Thursday, May 8, 2008
a bit of macau history ... since there were no protests
Before Macau was under Chinese rule, it used to be a dangerous city full of criminal gans, triads and turf wars with drive-by shootings and kidnappings. And that's not all , car bombs were typical there and this obviously scared away tourists. However, the crime rate dropped after it joined Chinese rule and now tourism has boomed.
Going back to the casino business... the billionaires Steve Wynn of Wynn Resorts Ltd. and Sheldon Adelson of Las Vegas Sands Corp., opened the $2.4 billion Venetian mega-resort complete with Italian-style gondolas floating down indoor canals. In 2006, Macau overtook the Las Vegas Strip as the world’s epicenter of gambling. Its casinos rang up $6.95 billion in gambling revenue.Last year, Macau’s casinos raked in more than $10.3 billion in gaming revenue, an increase of 46 percent over the previous year, the government said.
But Macau’s leader, Edmund Ho, recently announced the booming city would not issue any new casino licenses soon. He said it’s time for the government to review the industry’s development before new projects are approved.
Bangoko part 3
The recent Bangkok stop was the Olympic flame's first visit to Thailand. The relay covered just over 10 km, and included Bangkok's Chinatown. The torch was carried past several of the city's landmarks. Green World Foundation (GWF) chairwoman, withdrew from the torch-running ceremony, protesting against China's actions in Tibet. Several hundred protesters were present, along with Olympic supporters. Thai authorities threatened to arrest foreign protesters and ban them from future entry into Thailand. A coalition of Thai human rights groups announced that it would organize a "small demonstration" during the relay, and several hundred people did indeed take part in protests, facing supporters from Beijing. Intended torchbearers boycotted the relay, to protest against China's actions in Tibet. In Bangkok, students told the media that the Chinese Embassy provided them with transportation and gave them shirts to wear to show support.
Bangkok part 2
The relay was scaled back to 2.3 kilometers and only lasted around 30 minutes. The Relay participants are also going to be tightly surrounded by Chinese security guards and are allowed to only run a few meters each due to the high threat levels surrounding the event.
No issues for torch relay Chinese city Macau
There were no protest in Macau for the Olympic torch. However, there are articles describing how the the event happened. It describes Macao or Macau ( I never know which one it is) as having Las Vegas-style casinos and pastel colored colonial buildings. According to MSNBC, it is the world's most lucrative gambling center. The event had spectators waving flags and cheering wildly chanting “Go China!”
Macau is a tiny city on China's southern coast. It's history contains Portuguese enclave and was returned to Chinese rule in 1999.It is the only place in the country where gambling is legal.
Protests are rare in Macau, therefore, the relay went smoothly. Just in case, there were two columns of police jogging on each side of the torch bearers.
Bangkok part 1
India is home to 100,000 Tibetan refugees, including the Dalai Lama and radical youth groups, and authorities wanted to ensure that chaotic protests like those seen in Paris and London did not mar the event. 16,000 police, soldiers and even elite commandos were deployed to throw up a huge security cordon around the central thoroughfare between the presidential palace and India Gate. Around 170 to 180 people in custody,after a day marked by a string of protests led to tracker dogs, bomb disposal units and metal detectors. The Tibetan Youth Congress attempted to disrupt the event but was instead detained in the days before the ceremony while another 46 Tibetans were arrested in Mumbai for trying to storm the Chinese consulate.
Beijing Olympic torch relay kicks off in Macao!
The 21st leg of the Beijing torch relay started in Macao on May 3rd, Saturday afternoon. Ho Hau Wah Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region handed the torch to Leong Hong Man, a local martial arts athlete and also the first torchbearer. The city of Macao was very excited to participate for the first time in the Olympics. According to the Beijing Olympics website, Macao is praised for its "efficiency and meticulousness." The torch began at Macao's Fisherman's Wharf, will pass through 120 relay points across Macao, Taipa, and the Cotai. The 20 kilometer route will explore unique characteristics of East and West along some of Macao's most famous scenic sites, including the A-Ma Temple and the Sai Van Bridge.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
V&A - China Design Now
China Design Now opened Victoria and Albert Museum in London in March 2008. The exhibition sought to draw attention to the creative energy in contemporary China, how Chinese have come to fuse their pre-socialist past and traditions with global ideals in design and creations.
It unfolds in 3 cities, each representing a different spectrum of design: ShenZhen is the frontier city for graphic design, Shanghai the dream city for fashion and lifestyle and Beijing the future city for architecture and urban planning. The last leg of the exhibition, Beijing the future city, unveils the monumental architecture for the 2008 Olympics in the changing landscapes in the capital of China.
The online collection houses many images with relation to the exhibition and they are worth a look or two. Some are rather inspiring.
