Beijing Olympics Reveals Realities of China
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Thinking About China
People walk next to the National Stadium also known as the 'Birdnest'. (Michael Kappeler/AFP/Getty Images)
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) requires that female gymnasts be at least 16 years old. The reason behind this rule is to protect minors. The rule also insures that competing gymnasts represent the gymnastic abilities of women and not those of children. However, among the Chinese women gymnasts, the ages of He Kexin, Yang Yilin and Jiang Yuyuan remain a mystery. In 2007, the Chinese official media,
Xinhua News Agency, reported that He Kexin was 13 years old. Nine months later, when He Kexin participated in the Olympics, she was suddenly 16 years old. Similar suspicions also surround the official ages of Yang Yilin and Jiang Yuyuan. According to information released previously, Yang and Jiang could be at most 15 years old this year. When they competed this past week at the Olympic games, they wore heavy make up to cover up their childlike faces. Some Chinese Internet users exclaimed that they were shocked by the Chinese gymnasts’ “scary” make up.
When questioned, IOC officials shirked responsibility and accepted the Chinese gymnasts’ passport ages as fact. An American gymnastics coach, who had grown up under Communist rule in Romania, said, “In an authoritarian society, official documents mean nothing.” His implication was that forging a passport was a trivial matter in a communist regime.
While doping could be detected, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) falsify passports to adjust Chinese athletes’ ages—they have the nerve to do anything in their efforts to win gold medals. After all, it is for “national interests.” Besides, they can also use a few angry youths in China to condemn the IOC’s age limit as being “ridiculous” on the Internet.
The international community is concerned that the dubbed singing at the Olympic opening ceremony will hurt the two children involved. One little girl was described as “not beautiful” and the second was exposed for "fake singing.” Actually people familiar with China’s ethical standards all know that for these two children, there would be no “hurt.” According to the education they have received, it is a lifetime honor for them that one’s voice and the other’s face could be used in the Olympic opening ceremonies that attracts world attention. After all, among 1.3 billion people, only they could be so fortunate! As for those around them, there was nothing but admiration. “Fake singing, so what?” Based on current ethical standards under the CCP, most Chinese have displayed little concern.
This reflects the deep-rooted education philosophy in current China that face and image are the most important, and that forgery is acceptable.
Half-way through the Olympics, the Chinese Flying man Liu Xiang suddenly declared at the last minute that he had decided to drop out of the hurdle competition due to a leg injury. Most people believe that Liu was injured during the shooting of a commercial program. He revealed this information only at the last possible moment to maximize his personal commercial interests and to maximize his income. In other words, Liu was obsessed with making money. There is no room for “people across the country” in his eyes. This interpretation from the Chinese people came naturally based on so many forgeries being exposed since the opening Olympic ceremony. So it is most likely to be correct.
This accurately reflects current Chinese people’s collective mentality: they suspect everything, nobody trusts anyone.
At the opening ceremony, 56 children accompanied the “national flag,” dressed in colorful costumes of 56 ethnic minorities. However, international media discovered that these children actually are all from the majority Han race. They all came from the Beijing Galaxy Children's Art Troupe. The CCP responded that it was just a “performance.” However in the Media Guide for Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony, it wrote, “56 children from 56 ethnic minorities in China, representing 56 ethnic groups…”
The intention of the misrepresentation is clear: the opening ceremonies must be trouble free. The CCP does not trust minority nationalities, even children, implying that the Han people can act on behalf of the minorities. Therefore, the party secretary in Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and other autonomous regions must be a Han Chinese. Autonomy is a fake, absolute control is the reality.
During the Olympics, the CCP set aside three demonstration zones. However, not one single demonstration has been seen. Chinese authorities said that 77 applications for demonstrations had been received by August 17. This means that the CCP did not approve any applications. Just as the outside world expected, the demonstration zones existed in name only.
The international community accused the CCP of having not fulfilled the pledges they made when they were first awarded the Olympic Games, such as improving human rights and protecting the freedoms of speech and press. However, the CCP said China never promised to change for the Olympics, but rather that the Olympics may change things in China. Finally, it simply said “chaos" is not allowed in China.
Word games can go on forever. "Chaos" has a special definition in the CCP dictionary. Here is a hint: the CCP can sign any agreement, but may not comply with it; it can make any promises, but may not fulfill them. The CCP can distort anything into so-called "Chinese characteristics." The Olympic Games is no exception.
No demonstrations in the "demonstration zones." Similar things happened in Olympic venues. "More than seven millions Olympic tickets were sold out," announced the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee. However, all competition venues showed large vacancies. Chinese authorities also admitted that they had organized fake audiences, wearing uniform clothing, waving inflatable rods, and playing the role of cheerleaders. We have not seen foreign cheerleaders during the Beijing Olympics, because they could not get tickets. It is also difficult for ordinary Chinese people to get tickets. We have 1.3 billion people in China, but we cannot fill the Olympic venues!
Because of the Olympic Games, millions of petitioners, farmers, and migrant workers were chased out of Beijing. The purpose was to insure that there would be no embarrassments to the government in Beijing during the Olympic Games. The so-called "people-oriented" policy is just a saying for the international community. For many years, petitioners have suffered beatings, electric batons, handcuffs, and prisons.
From the Olympic torch relay, to the opening and closing ceremonies, how much money has been spent on the Beijing Olympics? In China, with a government monopoly on all business activities, it can spend as much as it wants. Economic benefits from the Olympics? The CCP does not care. This is the nature of the CCP.
In May 2008, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Japan. A Japanese child asked him "Why did you want to be the president?" Hu answered, "I did not want to be president. It was the Chinese people who elected me and wanted me to be president." Such a blatant lie wins him admiration from CCP party members, but the international community was surprised by it.
"Plug one's ears while stealing a bell," "If the upper beam is not straight, the lower ones will go aslant." These idioms from the ancient Chinese wisdom have long forecasted and explained the nature of the CCP’s tricks.
