周末
17 hours ago
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Beijing Olympics 2008. The 29th Olympiad
同一个世界 同一个梦想一年后
(One World, One Dream) One Year on.
同一个世界 同一个梦想一年后
(One World, One Dream) One Year on.
The Olympic Games in Beijing were an important step in bringing the World closer to China, at a crucial time when China is undergoing significant changes. They were the most successful ever Olympics for Chinese athletes. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 302 events in 28 sports. Chinese athletes won the most gold medals, with 51 golds, and 100 medals altogether. The United States won more total medals than any other country with 110, 36 of which were gold. Michael Phelps broke the records for most gold medals in one Olympics and for most career gold medals for an Olympian, and equaled the record for most individual golds at a single Games.
It has been reported that the Beijing Olympics was the world’s first genuine ‘1 Billion’ television audience. The opening ceremony was the world's "most watched live event" in human history, exceeding moon landings, Princess Diana’s funeral and Barack Obama's inauguration. The show "appealed to the huge domestic Chinese audience but resonated globally too”.
Benefits China have seen from the Olympics include raising the profile of sports and health within China, patriotism has been boosted especially internally as the torch relay and Games themselves helped unite disparate parts of China and especially the younger generation with a common knowledge, and pride in their country.
China have set Aug 6, 7 and 8 as National Fitness Days. “It is arousing people's sense of pride and makes us more patriotic.” Andre, a Chinese student told me “For the environment, Beijing’s sky is blue-r than ever. Transportation gets better too, though we still get traffic jams.” The Chinese have tried to keep pollution levels down in Beijing, with several policies, although some local authorities in the more rural and industrial areas are less favourable than that of Beijing. Beijing has seen the biggest amount of change, with old buildings being pulled down for the Olympic villages, Building new infrastructure adding to the metro system and giving newer lines much-needed air conditioning. Officials also added new rules to the highways to reduce traffic. Whilst losing some history, Beijing, and China are carving a new one; A brave new China.
The government issued a series of about 4,000 temporary measures and regulations on food safety, the environment, traffic management, public safety and health before the Games. Many of them have since been renewed or made permanent. These include ongoing efforts to reduce pollution in Beijing, Beijing is enjoying the best air quality this decade because of measures taken during last year's Olympic Games, officials have said. Officials are introducing new policies to help continue this. As of October 1st, vehicles will only be allowed to travel along or within Beijing's Sixth Ring Road, the city's outermost highway loop, if their exhaust emissions comply with National Emission Standard I. However, as of 2010 Beijing it will be following Standard IV across the city on all new cars.
Some Chinese still think the money could have been better spent though; Kristina explained to me “I would prefer the government to put more money on making the farmers and the poorer people’s life better.” Whilst others are disappointed, that so many traditional buildings were pulled down in the creation of the ‘Olympic City’. “Lots of new and modern buildings make Beijing really strange for me.” A Beijing resident of 32 years, Semmy told me; “There are always lots more tourists than before the games, now it is more crowded than ever.” Whilst there are disappointments, there are a plethora of benefits that can be seen day to day. The economy is growing, in a time of global economic doubt, and the newfound openness is bringing more and more interest in Westerners learning about Chinese culture and the Chinese Language.
Chaoyang Park stadium where the beach volleyball was played out is now The Sun Beach Theme Park where children can bury themselves in sand. Whilst Russian ballet dancers and synchronised swimmers have been wowing the crowds with a version of Swan Lake at the Water Cube. The Birds Nest tonight sees its first sports action as the Italian Cup Final is played between Lazio and Inter Milan, but only after a world record attempt has been attempted. 30,000 people are gathering for a mass display of the martial art tai chi, if successful, it will earn a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
The splendid stadium, with its ornate steel lattice exterior, has been little used since the closing ceremony a year ago; an opera, a couple of pop concerts, yet no sports until tonight. It seems that the tourism (4.5 million visitors who have visited the Bird's Nest since it opened to the public in September 2008. The nearby Water Cube, the National Aquatics Centre, has received 3.8 million people.)has been enough to cover maintenance costs though as thousands flock daily to see the double monument; The Birds Nest stadium and the Water Cube. Despite this lack of sport at the Birds Nest, the Olympics are thought to have made an estimated $174 million profit according to China's National Audit Office.