It unfolds in 3 cities, each representing a different spectrum of design: ShenZhen is the frontier city for graphic design, Shanghai the dream city for fashion and lifestyle and Beijing the future city for architecture and urban planning. The last leg of the exhibition, Beijing the future city, unveils the monumental architecture for the 2008 Olympics in the changing landscapes in the capital of China.
The online collection houses many images with relation to the exhibition and they are worth a look or two. Some are rather inspiring.
Secrets of the Bird's Nest, Architecture of the Beijing Olympics
The Guardian: Secrets of the Bird's Nest
The article offers an in-depth look to the construction of new architecture in Beijing in relation to the Olympics. The primary focus is on the eye catching design by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, which the Chinese coined "Bird's Nest" and notable mentions on the other structures related to the event, namely the Water Cube/National Aquatics Center and Zhu Pei's three other major Olympic Buildings. The writings raises the notion of Chinese architecture and its prominence on a globalized level. It also talked about the energy-efficiency state of the Bird's Nest, making it a part of a sustainable design which parallel a lot of contemporary work and in it carried on the theme of "Green" Olympics.
The site also published a short video clip on the signature building. The clever use of vox pox interviews injected a personable feel to the architecture. Two ladies in the clip compared the Bird's Nest to a proud emblem of the Chinese.
The article offers an in-depth look to the construction of new architecture in Beijing in relation to the Olympics. The primary focus is on the eye catching design by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, which the Chinese coined "Bird's Nest" and notable mentions on the other structures related to the event, namely the Water Cube/National Aquatics Center and Zhu Pei's three other major Olympic Buildings. The writings raises the notion of Chinese architecture and its prominence on a globalized level. It also talked about the energy-efficiency state of the Bird's Nest, making it a part of a sustainable design which parallel a lot of contemporary work and in it carried on the theme of "Green" Olympics.
The site also published a short video clip on the signature building. The clever use of vox pox interviews injected a personable feel to the architecture. Two ladies in the clip compared the Bird's Nest to a proud emblem of the Chinese.
Video Post for Torch Relay in Dar es Salaam
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KHw4PzxsB48&feature=related
Like someone had mentioned in class, other than the opening sequence with the manipulation of the Beijing Olympics logo, the rest of the presentation in the clip merely documents the relay as is. This same person, redalertseven, has compiled several clips of the relay in various countries and label them as a 'parody'.
I think he/she meant irony.
Like someone had mentioned in class, other than the opening sequence with the manipulation of the Beijing Olympics logo, the rest of the presentation in the clip merely documents the relay as is. This same person, redalertseven, has compiled several clips of the relay in various countries and label them as a 'parody'.
I think he/she meant irony.
Olympic Torch Relay in Dar es Salaam
Enclosed are two links: one is a concluding piece on the torch relay in Dar es Salaam by an English language online publication (CRIEnglish) affiliated with the Beijing 2008 Olympics and the other is an opinion piece by Wangari Maathai on Kenya Imagine.
http://english.cri.cn/2008/04/13/1321@345431.htm
http://www.kenyaimagine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1315&Itemid=139
It is the first time for the Olympic flame to be in East Africa, second in the continent since 2004 Athens. CRIEnglish focused their report on the relay, drawing attention to the certain central figures in the event; namely the Tanzanian Vice President Mohamed Shein, Tanzanian Minister of State for Union Affairs Mohamed Seif Khatib, United Nations Under Secretary-General Anna Tibaijuka, athletes John Stephen Akhwari and Dorcus Inzikuru and HIV carrier Mustapha F. Damiri. The focus allow for the reporter to draw quotes from those involved to project an objective and positive outlook to the torch relay. The finishing touches of personal stories, especially that of Akhwari added a different dimension to what we know of the torch relay in other countries (protests, and such). In a way, the reporter sought to inject the theme of the Olympic spirit while clouding over a widespread dis-sentiment in the country.
Maathai, a nobel peace prize recipient who has campaigned tirelessly over the years for human rights, democracy and conservatory issues wrote the second piece on her refusal to be a part of the torch relay in Tanzania. It is a short but coherent piece detailing her reasons, drawing connections between Tibet and Darfur in its humanitarian and political issues.
http://english.cri.cn/2008/04/13/1321@345431.htm
http://www.kenyaimagine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1315&Itemid=139
It is the first time for the Olympic flame to be in East Africa, second in the continent since 2004 Athens. CRIEnglish focused their report on the relay, drawing attention to the certain central figures in the event; namely the Tanzanian Vice President Mohamed Shein, Tanzanian Minister of State for Union Affairs Mohamed Seif Khatib, United Nations Under Secretary-General Anna Tibaijuka, athletes John Stephen Akhwari and Dorcus Inzikuru and HIV carrier Mustapha F. Damiri. The focus allow for the reporter to draw quotes from those involved to project an objective and positive outlook to the torch relay. The finishing touches of personal stories, especially that of Akhwari added a different dimension to what we know of the torch relay in other countries (protests, and such). In a way, the reporter sought to inject the theme of the Olympic spirit while clouding over a widespread dis-sentiment in the country.
