2008年07月08日 星期二 05:39 P.M.
As many as 40 million flowers are scheduled to bloom during the Beijing Olympic Games, despite the hot and humid weather during the summer in the Chinese capital.
“August and September in Beijing is a tough season for flowers. The excessive heat and rain tend to shorten the blooming of the flowers and also make flower breeding a difficult job,” said Yao Shicai, a senior flower expert with the Beijing Research Institute of Landscape and Gardening (BRILG). “Besides, market demand in these two months is also a low period, so horticulturists don’t try to grow things in this season and leave the city flower-lean.”
During the Games, dozens of qualified local flower providers are ready to provide flowers of over 100 different species for the Olympic city.
Located about 20 minutes’ drive away from Olympic Green, BRILG is set to provide 880,000 fresh flowers as well as 400,000 backup flowers for the Games, with a contract value totaling around 2 million yuan.
All Olympic flowers are those commonly seen in Beijing, though they have gone through certain kinds of crossbreeding in order to bloom in summer, explained Yong Wei, director of the marketing division of BRILG.
It’s reported that most Olympics flowers are improved hybrids whose parent flowers include both local flowers and foreign flowers. Crossbreeding has made the flowers stronger so they can withstand the summer heat, bloom longer and be more resistant to possible diseases.
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A butterfly perches on a lingleaf speedwell flower. Originating from China, the lingleaf speedwell is commonly found in blue or pink. It sells for 3.5 yuan per pot and is a perennial. [Yang Jie/Chinadaily.com.cn]
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However, “most Olympic flowers are seasonal ones. They will die out after the Games,” said Yong, which sounds somewhat pathetic, yet relieves concerns about the possible environmental fallout of crossbred flowers.
“For the perennial ones, as they are locally-based and already part of local eco-system, they naturally will not threaten the local eco-system”, said Yong.
Yet flower providers still have a long way to go before they can finally take the load off their minds. Sophisticated horticulture means have made Olympic flowers immune to excessive heat and rain, but not heavy rain.
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Originating from South America, the wishbone flower is commonly found in blue, pink, purple or white. It sells for 15 yuan per pot and is the most expensive flower the BRILG will provide for the Games. [Yang Jie/Chinadaily.com.cn]
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“Though we have backup flowers ready, we still hope extreme conditions such as heavy rain will not happen to ruin our delicate beauties,” said Yao.
Completely at ease in front of the media, Yao reveals that his calm demeanor is earned through experience as he has been constantly interviewed about the Olympic flowers since the end of last year.
Yao also reveals the trick to make sure all flowers bloom exactly in Olympic duration.
“First, we need to select flowers which are able to bloom in August and plant them at the right time,” he explains. “Then we need to make good use of growth hormones to slow down or accelerate the growth of flowers so that they can bloom to their full potential during the Olympics.”
“All these growth hormones are hormones widely used in daily gardening and deliver no harm to the environment, human bodies or any animals,” Yao said.
Having a Green Olympics
Flower providers began growing flowers June 20 and by July 15 most flowers will be put in place in and around Olympic venues. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry (BMBLF) is in charge of the whole process.
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Originating from Mexico, the zinnia is commonly found in white or orange. It sells for 2 yuan per pot. The BRILG will provide 30,000 pots of zinnia flowers for the Games. [Yang Jie/Chinadaily.com.cn]
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“The reason we start growing flowers now is that an influx of foreign tourists is expected late July and the flowers are to coincide with their arrival,” explained Zhou Jianping, Deputy Director with BMBLF, when he was overseeing the flowers planted in the Olympic Green on June 20.
“The fact that we divide the flowers and start planting a bit early before the start of the Games is also intended to avoid putting too much pressure on traffic,” Zhou said.
Water is another concern besides traffic. While the maintenance of fresh flowers demands a large amount of water, Beijing itself is a water scarce city.
“We will water the flowers with reclaimed water where conditions permit”, said Zhou. “For example, we use reclaimed water for those flowers planted in the venue areas in the Olympic Green.”
Five million flowers are set to be planted around the venues in the Olympic Green, covering an area of up to 100,000 square meters.
Originating from Java, the flame nettle is one of the 20 most commonly used Olympic flowers, and it's one of the major flowers to form the auspicious cloud-shaped flower beds of the Olympic Green. Flame nettle sells for 2 yuan per pot. [Yang Jie/Chinadaily.com.cn] |
“We use automatic sprinklers to water flowers in the airport,” said Zhou.
Wherever automatic sprinklers are possible, flower watering can be decreased to once a week from the current every two or three days, which will save water and reduce traffic, said Zhou.
