tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12627448.post4425985750447727769..comments2023-10-26T22:37:19.944+09:00Comments on Chinese Chic 中華風 中華チック : Beijing Summer Olympic Games 2008 special posts...!!!hcpenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04873196049058280832noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12627448.post-85671274424301765802008-08-23T21:14:00.000+09:002008-08-23T21:14:00.000+09:00aimlesswanderer: yeah, but like i said, one can lo...aimlesswanderer: yeah, but like i said, one can look at things from many points....you choose to focus on the negatives, i the positives, we're both right, just from different perspectives.:)hcpenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04873196049058280832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12627448.post-88512087598837438992008-08-22T00:05:00.000+09:002008-08-22T00:05:00.000+09:00Things may be better, but I doubt that freedom wil...Things may be better, but I doubt that freedom will improve past a certain point, since the CCP's primary goal is to stay in power. The restricitons on freedom of speech, association, media, and such are helping them (at leas they think so) to stay in power, and so I think it's unlikely that they will change too much. Sadly, the CCP makes the same mistake that many rulers do - that what is good for the CCP is automatically good for China. The one does not always equate to the other.<BR/><BR/>I think that the overriding obsession with "putting the best face forward" backfired, and was taken to the extreme, which resulted in some very silly things, which were easy targets. <BR/><BR/>I also think that the CCP got on the wrong side of the foreign media with some predictably silly mistakes, and that atmosphere of distrust is difficult to shake, once created. Some of the things that happened, any vaguely intelligent person could have told them that the pesky foreign press would be up in arms over, but they did it anyway, and look what happened.<BR/><BR/>China gets so much attention because it is a very large, influential and fast growing country - by the end of the century, possibly the most powerful. Why do we hear about floods in the US which kill 20 people, when we don't hear about disasters which kill thousands in a random 'unimportant' African country? Do people pay much attention so some small random country with no resources or strategic value? No, not unless somethings goes badly wrong. Eg Georgia, and its recent confrontation with Russia, or Myanmar, which has once again dropped off the radar. Greater scrutiny comes with greater power - just ask the yanks! There is sometimes an element of bias, and the "Evil Chinese Government" is an easy target. It doesn't help that the CCP has, in the past, done lots of dodgy things, which is always in the back of many people's minds. But what do the CCP expect, if vast numbers of furrin journalists turn up for a month? They aren't going to parrot the Offical Line like local journalists.<BR/><BR/>Sentencing 2 senior citizens to 1 year house detention for being naive enough to believe the official Protest Areas were actually for protests (they submitted multiple requests to protest about their old houses being demolished) is not going to win you any friends!!! And claims that it was "sold out"? If sold out means vast numbers of empty seats, then yes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12627448.post-67886080740603946092008-08-20T11:59:00.000+09:002008-08-20T11:59:00.000+09:00aimlesswanderer: Well, it is abit superficial in m...aimlesswanderer: Well, it is abit superficial in many ways, that much i've to admit...read my latest post..but in terms, of media freedom, there has been huge improvements just in terms of journalistic freedom during these Games, read around foreign correspondent blogs, most say things have improved significantly, where previously they couldn't go anywhere without a permit, now they're allowed to go everywhere (with the exception of Tibet) and interview anyone (albeit with alot of threatening men n police surrounding them) THAT is an improvement, no one said one olympics which last for two weeks will change China 180 degrees...probably the people who need changing are those who set unrealistic expectations on a country which is clearly trying its best to improve (and has) and which needs encouragement and praise now instead of unnecessary criticism which are not well founded anyways. its like telling a schoolyard bully eager to change whom gets c and ds that he hasn't improved bcos he has now only got b- and c+ which is deemed not an improvement when it clearly is. Maybe more attention should be payed to countries surrounding China, whom have the same level of human rights shortcomings but get away with it bcos of all this attention solely on China.hcpenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04873196049058280832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12627448.post-72179999413944738772008-08-16T20:22:00.000+09:002008-08-16T20:22:00.000+09:00But you've gotta love the little girl whose (pre r...But you've gotta love the little girl whose (pre recorded) voice we heard, who was dumped because she wasn't 'flawless' according to the 9 most powerful men in China (the Politburo-don't they have more important things to worry about???). Then the "live" broadcast of the fireworks, some of which was 'digitally enhanced' from the rehearsals. <BR/>And then the "happy minorty kids" in their colourful costumes who were in fact Han Chinese.<BR/>There have been some embarassingly empty venues, and the bused in volunteers who make lots of noise aren't such a good look.<BR/>It seems like the fun, happy atmosphere has been stifled. In Sydney there were lots of happy people milling around the big screens and the city, and there was a festive air. Beijing seems to be boring and non festive. The areas outside the main venues look deserted except for goose stepping soldiers. In Sydney the whole Olympic Park was full of happy crowds of people. There have been a few complaints from athletes that the Athletes Village is boring, with no booze and a dodgy disco which shuts down at midnight. <BR/><BR/>There has been rough treatment, detention, confiscation of equipment from journalists, as per normal, though less.<BR/>The usual CCP media tactics have backfired, and even the daily BOCOG/IOC press conferences have been cancelled because they didn't want to answer uncomfortable questions! It was bizarre that the Chinese took video of photos of all the journalists who attended the last briefing, nothing like a sbutle hint!<BR/><BR/>From a purely technical standpoint, the games have been excellent, but the even is not just about that - the happy. festive atmosphere has been killed, and that is a real shame. The CCP really did go for massive overkill and superficiality, and its drawbacks are coming back to bite them in the backside. Half the battle for positive media coverage is to make the journalists happy (the beatings, detentions, confiscations, internet restrictions, restrictions on where they can go, armoured vehicles subtly parked outside the press centre door, not answering questions, bad news censored, etc have not helped), but that battle has been well and truly lost.... too much trickery and dodginess.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12627448.post-87884755406890771442008-08-10T10:00:00.000+09:002008-08-10T10:00:00.000+09:00savante: wow! so long haven't got a comment from u...savante: wow! so long haven't got a comment from u, i'm surprised u even still read my blog..haha..yea, it was a great, little short though, the beginning part..i fell asleep with the parade of nations, like over 200 of them..;)hcpenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04873196049058280832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12627448.post-41804732278991185332008-08-09T01:50:00.000+09:002008-08-09T01:50:00.000+09:00No matter what, it's gonna be wonderful I'm sure.No matter what, it's gonna be wonderful I'm sure.savantehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11298564303784032379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12627448.post-18586955019321300232008-08-08T10:13:00.000+09:002008-08-08T10:13:00.000+09:00legolas: yeah..i'm super excited myself..the first...legolas: yeah..i'm super excited myself..the first time the chinese nation has held an olympics..i'll be glued to the tv on time tonite..enjoy!;)hcpenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04873196049058280832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12627448.post-32900041275548484662008-08-07T23:37:00.000+09:002008-08-07T23:37:00.000+09:00Will be watching the opening ceremony at home with...Will be watching the opening ceremony at home with colleagues. Can't wait.Legolashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06844359578786542287noreply@blogger.com