Maathai, a nobel peace prize recipient who has campaigned tirelessly over the years for human rights, democracy and conservatory issues wrote the second piece on her refusal to be a part of the torch relay in Tanzania. It is a short but coherent piece detailing her reasons, drawing connections between Tibet and Darfur in its humanitarian and political issues.
Beijing Olympic Torch Relay at Jakarta, Indonesia
Footage of the torch relay in Jakarta, India.
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And...
A Filipino human rights group rallies against China, shouting "Humanize China now!" as they hold a fake torch in front of the Chinese embassy. They are protesting political repression in China.
A few phrases I could catch were: "We are not resorting to violence and are simply speaking out..." A lot of phrases were cut off mid-sentence.
Also, I'm not 100% sure, but I think when they say "Burmish" they are referring to the Tibetans.
Indonesia's Stake in the Beijing Olympics
article can be found here: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/04/22/indonesia039s-stake-beijing-olympics.html
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The issue of Tibet in relation to China has been a problem for over half a century. They realized that during the Olympics, China would be most vulnerable because it is under a magnifying glass of the public. This would seem a bit unsettling because in the Olympics, religion, ethnicity, and politics are not supposed to matter.
"But a far greater concern is the issue of separatism. Rare is the country whose borders make perfect ethnic sense, whose populations are fully homogeneous. Many developed countries have been able to overcome tense pasts, where one indigenous population resisted encroachment, or subservience, to another."
Several examples in the article include Native Americans against the United States, the Patani Muslims against Thailand, and also the Muslim minority in Mindanao, Philippines fighting for its homeland.
With the issue of Tibet, it is difficult to ignore religion since it plays a large role in their culture. Therefore, the author suggests China to address the Dalai Llama's concerns and find a happy medium.
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The issue of Tibet in relation to China has been a problem for over half a century. They realized that during the Olympics, China would be most vulnerable because it is under a magnifying glass of the public. This would seem a bit unsettling because in the Olympics, religion, ethnicity, and politics are not supposed to matter.
"But a far greater concern is the issue of separatism. Rare is the country whose borders make perfect ethnic sense, whose populations are fully homogeneous. Many developed countries have been able to overcome tense pasts, where one indigenous population resisted encroachment, or subservience, to another."
Several examples in the article include Native Americans against the United States, the Patani Muslims against Thailand, and also the Muslim minority in Mindanao, Philippines fighting for its homeland.
With the issue of Tibet, it is difficult to ignore religion since it plays a large role in their culture. Therefore, the author suggests China to address the Dalai Llama's concerns and find a happy medium.
Beijing Olympic Flame arrives in Jakarta, Indonesia
The sacred flame of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on early Tuesday arrived in Indonesian capital of Jakarta, the 14th leg of its global torch relay. A chartered plane carrying the flame, which was ignited on March 24 in ancient Olympia of Greece, landed on the Halim military airport at local time 12:05 a.m. from Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia.
Jiang Xiaoyu, vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG), carried the lantern of the flame and walked off the plane.
Upon arrival at the airport, the flame received a warm welcome by a cheering crowd, among whom are Vice President of the Indonesian National Sports Committee Hendarji Soepandji and other senior sports officials as well as more than 100 workers from Chinese companies in Indonesia.
Chinese ambassador to Indonesia Lan Lijun also came to the airport to welcome the flame of the Beijing Olympics, which is scheduled to be held this August.
The Jakarta leg of the torch relay, which will be held at the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex, central Jakarta, will start on Tuesday afternoon. Eighty torchbearers will take part in the event.
Indonesia torch protests thwarted Thousands are deployed to guard rerouted Olympic relay
Links to articles (requires NSU login):
https://login.libproxy.newschool.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.libproxy.newschool.edu/pqdweb?did=1467022221&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=16774&RQT=309&VName=PQD
and
https://login.libproxy.newschool.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.libproxy.newschool.edu/pqdweb?did=1455831421&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=16774&RQT=309&VName=PQD
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Jakarta, Indonesia -
It seems protesters are everywhere in support of Tibet. In Jakarta, Taufik Hidayat, Indonesian badminton star and Olympic gold medalist, was supported by about 2,500 police officers and 1,000 troops as he lit the cauldron. The heavily guarded Bung Karno Stadium only accepted about 5,000 guests to watch the relay inside in prevention of any disruption by protesters. Outside the stadium were the protesters who are part of the group, Indonesian Society for a Free Tibet, holding banners and shouting "Free Tibet!"
