Beijing Welcomes Me
July 31, 2008
Even before my flight took off I had a small glimmer of the passion and excitement of China’s Olympic fever. My plane was missing many of the usual suspects of business people, English teachers, or future adoptive parents.
Instead, a sea of Olympic athletes, journalists, and Beijing locals had replaced them. Behind me a Chinese grandmother was teaching her American grandchildren the official cheer, so I was lulled to sleep by a chorus of “Zhongguo Jiayou!” “Go China!”
When I arrived at the new and improved Beijing airport, the Olympic spirit had only amplified. In addition to hundreds of Olympic volunteers welcoming the plane, a giant Huanhuan, one of the 5 Olympic mascots was waving at all of the tired travelers.
From special flashy new Olympic signs, to the 50 million flowers planted throughout the city of Beijing, the preparations for the Games are truly remarkable. Even some of the medians along the highways have been landscaped to look like the Beijing Olympic symbol from above.
Unfortunately, $40 billion can’t buy the city blue skies, although the new metro lines, trains, and bans on cars have definitely done much to reduce traffic.
Concerns of Internet spying and censorship have also cast a cloud over some of the Olympic cheer. While media might not have access to some questionable websites, this hurdle should be overcome fairly easily if people log on through VPNs (virtual private networks.)
The greater challenge could be the total loss of Internet connections in certain parts of Beijing, all in the name of “Olympic beautification.” This concept has been used to account for many activities that have disrupted life for Beijingers, many of whom are planning to leave the city for the month of August. Some travel companies are even selling the “Olympic escape” travel packages, which have been quite popular.
All things considered, despite the chaos and Olympic disruptions, it’s an exciting time to be in Beijing. Even with meticulous planning, 100,000 anti-terrorism forces, massive infrastructure improvements, hundreds of thousands of volunteers, and absolutely every security precaution possible, surprises can happen.
But I don’t know that anything could dampen the spirits 1.3 billion Chinese who eagerly anticipate the most spectacular Olympics ever.
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