After Malaysia's (continued) disappointing badminton losses tonight, I needed a diversion and came across this surprising reveal about the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.
Evidently, the cute little girl Lin Miaoke was only miming the singing by the gifted but not-cute-enough little girl Yang Peiyi. The organisers felt that although "the seven-year-old Yang had the better voice," they opted to go with a mime by the prettier Lin because "the girl appearing on the picture must be flawless in terms of her facial expression and the great feeling she can give to people.... We must put our country's interest first." On a related note, tonight's win by the Chinese gymnasts also reminded me of the age controversy, where historical records indicated that some of the girls were actually underage, below the official minimum of 16 years, contrary to what was indicated in their passports.
After all the effort to host a spectacular Olympics and to cultivate a positive view of China, it's a shame that there's no distinction between city-wide clean ups, crash courses on foreign languages and manners, and employing superficial or even illegal tactics to project outward perfection and ensure success. But what message does this send to the Chinese public and especially its younger generation?! Yes, issues of pride, honor, image and legacy will always confront us - the greater the public scrutiny, the greater the pressure. Yet it's how we choose to face them that truly sets us apart and makes us great.
BTW, China isn't the only guilty party, and these are hardly the first cases of Olympic lip synching or truth-faking (drug scandals, anyone?), nor will it be the last. Even at the opening ceremony of the Turin 2006 Winter Games, Pavarotti mimed his own pre-recorded aria due to his poor health and cold weather. At least it was his own face and voice!