Tibetans blame the Chinese authorities for their oppression against the Tibetan people, fearing the end of Tibetan culture and religion. The Chinese government argues that they are supporting Tibet and helping them to economically catch up with China. The Dalai Llama continues to campaign for international support for Tibet's separation from China and its independence. The Dalai Llama claims to recognize China's sovereignty but wishes for full autonomy.
The Olympics holds China in the foreground internationally, and ultimately Tibet's wish for separation is up to the Chinese government, which must be settled in a peaceful manner.
https://login.libproxy.newschool.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.libproxy.newschool.edu/pqdweb?did=1467022221&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=16774&RQT=309&VName=PQD
and
https://login.libproxy.newschool.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com.libproxy.newschool.edu/pqdweb?did=1455831421&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=16774&RQT=309&VName=PQD
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Jakarta, Indonesia -
It seems protesters are everywhere in support of Tibet. In Jakarta, Taufik Hidayat, Indonesian badminton star and Olympic gold medalist, was supported by about 2,500 police officers and 1,000 troops as he lit the cauldron. The heavily guarded Bung Karno Stadium only accepted about 5,000 guests to watch the relay inside in prevention of any disruption by protesters. Outside the stadium were the protesters who are part of the group, Indonesian Society for a Free Tibet, holding banners and shouting "Free Tibet!"
Tibetans blame the Chinese authorities for their oppression against the Tibetan people, fearing the end of Tibetan culture and religion. The Chinese government argues that they are supporting Tibet and helping them to economically catch up with China. The Dalai Llama continues to campaign for international support for Tibet's separation from China and its independence. The Dalai Llama claims to recognize China's sovereignty but wishes for full autonomy.
The Olympics holds China in the foreground internationally, and ultimately Tibet's wish for separation is up to the Chinese government, which must be settled in a peaceful manner.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Official mascots of Beijing 2008 and promotion goods of Tokyo 2016
IOC announced official mascots for Beijing Olympic. They seem to have many different opinions. A Japanese subculture commentator, Jun Miura said "they look like a mascot of dumpling restaurants in Japan." (means look very Chinese) Other one said "they look like actors of classical Chinese opera?" And another one said "first when I saw them, I thought not cute and cheesy, but as I used to them, I became like them." As the last person said, the mascots became very popular. When the mascots were released, all items sold out soon. Even now they are printed on Coca-Cola cans. Some people bought dozens. I found funny image of one of the mascots "Frame" with a comment " Frame is fine if it get wet?"
We are still not sure if we can make such popular mascots when the Olympic coming to Tokyo. JOC (Japan Olympic Committee) started to promote bringing the 2016 Olympic Games to Tokyo.They released promotion goods and logo.The promotion logo was designed with an idea of Mizuhiki, Japanese traditional ribbon which is made of paper. A concept of the logo is "tie together" -children and future, technologies and mind, Japan and world, and the Earth and peace. The dreams will come true?
Team Japan official sportswear
On January 15, JOC (Japan Olympic Committee) announced official sportswear for Team Japan.
Each item has 2 different Japan logo marks. However, both logos are almost same except that one is just made of italic typefaces. The design concept is " clean image cannot be ignored" "accelerate to the victory" All the time it makes me disappoint with its cheesy design even the
concept is excellent. And also official sportswear(design by Mizuno) looks similar in every Olympic time. Always same colors (white and red) based on national flag are used for design. I think other countries are also sick of this similar images of Japanese team. If I read description of the wears, each wear has great function with Japanese latest technologies. For example, a windbreaker(design by Asics) can adapt any weather conditions in Beijing. But I cannot imagine such high-tech feeling from those wears. The only one items that I think a bit cute is T-shirts and half pants by Descente.
Torch relay in Japan and the logo
On April 26 2008, the Olympic Frame torch relay was held in Nagano in Japan. The theme of the event was " Journey of Harmony,"and the slogan was " Light the Passion Share the Dream." The runners were chosen from citizens who applied, past Olympic athletes, TV talents, and famous retired professional sports players . The oldest runner was Shigeharu Yamagishi, 76 years old, and the youngest runners were Mikiko Arai and Shota Nakayama, 14 years old. The course contained sightseeing spots in Nagano and Olympic athletic facilities which were used for Nagano winter Olympic. The logo mark of the Olympic Frame torch relay was designed with an inspiration of traditional Chinese idea of "phoenix of flame." It imagines two runners carry the Flame. In ancient China, phoenix was symbols of luck, eternity, noble blood, and happy. China has intent to hope happiness for all people in China and the world throughout the torch relay by using the logo with phoenix. What do you think of the logo?
