost an hour only to be turned away. Plan your visa applications well!
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19. Chapter: Misuse of Olympic Logo |
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One of the problems plaguing the Beijing Games is undoubtedly the copyright of the Olympic logo. As we all know, copyright issues are not new in China, but the authorities are really trying to clamp down on the abuse of the Olympic logo and mascot. Despite repeated warnings, threats of legal action, etc, on the streets it still seems like the law has failed. Everytime I walk down Wudaokou the street vendors have an array of merchandise with the Olympic logo and the five panda mascots plastered all over them. Stationery, keychains, coloring books, stickers, there’s no shortage of people trying to make a quick buck out of the Olympic franchise. And judging from the number of times I’ve seen little kids with Olympic pencils and soft toys on the subway, people are not averse to opting for cheaper pirated merchandise, either.
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20. Chapter: New electronic subway tickets |
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Just last week Beijing introduced their new electronic subway ticketing system. I remember the litter that the old paper system caused, with long lines at the ticket booth (that were not really lines because people constantly cut in front of you), and ticket stubs strewn all over the place. When we walked past the still-wrapped-up electronic ticket feeder machines we always thought that they were saving those to be unveiled as close to the Olympics as possible, because things show wear and tear really quickly in China and the machines would be dirty in no time. Looks like the new system is up and running faster than we thought. The Beijing subway charges a flat rate of 2kuai to all stops. It may be hot and crowded, and switching trains is a pain, but it does get you where you want to go.
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21. Chapter: Olympic volunteer corps |
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I recently heard from a friend that he would no longer be traveling to Beijing for the Olympics this summer because his application to be a volunteer at the Games had been rejected. I don’t know about the requirements for male candidates, but I remember reading in the papers late last year that female volunteers had to meet stringent physical requirements, including having a “standard body shape” that would not stand out in a crowd (and presumably also fits really well into a qi pao). She basically cannot be too tall or too shapely, or too short or too un-shapely. I thought it was interesting how the organizers turned Olympic voluntarism into a pageant, essentially trying to ensure that any “regular” Chinese person that would appear on worldwide telecasts would be good-looking and fit the stereotype of the diminutive Asian girl.
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22. Chapter: Battle for Chinese Visa (2) |
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My nightmare in obtaining a Chinese visa continued all this week, with the Chinese consulate steadfastly denying my pleas for a visa that would allow me to stay longer than 15 days. Visas to China are cheap for Malaysians, but lately they sure don’t come easy anymore. Apparently the only excuse that the consular office will accept is that you are in China visiting relatives, and that relative has to write you an invitation letter, as well as provide photocopies of their ID for the embassy’s record. The opening up of China to the world for the Olympics has also meant that it has become very difficult for the average person to travel to China, as the authorities are asked to be extra stringent and suspicious of any requests.
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23. Chapter: Battle for Chinese Visa (3) |
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Finally got into Shanghai, armed with a 15-day visa and full of resentment for the powers that be. 15 days will only allow me to stay until July 20, which is absolutely ridiculous. I have spoken to a few sympathetic people who have shared stories with me about how even a valid olympic ticket will not get you a visa. Still, at least a 30-day visa would have been a lot more reasonable. My current plan is to head over the the nearest tour agency and ask them for visa advice, as well as get them to secure me an extension. It seems like you need a lot of connections to "oil the wheels" in China, and I don't have them, so I have to leave it to the professionals. Hopefully I will have good news to report soon.
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24. Chapter: Piracy Clampdown |
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Read an article in the local newspaper today about China’s harsh clampdown on video piracy for the Olympics. The write-up came with a picture of two police officers looking on as a DVD seller cleared his stock of pirated goods, and I recognized the DVD seller as the same one I used to buy DVDs from in Wudaokou! It was a tiny store amongst 5 or 6 on Chengfu Lu in Wudaokou, all discreetly selling tons of pirated movies and American TV series. Thus, even though the internet was super slow in China and downloading was a slow and torturous process, one could easily get their movie fix at the nearby DVD store. Looks like this service will only resume in September…
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