I thought the U.S is not the only strong contender in track and field. Other countries like Jamaica will also have a shot at it. Sooo everything will balance out in the end. I think the total medal counts between the U.S and China are pretty close to each other on a consistent basis. Well.. the games have only 3 more days to go then, it will be onto the paralympics.

mightygoobi,

You have been gone for a week... Where will I get my mental food? I am starving here without you!   

Probably having a ball with the games on - lucky guy, I know I would be, and will be come 2012   

Oh goodness... I wish the Oympics were here all the time. I've never attended an Olympics before and it's really unbelievable! Top ten comments from me:

1. I know the Olympics should all be about the athletes. For the common spectator, I have really enjoyed walking down he streets and taking random photos with strangers from Equator Guinea or Belarus. And sharing a beer. And learning how to say Beer in Spanish.

2. Chinese are patriotic. I think this Olympics has made us super happy patriotic. My voice is sore from cheering too much. I've been dressing war paint and wearing funny hat. Maybe I'm even on TV - not sure.

Addressing some of the international media issues:

3. Lots of writing about America using 'total medals' instead of 'gold medals' to rate the medal table. I think that's fine. It's American media writing to an American audience. I think they can rank the countries however. Actually, theres a probably good case to make to say all medals should count for fair. China, unsuprisingly, ranks by gold medals - but does that really matter anyway? Of course bragging rights are good - but I've had so much fun at these Games... I think America and China have enough. These last days, I will be cheering for Iceland, Cayman Islands and Lichtenstein.

4. I agree, the girl for the opening ceremony probably shouldn't have been switched. Some of the fireworks on TV were done on pre-record. And the whole thing was still amazing - both live and on TV. I don't think the world ended ue to the things - and by the time the ending, I was pretty drunk so I saw three times more fireworks than anyone else anyway.

5. The gymnast girls do look young. If there needs to be an investigation, then investigate. I think they are ALL amazing, from all the countries, and I think that is the better story than whether someone is 14 or 16. Near the main stadium, there's a display to show how big is the bar and the horse and the rings. The walk bar for the girls is smaller than my hand.

6. I keep readng a lot about how the evil Chinese government has censored everything so we can't read outside the real world. I think I've written too much this already. (a) censorship is pretty easy to get around ( censorsip is not THAT bad (c) just as you don't believe everything you read, neither do we believe everything we read (d) we can read of international news without problem. I wouldn't want to write this again because it's boring to write repeat - but I keep reading this story over and over again so I wanted to just comment it.

7. Lots of empty seats. Partly true - I think this is very frustrating - I wish I could have seen more swimming. One of the reasons is that there are HUGE media and IOC reserved sections - front row center. There is reserved a seat expecting all media from all countries to attend almost all events, which is silly. And same for IOC almost. So I think that these seats should be more released for us. The 'scalping' problem is another reason - but I think only a small reason. After all, it's the Olympics, it's in China and we have a LOT of people, if the ticket available, SOMEONE will buy it.

On to the more fun things:

8. I've been proud and surprised by the diversity of sports and rewards. I've never heard or watched many of these sports before... and I'm so surprised China can win gold in them. Sailing, rowing, judo, archery are not traditional things in China... I don't even know where you can do it. The best game I watched so far was the gold medal beach volleyball betwen USA and China. That's a really fun sport. USA was way too good but China got silver and bronze. The bikini cheerleaders and the dancing mascots leading the Macarena dance made everyone laugh.

9. Rowing and Cycling. Never ever seen a single row or bike ride competition live before - and hearing the fans from different countries cheer strange chants was very cool. There were competitions as the Hollanders and Britians recruited Chinese people to help cheer. I ended up cheering for Britain (thinking of you Zydor). Field Hockey and BMX Riding is also the first time for me. I didn't even know BMX was a sport (actually, I didn't know what BMX was until I saw the cycling logo. I still don't know what BMX stands for).

10. The two heroes of the games by far are not Chinese. Michael Phelps and the Lightning Bolt. Handsome, excellent, atheltic. And Bolt is so fun - he has singlehandedly made all Chinese want to visit Jamaica. He commented that he had a great time in Beijing and invited Chinese to go to his country... making another 5 million fans.