Torch relay in Pyongyang
The Olympic Flame came to Pyongyang on April 28. It has been the first time coming the flame
to Pyongyang since the torch relay was adopted in Berlin Olympic in 1936. It is also the first time
to do the relay between South Korea and Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The relay was started from a square in Pyongyang surrounded by large number of people with national flags of China. No.2 political leader, Kim Young Nam passed the flame to a first runner. Pyongyang rolled out the red carpet for the relay, and the flame was shared with 80 people for 20km. 57 runners from North Korea, each 6 runners from sponsors such as Coca-Cola, 1 runner from IOC, and 1 runner from China embassy in Pyongyang run 250m each. A officer of the Olympic Frame Torch Relay in Pyongyang said "we worked completely for the event as if people in the world would be surprised with our high level and secure preparation." From the words, we can understand how much North Korea is eager to join the event. The frame was passed by many of symbolic architectures such as Kim Chong Il square and China embassy.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
Olympic torch relay leaves China for Kazakhstan
BEIJING, April 1 (Xinhua) - The Beijing Olympic torch relay officially embarked on its world tour as the charter Air China plane carrying the holy flame on Tuesday left Beijing for Kazakhstan's Almaty, the first stop of the 137,000 kilometres (85,000 miles) worldwide journey.
The 2008 Olympic torch was lit eight days ago in Ancient Olympia, Greece, and was hauled back to Beijing on Monday.
During its one-day stop in China's capital, where the 29th Olympic Games kick off on Aug. 8, the flame was given a warm-hearted welcome ceremony at Tian'anmen Square.
Chinese President Hu Jintao declared the start of the Beijing Olympic torch relay at the ceremony, marking the official start of the domestic and international torch relay that will end on Aug. 8 with the Games' opening ceremony.
According to earlier reports, Almaty, Kazakhstan's biggest city, has been in full swing towards the torch relay campaign.
Still celebrating a traditional festival in holiday, staff concerning the torch relay in the municipal city all stay in their offices on extra shift and are making the last efforts on the preparative work of the torch relay.
"It will be the top honour for Almaty to welcome the Beijing 2008 Olympic flame as the first stop of the international segment, " Serik T. Seidumanov, vice mayor of the city, told Xinhua last week.
"Now almost all the details have been carefully handled and our staff concerning have been in place. The last-minute preparation work has been under way in terms of technology and security. We do have a fully-packed agenda right now," added the mayor, who is responsible for the local torch relay.
On April 2, 80 torch bearers will be involved in the relay of the central Asian city, stretching about 20 kilometres long. It will be the first time for the holy fire to tour Almaty which has a population of 1.5 million.
Following the footsteps of the Athens Games, the Beijing relay is the longest and most ambitious ever planned and will last 130 days.
The holy fire of the Olympics will also reach Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest peak. It will be the first time for the Olympic torch relay to be held on the 8,844.43-meter mountain.
The 2008 Olympic torch was lit eight days ago in Ancient Olympia, Greece, and was hauled back to Beijing on Monday.
During its one-day stop in China's capital, where the 29th Olympic Games kick off on Aug. 8, the flame was given a warm-hearted welcome ceremony at Tian'anmen Square.
Chinese President Hu Jintao declared the start of the Beijing Olympic torch relay at the ceremony, marking the official start of the domestic and international torch relay that will end on Aug. 8 with the Games' opening ceremony.
According to earlier reports, Almaty, Kazakhstan's biggest city, has been in full swing towards the torch relay campaign.
Still celebrating a traditional festival in holiday, staff concerning the torch relay in the municipal city all stay in their offices on extra shift and are making the last efforts on the preparative work of the torch relay.
"It will be the top honour for Almaty to welcome the Beijing 2008 Olympic flame as the first stop of the international segment, " Serik T. Seidumanov, vice mayor of the city, told Xinhua last week.
"Now almost all the details have been carefully handled and our staff concerning have been in place. The last-minute preparation work has been under way in terms of technology and security. We do have a fully-packed agenda right now," added the mayor, who is responsible for the local torch relay.
On April 2, 80 torch bearers will be involved in the relay of the central Asian city, stretching about 20 kilometres long. It will be the first time for the holy fire to tour Almaty which has a population of 1.5 million.
Following the footsteps of the Athens Games, the Beijing relay is the longest and most ambitious ever planned and will last 130 days.
The holy fire of the Olympics will also reach Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest peak. It will be the first time for the Olympic torch relay to be held on the 8,844.43-meter mountain.
OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND FOR BEIJING
Will Beijing seize the chances offered by the 2008 Olympics to boost its economic, social and cultural development? According to a panel of experts attending a seminar in the city on Sunday, the answer is definitely "yes." Yao Yongling, a researcher from Renmin University of China, said as the country's capital, Beijing has many superior advantages in hosting the 2008 Games. She said the city could seize the potential of the event as it is now in the latter stage of industrialization, a knowledge economy is becoming more and more evident, and its urbanization process is accelerating.