One sport that seems to have really taken off is Chinese Basketball. The popular sport has seen the NBA investing in Chinese Basketball building 12 new Arenas around the country. Many see Shanghai’s World EXPO next year as the economic Olympics. The Chinese will be looking forward to once again showing themselves off to the world, bringing us another step closer to fully understanding each other’s cultures. The Chinese are now much more confident on a global scale, and it is partially due to the fact that since the Olympic Games and especially the handling of foreign journalists in August last year.
It is worth noting; One of, if not the greatest lasting legacy of the Beijing Olympics has been allowing foreign journalists more access to events taking place in the country. The coverage of the July 5th riots, were much more transparent than that of the riots in Tibet last August, and this just goes to show that China’s confidence is growing with its openness to the West. Though it may have a long way to go, China has seen massive improvements in its Journalism, Pollution and Health reforms. The Chinese mystery is starting to unravel a little, and just enough for people to become more interested in learning Mandarin Chinese and travel to China. All of which have a lot to thank the Olympics for. For me personally, The Olympics were just the start of my adventure, discovering both Mandarin, and China.
Charlie Southwell
http://discoveringmandarin.blogspot.com
The Olympic flag has a white background, with five interlaced rings in the centre: blue, yellow, black, green and red. This design is symbolic; it represents the five continents of the world, united by Olympism, while the six colours are those that appear on all the national flags of the world at the present time.
"Dancing Beijing" is a milestone of the Olympics. It serves as a classic chapter of the Olympic epic inscribed by the spirit of the Chinese nation, calligraphed by the deeper import of the ancient civilization, and molded by the character of Cathay's descendents. It is concise yet deep inside, bringing forth the city's gradual changes and development. It appears dignified yet bears a tune of romance, reflecting the nation's thoughts and emotions.
"Dancing Beijing" the embelem for the 2008 Sumer olympics shows the eastern ways of thinking and the nation's lasting appeal embodied in the Chinese characters. It is an expression that conveys the unique cultural quality and elegance of Chinese civilization.
The color "red" is intensively used in the emblem, it carries Chinese people's longing for luck and happiness and their explanation of life. Red is the color of the Sun and the Holy Fire, representing life and a new beginning. Red is mind at ease, symbol of vitality, and China's blessing and invitation to the world.
The iconic olympic rings and Beijing's ident were complimented with these cute characters. Fuwa served as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship, peace and good wishes from China; to children all over the world.
Designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who form an intimate circle of friends, Fuwa also embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals and the olympic flame. Each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name -- a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow.
When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing," offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of Fuwa as young ambassadors of the Olympic Games.
Despite many of the troubles on the way, the torch relay was one of the most spectacular things that occur preceeding the games. The torch was carried by 21,880 torchbearers and travelled over 137,000km; making it to the summit of the highest mountain in the world, Olympia - Marathonas - Athens (Greece), Istanbul (Turkey), St. Petersburg (Russia), London (Great Britain) – Paris (France), San Francisco (USA), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Muscat (Oman), Islamabad (Pakistan), Mumbai (India), Bangkok (Thailand), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Jakarta (Indonesia), Canberra (Australia), Nagano (Japan), Seoul (South Korea) and Pyongyang (North Korea) amounst many other places.
Chinese climbers display flags at the top of the 8844.43-meter summit of Mt. Qomolangma (Everest) in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on May 8, 2008. Mt Everest in Chinese is called 珠穆朗玛峰 Zhūmùlǎngmǎ Fēng. (literally meaning bright pearl summit: though 圣母峰 Shèngmǔfēng refers to the sky goddess of the mountain).