At the end, I'm not clear on the full story that's reported overseas. I hope it's still not pollution and cheating (that seemed to be what was on the news a lot but I've stopped reading for a while). From my point of view, we're a bunch of people here in China enjoying a wonderful world gathering of top sportings. We wave madly when we get shown on the big screen. We cheer for our home team. We groan at the disappoint. We stay up late, drink too much, and skip work the next day. We complain that the stadium food is terrible. We laugh as we wrap flags of each other countries around us. We try and listen carefully when we hear the anthem of Ethiopia because we never hear it before.

And we're having fun.

London, can't wait for your turn. Now that I've tasted on Olympics, I think I want to try again.

I read this in the Miami Herald. It's about taxi in Beijing. I almost cried laughing. Because it's so true! Welcome to China

Dave Barry: Beijing cab ride is a real trip
BY DAVE BARRY
dbarry@MiamiHerald.com


Here's how you get around Beijing.

First you go to the hotel front desk, which will be staffed by 17 people. This is one of the nice things about China: There are always plenty of people around to help. For example: In some men's rooms, there are attendants whose sole function, as far as I can tell, is to direct you to the urinals. You walk in, and there's a guy, and he makes this gesture toward the urinals, which are roughly two feet away, his point being, ''Here are the urinals.'' And no, you do not tip him.

But getting back to the topic: When you get to the hotel front desk, the 17 people gather around and frown thoughtfully while you tell them where you want to go. Usually they have never heard of it. So they talk among themselves, make some phone calls, talk some more. You of course understand none of this conversation, because you are a clueless western idiot.

Finally the hotel staff reaches a consensus on where you want to go. One of them writes some Chinese characters on a card and gives it to you. Clutching this card, you go outside and get a taxi. You hand the card to the driver, who frowns at it with an expression that says, ''What the heck is THIS?'' He says something to you in Chinese, and you make a ''Beats me!'' face. He shrugs, puts the taxi in gear and starts moving.

Now you are in Beijing traffic, which is like an exciting video game with the bonus element of potential death. You have fast-moving cars, trucks and buses; you have a wide variety of mutant two-and-three-wheeled motorbike-contraptions putting along at minus two miles per hour; you have many bicycles, sometimes with an entire family on the one bicycle, dad pedaling, mom balanced behind him, holding a baby; and you have the occasional pushcart, stacked high with what appears to be trash. All of these vehicles are competing for the same packed road space, and nobody ever yields to anybody. Left turns routinely produce dramatic oncoming-bus moments that cause you to very nearly void your clueless western bladder.

Sometimes your driver will gesture at another vehicle, then turn to you and say something in Chinese, which you interpret to mean, ''Can you BELIEVE these morons?'' You answer ''Ha ha!,'' meaning it in the sense of ``Please resume watching the road.''
I've found the taxi drivers to be friendly, although usually they speak very little English. Here's a transcript of the longest conversation I've had with a driver:
DRIVER: America?
ME: Yes.
DRIVER: Michael Jordan! Number One!
ME: Well, he . . .
DRIVER: Shaq!
ME: Yes. Shaq.
DRIVER: Kobe!
ME: Yao Ming?
DRIVER: Yao Ming! China!
ME: Yes.
DRIVER: Baseball!
ME: Basketball?
DRIVER: Baseball.

Anyway, finally, after many minutes of highway excitement, your driver pulls over to the side, and lo and behold, you are not at your destination. Your driver takes your hotel card and gets out of the taxi. He shows the card to another Chinese person, and it is clear, from that person's reaction, that he or she has never heard of your destination and is quite confident that neither has anybody else in China. There is a long, animated discussion. Your driver gets back into the taxi. He drives some more, stops, shows your card to more people. They are all baffled. It is the most mysterious card they have ever seen. It might not even be in Chinese.

Finally, when you are starting to believe that the hotel staff, as a prank, wrote down an address in Mongolia, you somehow arrive at your destination. You and the driver exchange noises of congratulation. Then you look at the taxi meter, and after some calculating, you realize that your bill for this entire trip -- one of the most intense and exciting journeys of your life -- is $2.40. You pay the driver, adding a tip of around 50 cents, because you have learned that if you try to give him more, he will give it back. You feel a bond with this man. You trust him totally. You're pretty sure that if the hotel staff had written ''The Moon'' on your card, he'd have found a way to get you there.

And as you watch him drive away, you feel pretty darned good about yourself, too. You're a world traveler, an explorer in the mold of Columbus, who crossed the Atlantic Ocean with nothing to guide him but a little hotel card that said ``America.''

Yes, by God, you have reached your destination. There is only one problem.

Somehow, you will have to get back.