Hosting the 2008 Games could help Beijing improve its urban infrastructure and environmental quality, propel economic and social progress and make the city better to live in, Yao said at the Fourth International Forum on the Beijing Olympic Games.
Though advice varies, one member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) urged Beijing Games organizers to push cultural activities during the Olympics to ensure the event is a "complete success." Ung Chang, who is also president of the International Taekwondo Federation, suggested Beijing extend activities in the Olympic Village to various parts of the city to bring the events to the people.
Furthermore, Ung suggested the media feature athletes' lives rather than focusing on the medal count. He made the comments during a speech at the forum, which drew some 40 delegates from home and abroad including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Greece, the Netherlands and Canada.
The annual forum, "Olympic Creative Industry and City Development," was co-organized by the Department of Culture and Ceremonies of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), the Humanistic Olympic Studies Centre of Renmin University of China, and Beijing's Haidian District government.
The participants discussed such topics as "the creative industry in the context of the Olympic Games," "the Olympics and urban development," "the development of Olympic culture" and "typical cases of the Olympic cultural industry." More creative ideas needed But John Howkins, economist and "father" of the creative industry in the United Kingdom, has his own ideas. He said the Chinese people should offer better ideas in seizing the opportunities as host of the Olympics to showcase their cultural and social achievements overseas.
He said the creative industry, an extension of the conventional cultural industry, is now valued at some $2US.95 trillion, accounting for 7.3 per cent of the global economy and increasing at a rate of 7 per cent each year. To make the Beijing 2008 Games a success, he said: "The organizers should bring together artists, singers, athletes and top physiologists to let them discuss the links between creative process and successful athletic performance." As the cultural centre of China, Beijing should make the creative industry one of the major economic pillars of the city, said Cai Fuchao, chairman of the organizing committee of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival.
Feng Xia, a researcher from Beijing Union University, told the seminar in a written paper that she thinks culture is the essence and ultimate power of human beings. As sports culture now plays a more and more important role in China's social development, it should help create "soft" environments for the Beijing Olympics, which will be both harmonious and civilized, she said. Desmond Hui, director of the Centre for Cultural Policy Research at the University of Hong Kong, said as the Olympics itself is a cultural and creative industry, or an "experience" economy, Beijing should focus on four components the attraction of talent, improvement of the economy, social and cultural development, and a harmonious society so as to foster city development through the 2008 Games.
Besides the athletes, the host city should also focus on the interests of volunteers, torchbearers, citizens, visitors and spectators in order to ensure mass participation, said Roy Panagiotopoulou, a professor of media and communications at Athens University.
Beatriz Garcia, cultural consultant for the London 2012 Olympic Games, said she thought the Olympics should offer a meaningful showcase of how a city operates. "It should be a platform to transmit the Olympic spirit beyond the Games and into a whole region. We can turn a city into an art museum after the Olympic Games ends," she said. The forum is part of the Fourth Beijing 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival. Other events at the festival include: TV Programme: Olympic Knowledge Quiz Show; aunch Ceremony of "Beijing Mobile"Cup People's Exercise Week & Walking Event; International Sports Festival; Sports Activities in the Suburbs; Second Beijing International Sport Film Festival; Fourth International Forum on Beijing Olympic Games Olympic Music Forum; Olympic Music Park; Olympic-themed Community Activities.
Hosting the 2008 Games could help Beijing improve its urban infrastructure and environmental quality, propel economic and social progress and make the city better to live in, Yao said at the Fourth International Forum on the Beijing Olympic Games.
Though advice varies, one member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) urged Beijing Games organizers to push cultural activities during the Olympics to ensure the event is a "complete success." Ung Chang, who is also president of the International Taekwondo Federation, suggested Beijing extend activities in the Olympic Village to various parts of the city to bring the events to the people.
Furthermore, Ung suggested the media feature athletes' lives rather than focusing on the medal count. He made the comments during a speech at the forum, which drew some 40 delegates from home and abroad including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Greece, the Netherlands and Canada.
The annual forum, "Olympic Creative Industry and City Development," was co-organized by the Department of Culture and Ceremonies of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), the Humanistic Olympic Studies Centre of Renmin University of China, and Beijing's Haidian District government.
The participants discussed such topics as "the creative industry in the context of the Olympic Games," "the Olympics and urban development," "the development of Olympic culture" and "typical cases of the Olympic cultural industry." More creative ideas needed But John Howkins, economist and "father" of the creative industry in the United Kingdom, has his own ideas. He said the Chinese people should offer better ideas in seizing the opportunities as host of the Olympics to showcase their cultural and social achievements overseas.