A total of 6,000 flowerbeds will be in place at T2 and T3 as well as the Airport Highway.
Mixed response
Most Chinese are surprised at the large amount of flowers needed for Olympics, compared to their foreign counterparts when asked how they feel about the idea of decking out Olympics venues with flowers.
Salvatore Miranda, an Italian writer who is married to a Chinese woman, says it’s understandable. “The Olympics are like a stage where countries can show their power. The western countries have had their time and now it’s China’s turn.”
Charlotte Foucaut, a French woman who came to China a year ago and has been teaching in a Chinese college in a Beijing suburb, thinks the idea of having flowers is great from an aesthetic point of view. But she said, “If it threatens other flower species or if it represents some kind of threat of any kind to the environment or if it uses too much water then the answer is a huge NO.”
Zhang Fangfang, a Chinese software engineer working with a Chinese IT company, said 40 million flowers is not a small number. Yet considering Beijing has a tradition to deck the city with flowers during such holidays as the National Day holiday and May Day holiday, she thinks that having flowers for the Olympics is just a continuation of the tradition. And the Games is no ordinary holiday, it’s huge, so it’s natural it needs more flowers.
Huang Qiliang, a Chinese interpreter working with the Official Broadcaster for the Olympics, said the large number of flowers is a huge waste of resources. “However, because not all citizens can be involved into the Games, smelling the flowers is a big celebration for them.” He wishes the flowers would be given to citizens for free after the Games.
Contribute to the comments
To contact the writer: yangjie1@chinadaily.com.cn
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2008年07月08日 星期二 05:36 P.M.
As Beijing on Tuesday marks the one-month countdown to the start of the Olympics, here are 30 reasons which make the Games special:
1. Volunteers
The 100,000-strong army of Beijing Olympic volunteers is the largest in Olympic history.
Each of the 70,000 Olympic and 30,000 Paralympic volunteers has undergone months of training.
The good Samaritans from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Europe, the US and Australia will join 400,000 city volunteers who will help visitors on Beijing's streets.
Volunteers were honored with the song, I Am a Star.
2. Double the responsibility
2008 is the first time one organizing team will oversee both the Olympics and Paralympics.
The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) is the first organization to shoulder such a formidable responsibility and BOCOG has promised the two events will be of equal splendor.
3. First digital broadcast
High-definition technology will be used for all TV broadcast operations, with all events and ceremonies enjoying 5.1 surround sound, a first for the Olympics.
Clearer screen pictures and scenery will be a feature of the Beijing Games.
4. Biggest TV audience ever
A record 4 billion people are set to watch the Beijing Games.
Beijing Olympic Broadcasting (BOB), the official broadcaster of the Games, will produce about 5,400 hours of programs during the 17-day gala, 2,000 more than in Athens four years ago.
5. Multimedia for the first time
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has, for the first time, separately sold broadcasting rights for television and new media such as Internet and mobile networks.
CCTV acquired the TV rights for the Beijing Games, while CCTV.com was awarded the domestic Internet and mobile platform license. CCTV.com recently signed an agreement with Sohu.com, the Games' Internet content services sponsor, to share content.
6. Biggest media contingent ever
About 40,000 journalists will cover the Games, including 21,600 accredited media workers in press, broadcasting and television.
The Beijing International Media Center will also provide some 10,000 non-accredited journalists work areas and accommodation, among other services.
7. Largest number of host cities
To help host a successful Games, six cities in China have joined Beijing as co-hosts. Tianjin, Shanghai, Qinhuangdao in Hebei province and Shenyang in Liaoning province will stage some Olympic soccer matches.
The coastal city of Qingdao in Shandong province will host the sailing regatta, while Hong Kong, a city with a long history of horse racing and matching first-class facilities, will play host to equestrian events.
8. New sports
To modernize the Games, the IOC will introduce two new sports to the Beijing Games: Bicycle motocross (BMX) and the 10km marathon swim.
BMX will offer two gold medals in individual men and women's competitions.
Marathon swimming will be held in Shunyi Water Park and offer two gold medals in individual men and women's competitions.
Owing to limited participation worldwide, softball and baseball are expected to make their final Olympic appearance in Beijing after being axed from the London program.
9. Cheerleaders
Some 600 cheerleaders from all over the country will go all out to entertain spectators with Chinese folk dancing, acrobatics, drum shows, lion dancing and martial arts during time-outs. Cheerleaders were selected from national Olympic cheerleading competitions and local clubs.
10. The Beijing Green
The Olympic Forest Park, 680 hectares of plantation and lakes, has given the city a new green lung.
Beijing also built a number of new water purification plants for daily water recycling, replaced dated equipment at its power plants and retrofitted gas stations citywide.