The Olympic Flame was carried through London by 80 torchbearers including double Olympic gold medal winner Dame Kelly Holmes and England cricketer Kevin Pieterson. During which time there was an attack, as with other places in the relay, these troubles threatened to put a stop to the incredible tradition. But the epic journey itself is so incredible, hopefully they wont cancel future torch relays.
China invented fireworks, and put on one of the most amazing displays the world has ever seen in the Olympic opening ceremony. It featured a colorful display of nearly 30000 fireworks, and was absolutley spectacular coming from the new National 'Birds Nest' Stadium. Again not to go without controversy, it was revealed that some of the fireworks (about 55 seconds) had been digitally enhanced for the recorded viewing, however that shouldnt really detract from the spectacle, and what was done, was using new technology to create an even more incredible show.
The sparkling display that lit up the night sky included giant dragons, the five Olympic rings, footprints and even smiling faces. The show was divided into several parts and ran throughout the ceremony. The pyrotechnics were not just for the Bird's Nest, but all across Beijing. Fireworks were set off from 29 other locations, including Yongdingmen and Tian'anmen Square.
The very impressive 2008 people hitting drums counting down to the lighting of the torch was reported as “Drum Show” in much of the media. Actually, what they were hitting was not drums. It is called Fou (缶). It is the ancient Chinese container for wine.
In the Qin Dynasty (200 BC), people start to hit the Fou to express welcome to friends, especially for friends from far away. While they hit the Fou (drums), they are reciting the famous quote from Confucius: “有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？”, or using direct translation: “Friends coming from far away, isn’t it happy enough?”, or a better translation: “Welcome friends from the world”.
The countdown itself was in both English and Chinese numbers.
Above you can see the number 8, and the Chinese symbol for eight 八 (bā).
In the Olympics, it is an IOC rule for countries to enter the stadium in alphabetical order of the local language, so in this case, the Chinese language. Greece always leads the procession with the host country (China - above- for the 2008 Olympics) entering last.
The Chinese do not have an alphabet, so in this case they decided to enter the stadium based upon the number of strokes required to write the first sylable of each country competing. For example; Australia who usually enter third, at the Beijing Olympics entered 202ndrd. You can see the full list of countries in the Chinese 'Alphabetical' system here.
Gymnast Li Ning (China's most decorated athlete at its first Olympics, 1984) lit the torch, appearing to run up the walls of the stadium lighting the Olympic cauldron with the well travelled torch.
News & Photo Sources:
http://en.beijing2008.cn/
My friend Gabriel, over at learnchinesetoday.info has written a guest post based about histoical figure Qin Shi Huang and his influence on the Chinese Language.
As some of you may know, the official title of 'emperor' was first used by Qin Shi Huang several hundred years before Christ. At the end of the 7 warring states period, the Qin state had conquered most of the other states and unified China properly.
Historically speaking, it was true that under the leadership of Qin Shi Huang, life was harsh and difficult. Many historians viewed him as a dictator who ruled across the land with an iron hand.
Untold numbers died working to build the Great Wall of China.
And yet paradoxically, it was Qin Shi Huang who had help create a lasting legacy in Chinese history. He had played a huge role in maintaining the stability and longevity of Chinese culture.
What did he contribute? Well, before the Qin dynasty, the 7 different states each had their own languages, rules and customs. After unification, Qin Shi Huang went about creating one common language. Everyone had to read and write the same Chinese characters.
This seemingly simple but profound change in standardizing the Chinese language would bind and enable the Chinese people to maintain their identity and culture for thousands of years to come.
If he had not done so, China might have developed differently. The Chinese people might have different languages and writing not unlike Europe (the French, British, etc.)
There were many more changes Qin Shi Huang made that help shaped the future course of Chinese imperial system, but suffice to say, Qin Shi Huang was not merely known as just a brutal dictator.