He said the creative industry, an extension of the conventional cultural industry, is now valued at some $2US.95 trillion, accounting for 7.3 per cent of the global economy and increasing at a rate of 7 per cent each year. To make the Beijing 2008 Games a success, he said: "The organizers should bring together artists, singers, athletes and top physiologists to let them discuss the links between creative process and successful athletic performance." As the cultural centre of China, Beijing should make the creative industry one of the major economic pillars of the city, said Cai Fuchao, chairman of the organizing committee of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival.
Feng Xia, a researcher from Beijing Union University, told the seminar in a written paper that she thinks culture is the essence and ultimate power of human beings. As sports culture now plays a more and more important role in China's social development, it should help create "soft" environments for the Beijing Olympics, which will be both harmonious and civilized, she said. Desmond Hui, director of the Centre for Cultural Policy Research at the University of Hong Kong, said as the Olympics itself is a cultural and creative industry, or an "experience" economy, Beijing should focus on four components the attraction of talent, improvement of the economy, social and cultural development, and a harmonious society so as to foster city development through the 2008 Games.
Besides the athletes, the host city should also focus on the interests of volunteers, torchbearers, citizens, visitors and spectators in order to ensure mass participation, said Roy Panagiotopoulou, a professor of media and communications at Athens University.
Beatriz Garcia, cultural consultant for the London 2012 Olympic Games, said she thought the Olympics should offer a meaningful showcase of how a city operates. "It should be a platform to transmit the Olympic spirit beyond the Games and into a whole region. We can turn a city into an art museum after the Olympic Games ends," she said. The forum is part of the Fourth Beijing 2008 Olympic Cultural Festival. Other events at the festival include: TV Programme: Olympic Knowledge Quiz Show; aunch Ceremony of "Beijing Mobile"Cup People's Exercise Week & Walking Event; International Sports Festival; Sports Activities in the Suburbs; Second Beijing International Sport Film Festival; Fourth International Forum on Beijing Olympic Games Olympic Music Forum; Olympic Music Park; Olympic-themed Community Activities.
Beijing pollution
Check out this article which goes into detail about how many events of the olympics that deal with endurance have to be moved outside the city limits due to the emense amounts of pollution in the air surrounding the cityhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/front_page/6934955.stm
Olympic touch relay in London - Over 37 arrests
Thirty-seven arrests have been made after clashes between pro-Tibet protesters and police as the Olympic torch made its way through London.
Protests over China's human rights record began soon after the relay began at Wembley, and prompted an increasing police presence through the city.
One protester tried to snatch the torch from former Blue Peter host Konnie Huq.
After an unpublicised change to the route, the Chinese ambassador carried the torch through Chinatown.
A protective ring of 10 Chinese flame attendants and fluorescent-jacketed police officers surrounded the torchbearers at all times, with additional uniformed officers joining at potential flashpoints along the route.
Police decided the torch should travel along Fleet Street to St Paul's Cathedral by bus, rather than held by a runner, after it was surrounded by a large group of protesters
Protests over China's human rights record began soon after the relay began at Wembley, and prompted an increasing police presence through the city.
One protester tried to snatch the torch from former Blue Peter host Konnie Huq.
After an unpublicised change to the route, the Chinese ambassador carried the torch through Chinatown.
A protective ring of 10 Chinese flame attendants and fluorescent-jacketed police officers surrounded the torchbearers at all times, with additional uniformed officers joining at potential flashpoints along the route.
Police decided the torch should travel along Fleet Street to St Paul's Cathedral by bus, rather than held by a runner, after it was surrounded by a large group of protesters
Cell phone design
I like the idea of packaging the cell phone as a tool of promoting the Beijing Olympic.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
oh, the irony
link to an article about a chinese factory that was producing tibetian independence flags.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7370903.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7370903.stm
The Weather of the Beijing Opening Ceremony Day
Live Science:USA
I read this article last year, but still it looks interesting. The opening day of Beijing Olympic suppose to be raining so they tried to change the weather. Actually, I read this issue in Korean newspaper website. The website was managed to post comment so I read some comments. Most all of people who wrote down about the article, they said, as expected, Chinese can do everything, even they can change the weather! They change nature. China is the number one population country in the world and this nation is global powerful. So Koreans thinks Chinese doesn’t have nothing to fear.
The other article
LA Times:USA
By Seohyun Jeong
Bun-Snatching coca-cola bottle design
The cheng chau bun festival is a traditional chinese festival held on the island on cheung chau in hong kong. the festival's highlight is the bun-snatching competition, where participants climb a giant bamboo tower covered in chinese steamed buns. the higher the bun snatched, the better the luck that will be brought to the snatcher's family.