The inclusion of solar power, rain-recycling and energy-saving facilities during venue construction are all helping the Games live up to its "Green Olympics" billing.
Beijing has also planted millions of trees to minimize sandstorms. It is also working with neighboring provinces to cut emissions.
11. Torch relay the longest, highest
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay was scheduled to travel the longest distance and include the largest number of people over 130 days.
It reached the highest peak of Mount Qomolangma on May 8. Following the Sichuan earthquake, the torch relay route was curtailed in each city and special mourning sessions were added.
The leg in earthquake-hit Sichuan province has been rescheduled to August, just before the Games begins.
12. English, English
A 170-page Chinese Menu in English Version is seen as exemplary of one success of the English-speaking campaign throughout the city.
Pop stars teaching audiences correct English pronunciation and cab drivers toting language books all are part of Beijing's multilingual pre-Olympic effort.
"It's not just about the language, it's about how open and confident we are," said Li Yang, founder of Crazy English.
13. Babies named after Olympics
A total of 4,104 Chinese have been named Aoyun (Chinese for "the Olympics") in homage to the Beijing Olympic Games, according to the figures released by the National Citizen Identity Information Center under the Ministry of Public Security in June.
Nearly 700 of the names were registered in 1992, when Beijing first applied to host the Games and another 553 were registered in 2001, when the city officially won the bid.
About 92 percent of those named Aoyun are male.
14. Weddings during the year and on opening day
Aug 8, 2008, or 08-08-08, is more than just a date: it marks both the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games and is considered a lucky day for marriage with so many eights. It is estimated that 15,000 couples will marry in Beijing on the day and 130,000-140,000 this year.
15. Highest number of cultural festivals
Games organizers have held an annual Olympic cultural festival since 2003, with the sixth beginning two weeks ago and running for the next three months.
China's ancient culture and civilization are now being showcased to promote the Olympic spirit and publicize a green, hi-tech and people's Olympics.
16. Massive Olympic education campaign
Educating young people through sports is one of the primary goals of the Olympic Movement.
About 400 million young people in more than 500,000 schools across the country have received Olympic lessons ahead of the Beijing Games. More than 500 model schools have been named and a series of Olympic readers compiled and presented to students.
17. Highest number of doping tests
The anti-doping effort at the Beijing Games will be more extensive than ever, with as many as 4,500 doping tests, 25 percent more than in Athens four years ago and 90 percent more than in Sydney in 2000.
Tests will be carried out from July 27 at 41 test stations at the Olympic Village and all Olympic match venues.
18. Highest spending
The cost of the Beijing Games will dwarf the previous Olympics in Greece with total investment likely to reach $43 billion.
Venues, estimated to have cost about $1.8 billion to build, will be utilized as public sport and entertainment complexes afterwards.
Beijing also spent $16 billion in the past decade reducing smog, while additional infrastructure, such as the world's largest airport terminal, T3, an advanced railway station and new subway systems required vast expenditure.
19. Largest transport expansion
Beijing's first subway linking Fuxingmen and Beijing Railway Station was initially built for military use, but today, 1.5 million passengers ride the 2-yuan subway each day.
The existing subway network spans 155 km and has 93 stations. Three new lines will open shortly before the Games, to transport visitors to and from the new airport terminal and between the Bird's Nest and downtown, and construction of more lines will continue following them.
At least six others are already under construction, with an aim to stretch the network to more than 561 km and 420 stations.
20. Highest number of mascots - five
Multiple Olympic mascots are not uncommon, but for the first time more than three figures will share Summer Olympic mascot duty when the five Fuwa take center stage.
Featuring four of China's most popular animals - the fish, the panda, the Tibetan antelope and the swallow - and the Olympic flame, the mascots' names are "Beibei," "Jingjing," "Huanhuan," "Yingying" and "Nini," which together reads in Chinese as "Beijing welcomes you".
21. Venues on fengshui
Beijing wished for its Olympic venues to be an expansion of its history and culture, both of which are firmly set on the spine of the city, a 7.7 km axis line running right through the emperor's seat at the Forbidden City, the middle of Tian'anmen Square, the Drum and Bell towers and Yongdingmen.
The north-south axis was believed to bring eternal stability, prompting designers of the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube to position them on either side of it.
In doing so, they have integrated modern ideas with the deep-rooted spirit of the Middle Kingdom.
22. Record number of sponsors, revenue
Since launching the Beijing 2008 Olympic Marketing Plan in September 2003, a total of 63 enterprises have become sponsors of the Beijing Games, including 12 worldwide Olympic partners.