So the next time you wish to learn Chinese, think back to this historical figure who had contributed much to this ancient language.
The Chinese creation myth, as most others serves as the explanation of the birth of the world, and equivalent Heaven and Earth, as in many other cultures. There are several creation myths in China, however Pan Gu, previously traslated as P’an Ku (盘古) is most widely known as the Creator, whilst Lao Tzu puts forward a more philosophical approach to creation.
The term creation myth here, refers to the imaginative expression in narrative form, of the beginning of things, whether by the will and act of a transcendent being, by emanation from some ultimate source, or in any other way. Here are the two most popular and influential of the Chinese Creation Myths.
The most influential of these two creation myths is included in Tao Te Ching written by Lao Tzu, who says of the universe;
“There was something undefined and complete, existing before Heaven and Earth. How still it was, how formless, standing alone and undergoing no change, reaching everywhere with no danger of being exhausted. It may be regarded as the mother of all things. Truthfully it has no name, but I call it Tao. (or The Way).”
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 25.
Tao is often compared to water: clear, colourless, unremarkable, yet all beings depend on it for life, and even the hardest stone cannot stand in its way forever. This way of thought has spawned Taoism, Chinese Buddhism as well as philosophical schools of thought.
The creation though for most is described in the tale of Pan Gu and the creation not only of heaven and earth, but of the separation of Yin and Yang.
The P'an Ku Creation story though there are many many translations and versions, goes something like this:
"In the beginning the heavens and earth were still one and all was chaos.
The universe was like a big black egg with Pan Gu asleep inside.
After 18 thousand years Pan Gu woke from his long sleep. He took a
broad axe and swung it with all his might to crack open the egg. The light part of it floated up and formed the heavens and the other, colder matter stayed below to form the earth. Pan Gu stood in the middle, his head touching the sky, his feet planted on the earth.
The heavens and the earth began to grow and Pan Gu grew with them. After another 18 thousand years the sky was higher and Pan Gu stood between the heavens and earth so they would never join again.
When he died, he filled in the rest of the world. His breath created the wind and clouds. His flesh became soil, his bones rock, and his blood filled the rivers and seas. His limbs and body became the five major mountains in China. His hair became the stars in the sky. From his sweat came the rain to nourish the land. His eyes became the sun and the moon. And finally, from the small creatures on his body, which has been equated to parasites in some translations, came man.
Others say that the half-dragon goddess Nuwa was born after Pan-gu died, from part of the mixture of yin and yang that he had separated. She decided to create humans to have some other beings to talk to and share ideas with, but mostly just to love.
Nuwa went down to the edge of the Yellow River where there were vast, soft mud banks. She began forming figures out of clay. She decided that it would be much more practical for her creations to have legs instead of a dragon tail, thus her humans were not made in her image.
No sooner did she set the first little mud man on the ground did he start to jump, and dance and sing. He began to speak. “Look at me!”
Nuwa was delighted and began making more and more humans.
She made hundreds and hundreds of mud humans, but soon realized that it would take centuries for her to make enough people to fill the vast earth completely. Nuwa grabbed hold of a muddy stick and flung drops of mud across the land.
As the sun dried each drop, it became a new man or woman. Some say that these humans were the less intelligent ones. Those formed by Nuwa’s own hands became great leaders.
She told them to go and populate the earth. As they grew she loved them and protected them, and was revered as the mother of all humans."
The Pan Gu or P’an Ku myth is similar to that of Lao Tzu’s theory, as the egg or planet was still, and undisturbed, prior to Pan Gu awakening. Both of which could be seen to have existed prior to what we know now as Heaven and Earth. This creation story is one of many told across China, because of its dis-separate tribal history.
If you have any further creation stories that are told in China, please let me know andi will try to include them in a further post.
Sources:
Mythic Journeys
Living Myths
Brittanica