Hong Kong designers iris luk tsz-yan and kelvin kung tin-wing recently won a coca-cola design competition with a bun-snatching influenced idea, in the distinct coca-cola bottle shape. their winning design will be built and displayed at the upcoming olympic games in beijing. a unique festival and interesting modern interpretation.
Seoul to Tighten Visa Rules for Chinese Students
A member from a civic group holds a placard calling for the cancellation of China’s Olympic Games 2008 in front of a police agency in Seoul, Wednesday. A civic group representative filed a complaint with police against Chinese Ambassador, Ning Fukui, claming he should also be held accountable for the violence by Chinese students during the Olympic torch relay on Sunday.
The clashes on Sunday erupted as a small group of protesters demonstrated against China's forced repatriation of North Korean refugees and its crackdown on Tibetans. About 10.000 Chinese supporters, mostly college students, reacted to the protest violently: they threw water bottles, stones, pieces of wood and drink cans.
South Korea said Thursday that it will toughen entry visa rules for Chinese students in the wake of their violent protests during a recent Olympic torch relay in Seoul.
Olympic torch relay successfully held in New Delhi
NEW DELHI - The President of the Indian Olympic Association, Suresh Kalmadi, said Thursday's Olympic torch relay in the capital New Delhi was a success.
A torchbearer kindles the Olympic flame basin with the torch after the Beijing Olympic torch relay in New Delhi, capital of India, April 17, 2008. New Delhi is the 11th stop on the Olympic flame's global journey.I think the spirit of the Olympics is universal and should be upheld by the whole world. The person who is in the picture above ran the first leg of the relay between Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, and India Gate.
Samsung 18K Golden Edition E848 Offered for Beijing Olympics
This is new mobile phone which is offered for 2008 Beiing Olympic. It provides Olympic wall papers and ring tones. I think this is great promotion to sell out Samsung products, also the company is one of the biggest sponsors in this big event.
Samsung today launched its special edition 18K Golden Edition E848, offering an 18K golden reflective surface and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games logo imprinted on the back.
The Golden Olympic Edition E848 is 10.6 mm in depth, and comes with a large 2.2-inch LCD color display as well as a heat sensitive touch key design. Equipped with an internet browsing interface, the E848 connects users to the wider world. Its powerful multimedia features also make high-quality audio and video pleasures available in smaller file sizes. Moreover, users are allowed to view a large array of video formats including H.263, MPEG4 and WMV.
Beutiful Airport Design for Beijing Olympic
China View:China
This is a new beautiful airport terminal in Beijing which was designed by leading British architect Lord Foster. The building is a dragon shape and inside of terminal, there are many beautiful Chinese ornaments. The terminal shows a beauty of Chinese art. To me , it looks very unique and strong. Traditional Chinese arts are inside of a modern building, so it looks like “Past and future” or “Eastern and Western.” People who will come from the other countries, they meet China first at airport, so airport design is a very part to show its nation and give impressions to foreigners. I can’t see actual design, but I think this design is successful to show off Chinese art and culture.
*************Night View
By Seohyun Jeong
10000 Chinese Students Supporters in Seoul
Now this is a hot issue in Korea. About 10000 Chinese students were gathered for cheering and celebrating Olympic torch relay in Seoul, but they smashed Seoul. These students attacked to the other associations like anti-Chinese groups and they were fighting. But the problem is the Chinese students did very harmful things like throwing coshes so even normal Seoul citizen, journalists and police got wounds from them. Now many Koreans are mad at them like “Why they did this in our country?” and Korean government stated these students will be exiled from Korea. Koreans who saw these videos of torch relay in Seoul they says, “Fake Red Devils(Korean national soccer team supporters) smash Seoul.” Actually, this place where they fought is a memorable place to Koreans. There is a downtown of Seoul city and since 2002, when Korea national soccer team has a big match with the other country, Koreans wear red shirts and cheer up together. Koreans held international events 2002 FIFA World Cup, and they are proud of themselves it was successful. Thus this down town Seoul (in front of Seoul city hall) reminds them the memory of World Cup and patriotic.
This is article from Korean Newspaper, Joong Ang Daily
Joong Ang Daily:KOREA
By Seohyun Jeong
Beijing Olympic Torch Relay in Buenos Aires
BBC:UK
CTV:CANADA
Those are the article about 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires torch relay was peaceful comparing to the other former countries like U.K. and France. There were anti-Chinese protesters and Chinese supporters but nothing big accident didn’t happen, only throwing water balloons.
See the below video.
By Seohyun Jeong
CTV:CANADA
Those are the article about 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires torch relay was peaceful comparing to the other former countries like U.K. and France. There were anti-Chinese protesters and Chinese supporters but nothing big accident didn’t happen, only throwing water balloons.
See the below video.
By Seohyun Jeong
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