BOCOG's deal with sports equipment supplier adidas covers 18 sports, and more than 6,000 officially licensed Olympic products have hit the market.
23. Largest ever team from China
China will field its largest Olympic team to date when about 570 athletes contest 28 sports in Beijing.
But Chinese sports officials are trying to downplay predictions that the nation will scoop the most gold medals, affirming US and Russia as sporting powerhouses.
At the 2004 Athens Games, 407 Chinese athletes participated in 26 sports and finished second on the medal tally after the US.
24. Lowest ticket prices
Taking into account China's average purchasing power, BOCOG ensured a low-price policy for Beijing Olympic and Paralympic tickets.
Opening ceremony prices were capped at 5,000 yuan ($641) per head, while the lowest price to a sports competition was 30 yuan ($4).
Closing ceremony tickets ranged from 150-3,000 yuan ($19-385), preliminary competition tickets from 30-300 yuan ($4-39) and tickets to the finals cost between 60 and 1,000 yuan ($8-128).
BOCOG also reserved about 14 percent of all domestically sold tickets for students at the handsome price of 5 yuan ($0.6) and 10 yuan ($1.2) for preliminaries and finals respectively.
25. Highest number of foreign coaches
In striving for excellence, various Chinese national teams have invited foreign coaches to guide them.
More than 30 foreign coaches are currently working with the Chinese Olympic team.
Many among them, such as men's basketball coach Jonas Kazlauskas (right) from Lithuania and synchronized swimming head coach Masayo Imura from Japan, are expected to lead the home outfits to their peak performances.
26. Number of China-born athletes representing other federations
A group of Chinese-born athletes representing other countries or regions will be an important force in Beijing.
Led by former badminton national team member Zhou Mi and Wang Chen, who represent Hong Kong, and table tennis player Li Jiawei of Singapore, they will pose formidable challenges to their Chinese rivals.
27. Number of Chinese coaches in other countries and regions
A number of Chinese coaches will lead foreign teams on home soil, such as women's volleyball legend Lang Ping (right), who will lead the US women's team.
Meanwhile, former coach of the Chinese badminton team Li Mao will lead the South Korean team.
28. Medals of jade
Olympic medals are for the first time made of metal and jade. The medals were inlaid with Kunlun jade from China's Qinghai province in a symbol of "respect" and "virtue" in the Chinese tradition.
China's rich culture and history is clearly embodied in the winning designs, which reflect the values of ethics and honor, combined the with Olympic and Paralympic spirit.
29. Wushu
People who love Chinese martial arts must not miss the Beijing 2008 Wushu Tournament to be held on the sidelines of the Beijing Olympic Games from Aug 21 to 24 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.
About 128 athletes from 43 countries and regions will contest. Approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Chinese martial arts competition will feature 15 events, including 10 in Taolu (the routines) and five for Sanshou (fights).
Although not a medal sport, the tournament will be an important showcase and springboard for wushu's wish to join the Olympic family.
30. Significance of 08-08-08
It is no coincidence that the Beijing Games begins at 8 pm on the 8th day of the 8th month of '08.
The number 8 has special significance to the Chinese, because 8 in Chinese is pronounced "ba", which sounds a lot like "fa", which means prosperity or wealth, as in "", which means to become rich.
In Chinese culture, 8 also denotes the number of immortals and structure of trigrams, both of which are linked to auspicious ideas.
Also, when two digits of the number 8 are placed together - "88" - they resemble the stylized form of two Chinese ""characters, hence representing double happiness, a popular motif and design usually pasted upon the doors of newly married Chinese couples.
The number 8 is highly favored among the Chinese for its connotations of good luck, fortune and longevity.
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2008年07月08日 星期二 05:09 P.M.
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About 600 cheerers and dancers practice for the upcoming
2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics in Dachang County,
Hebei Province, on July 4, 2008 |
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About 600 cheerers and dancers practice for the upcoming
2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics in Dachang County,
Hebei Province, on July 4, 2008.(
![Actress Shu Qi promotes Lux's new products at a press conference in Taipei, July 7, 2008. [Photo: Tungstar/xinhuanet.com]](http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20080708/images/1215495166015_1215495166015_r.jpg) |
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Actress Shu Qi promotes Lux's new products at a press
conference in Taipei, July 7, 2008.
![Actress Shu Qi promotes Lux's new products at a press conference in Taipei, July 7, 2008. [Photo: Tungstar/xinhuanet.com]](http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20080708/images/1215495182714_1215495182714_r.jpg) |
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Actress Shu Qi promotes Lux's new products at a press
conference in Taipei, July 7, 2008.