Zettai Baka said:

From my writing, you'll probably know I am very proudly Chinese. The 'China / Japan' issue is something that genertea a lot of passion here - and I am very much in favour of the 'past is past so let's go forward' view.

I think Japan is a good country that has much to teach China. I think the Japanese people I have met and been, without exception, very kind and friendly and polite. The places I have been in Japan are clean, hygeine. Japanese food is healthy and no oil. So I frequently dispute with friends who have very anti-Japan feelings.

Of course, it is easy for me to say this. I was hardly alive when we were at war. My wife was not hurt. My children were not killed. I do understand that it's very impossible to forget and forgive. I also am not thrilled with Japanese actions and text-books.

But I do believe that in the end, we can either focus on the future or focus on the past. Going forward does not necessarily mean forgeting or dishonouring the past - it means we have recognised and moved on from dark times.

Today, the world is so small and Japan is our closest neighbour. Japan is a big trading partner. Our Olympic hockey team is Japanese coach. Many of us drive Japanese cars. And Japan keeps traditional Chinese characters more than China.

I don't pretend I know European history well, but I do guess that history and relationship with Germany is more developed than our feelings and relationship with Japan. It will take time.

A couple of comments:

a) China education style is the professor stands at front and lecturers to the students who don't ask questions. I think this is not a good style. I think the socrates style is better and the younger professors are slowly doing that - but it's slow development.

Tough to generalise 'attitude towards the west'. In general, there is considerable respect and admiration and perhaps a bit of envy for big western schools. I would say most students would certainly agree to go overseas educations over local schools if they could have the opportunity.

But that is changing. Standard of education in Chinese schools is going up very quickly. The new facilities of the Universities are better and better. Happily, many of the Olympic Venues are actually additions to existing Universities. Before, the overseas choice was automatic if you could. These days, the decision must be thought longer.

c) Chinese students I would argue are extremely hard working... almost too much. To get into the top Universities is big pressure. I'd like to see students playing a bit more because I think playing is part of education too. But when the top Univeristy in china only takes 250 students into a certain course, and there are 500,000 applying, that's hard.  On the plus side, every year it seems the Physics International Competition or the Mathematics Olympiad does very well for China.

And personally I'm happy that the students put high priority on English.

d) I think Chinese students do like to read a lot of news. Google, Yahoo, Reuters, BBC is popular... and Voice of America Radio is regularly english lesson for many. Since many of those news come from America, I get the feeling young students know quite a bit of America. The downside is that with DVDs being so cheap here (plus bit torrent everywhere), they're forever watching Prison Break and Desperate Housewives and OC... and I believe not properly making distinction between real and story. I am of the opinion that Monica, Chandler, Joey, Ross, Rachel and Phoebe have taught more English classes in China than 100 professors.

Crap, this thread is still going on?!

I have to say that China is Galactic Civilizations II's definition of evil: "A civilization that only thinks of its own advancement and doesn't care who gets hurt as long as it gets what it wants in the end."

I find China's government horrible and evil, though there is lots of great culture and people there. China used this Olympics to show and be more stuck up then before. Going back on its word to allow journalists to have free speech, setting protest zones (aka traps), falsifying the ages of some of its athletes, bribing judges to favor their athletes, making tourists disappear, it's sickening.

After the Olympics, China will resume its schedule to oppressing its people and trying to take territory from it's neighbors. A voice in the back of my head tells me that the U.S. should invade China just to end all this...

Nevertheless, I am already seeing a well written arguement from Mightgoobi, lol.

 

Etrius

I must say I'm looking forward to it. It's a very interesting thread.

Forgive me if this has already been asked before, but I'm curious; was there a particular reason you chose the screen name mightygoobi?

I live in TOronto Chinatown in Canada, recently, i ask one of my mainland friends regarding what will happen to Tibet and Xiajiang after the Olympics.  He said probably they will get their share of wrath from China after the Olympics.  Me being a chinese myself, and also having been in the west for awhile, i mean over 10 years.  I have always heard the problem about Tibet and more recently Xianjiang.  My feeling is that as far as these two regions are concerned to the many Han Chinese, they pretty much don't care about it.  In other words, it is not on their immediate radar of notice.  With the problem of Tibet, all i can say is that when we were in school, in history class, we learned that there were close political ties between Tibet and the rest of China, this is before the Qing Dynasty.  THere was a famous story about a Tibetan princess who sacrifice her own choices over the wish of the state to marry one of the chinese royalities so that a political alliance/partnership can be form.  THere is also close religious ties.  As a restul of thses stories and others, we have associated that Tibet and China and closely linked.  But i am being vague here about the word "close", because such a word can mean dfferent thngs to different people.  Is Tibet part of China.  I personally don't think i am qualify to answer such a broad historical question.  But does it have links to China, the answer is "yes".