![Actress Shu Qi promotes Lux's new products at a press conference in Taipei, July 7, 2008. [Photo: Tungstar/xinhuanet.com]](http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20080708/images/1215495193857_1215495193857_r.jpg) |
Actress Shu Qi promotes Lux's new products at a press
conference in Taipei, July 7, 2008. |
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2008年07月06日 星期日 00:52 A.M.
Local residents perform a folk dance before the Beijing Olympic torch starts its relay in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, June 26, 2008.
Torchbearer Tan Jing smiles as she runs with the Beijing Olympic torch during its relay in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, June 26, 2008.
Folk artists give a gong-and-drum performance before the Beijing Olympic torch starts its relay in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, June 26, 2008.
Folk artists perform a dragon dance before the Beijing Olympic torch starts its relay in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, June 26, 2008.
Local residents perform a folk dance during the Beijing Olympic torch relay in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, June 26, 2008
Torchbearer Yan Jiang, a wheelchair user, cheers during the Beijing Olympic torch relay in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, June 26, 2008.
Folk artists perform a dance before the Beijing Olympic torch starts its relay in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, June 26, 2008.
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2008年07月04日 星期五 11:41 P.M.
Vice President of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) Jiang Xiaoyu (L) shakes hands with BHP Billiton China President Clinton Dines in front of the Olympic medals at an official handing over ceremony in Beijing July 3, 2008. [Xinhua] |
Beijing -- The gold, silver and bronze medals that will hang around the necks of winning athletes at next month's Olympics were formally handed over Thursday to the organizers of the Beijing Games.
The 3,000 medals made for the Olympics and a similar number for the Parlympics were delivered by BHP Billiton, an Olympic sponsor and the world's largest mining company, during an hour-long ceremony near Tiananmen Square.
"We're fully prepared for the Beijing Games. All the preparations are now in place," said Jiang Xiaoyu, executive vice president of the Beijing Olympics organizing committee.
BHP Billiton China President Clinton Dines said the company decided to become a major Olympic sponsor because it wanted to show its commitment to the host nation.
"China is very important to us. It's 20 percent of our global business," he said during an interview with reporters.
"This is a big moment for China as a nation."
A total of 1,000 medals for each category was made -- enough for all the winning athletes, including those in group sports, to receive a medal.
The Melbourne-based company said the metals were shipped from its mines in Chile and Australia -- 13 kilograms of gold, 1,240 kilograms of silver, and 6,930 kilograms of copper. The medals, which incorporate jade from Qinghai province, were made in China.
Another 3,000 medals for the Paralympics, which will be held in September, were also turned over to Beijing's Olympics Organizing Committee. In addition, 51,000 commemorative medals were also made.
Olympian Gao Min, who won gold medals in diving at the 1988 and 1992 games, praised the medals for being more beautiful than previous ones.
"It is the dream of all athletes to win a medal at the Games," she said. "My Olympic medals represent the biggest honor of my lifetime and I cherish them."
These Olympics marked the first time the medals -- with the jade inlay -- were designed in a public competition.
The winning entry by China's Central Academy of Fine Arts has a distinctive Chinese style with an embossed double-dragon design, a ring of jade inlay and a gold rim. Gold and jade signify virtues of honor and ethics while the dragon connotes strength.
A Beijing Olympic Games diving gold medal is seen during an official handing over ceremony in Beijing July 3, 2008. The Beijing organisers took possession of the 6,000 medals for next month's Olympics and Paralympics in a ceremony near Tiananmen Square on Thursday, 36 days before the start of the Games.
Beijing Paralympic Games gold, silver and bronze medals is seen in an official handout photo July 3, 2008. The Beijing organisers took possession of the 6,000 medals for the Olympics and Paralympics in a ceremony near Tiananmen Square on Thursday, 36 days before the start of the Games.
BHP Billiton China President Clinton Dines holds a Beijing Olympic Games gold medal before an official handing over ceremony in Beijing July 3, 2008. The Beijing organisers took possession of the 6,000 medals for the Olympics and Paralympics in a ceremony near Tiananmen Square on Thursday, 36 days before the start of the Games.
Vice President of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) Jiang Xiaoyu (R) receives the Olympic medals from BHP Billiton China President Clinton Dines at an official handing-over ceremony in Beijing July 3, 2008. The Beijing organisers took possession of the 6,000 medals for the Olympics and Paralympics in a ceremony near Tiananmen Square on Thursday, 36 days before the start of the Games.
Vice President of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) Jiang Xiaoyu (R) laughs as he shakes hands with BHP Billiton China President Clinton Dines in front of the Olympic medals at an official handing over ceremony in Beijing July 3, 2008.
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