 

So then..what should china do about the Tibet, well...i think the more important questions are..how do Han chinese and Tibetan want to live with each other.  Obviously, there are probably animosity between Tibetans and Han chinese in some regions.  I read in the news in some parts of sichuan province where there are tibetan towns, Hans and Tibetans mingle with each other very well.  I don't know if that is the exception or the rule.  Anyways, i think it is more important that the majority of han chinese think long term how to resolve the Tibet issue, and also for Tibet to think about the pros and cons of separating from China.  I am not advocating separation, and i don't think many chinese would like to see Tibet being broken up from China.  But what we wish and what sometimes reality dishes to us are two different stories.   Right now, the situtation is less than pleasant, and is not even thawing.  

I don't know much about XIanjiang, but i would imagine that everyone in china should really take a close look at each other and see if they are to live with each other and coexist in a peaceful manner, how can the two group benefit each other.

It is very easy to just wish that.."oh...such and such region are part of china for X thousand of years.  sooo live with it."  But to deal with teh consequence of reality is much harder than just simple admonishment.    China has many options before and now.  I hope what the government chooses will deflate the situation soon.  Because it is to no ones benefits.  Something like this can only breed resentment amongst the Tibetant if left unattended, and not only Tibetans, but also amongst the chinese people.  I can say the same thing about Xianjiang too.  I just hope in the end, China don't have to resort to methods use by the Russians.

After the former, I doubt the latter will be a problem.

My personal take on this often raised topic, is that it is fantasy to even think let alone believe that 1.3Billion people can be moved against their will - permanently - down a track they do not wish to go.  That China is changing - and fast - is self evident, and they cannot do in 40 years what took (for example) over 150 years to get anywhere near the end result of Democracy in the US.  In the interim there will be much that can easily be sniped at, does not take much thought.

I believe they have started down a road they cant turn back on - the people will, in the end, not allow it.  To continue down that road, economic expansion has to be the first and foremost priority if they are to create the resource and wherewithal to continue.  So, yup lots of things they can do, but all takes time - China is already no where near what it was in the 70's during the Cultural Revolution, and has moved visibly and permanently away from that silliness.  The latter is an immense leap in 30 years. 

Having already adopted an increasingly Capitalist economic model that grows by the day, I have no doubt the next 30 years will be just as profound in the changes - it has to be to survive and grow in the 21st Century, they know it, so does the rest of the world who are increasingly doing business with a slowly reforming and growing Country.

Never fight a land war in Asia!

The IOC President said all very clearly in his closing speech  " A truly exceptional Games"

 

Take a bow, that was a very impressive Games, the best I have seen since I can remember the first I saw in 1960.  There will inevitably be some who try to rain on the parade, but those boring people will be like King Canute holding back the tide.  It was a great job well done.

 

For me, the lasting memory will be the participation and enthusiasm of the volunteers, no one can mask, hide or fake genuine enthusiasm in body language.  That has been verified by all the reports from a myriad of sources that also have been so impressed by the keenness displayed in the population, and in their efforts to make it a success, not only in the main stadiums, but in particular in the teeming thousands of volunteer hosts around the cities and events helping visitors and tourists.

 

Stand tall mightygoobi, you guys did real good

 

Hello everyone!

I have read this thread with joy!
Finally something without too much brainless flaming but with a lot of information to learn from!

And thanks a lot to mightygoobi, for your patience and continuing explanations. All the best and keep it going!
I have only been in Beijing once and have been very impressed by what I have seen (I don't mean the "WalMart Super Center", which has been one of the first things I remember seeing...). Huh, this city is EXPLODING! The skyline is literally consisting of those construction cranes for building the skyscrapers...). You can actually feel the city growing and changing under your very feet. It was definitally not my last visit...

Congratulations for those spectacular Olympic Games! This was an event you guys can really be proud of.

And please don't be discouraged by the western media... Not everyone believes what they say unconditionally...

A report from Western media (reference support from the Chinese people) for once reporting the good in China not just the bad:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26374964/

mightygoobi where are you?  This thred is dying without your input!