Beijing Notebook
Participants perform in the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium. The stadium is also known as the Bird's Nest.Photo/REUTERS
Mystery of filled arenas, empty streets
Strange things are happening here. You get into a gymnasium and its filled to the brim, yet there is not a sign of activity outside and the parking lot is absolutely deserted.
With a country of 1.3 billion people, there is every indication that there could be an organised programme to ferry “fans” into the competition venues, make them shout themselves hoarse and, immediately after the games, ferry them back, in busloads, to their temporary places of abode.
What else could explain packed stadiums daily but the glaringly missing carnival atmosphere on the strangely deserted streets minutes after the match?
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Reality TV bug bites big time in China
China’s cultural revolution has opened up the world’s most populous nation. China is fast embracing all the attractions of modern society, from hip-hop, to fast foods and fashion labels. And what the rest of the world can do, the Chinese can do bigger.
The latest craze now is reality television. Big Brother might be a big deal in Kenya, but not until you learn about The Disciple. This Chinese reality TV show closed at the Great Wall recently when film star Jackie Chan picked 24-year-old Jack Tu as the winner from an amazing entry of 50,000 and a massive elimination process.
Tu’s reward?: He will accompany Chan to learn about international film-making and star in one of Chan’s movies!
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Pressures eases as visitors start to leave
The pressure is beginning to ease off on the Beijing transport system as athletes and officials leave after the end of their competition programmes. By Tuesday’s count, about 4,200 athletes had left, some in joy, others in heartbreak.
Almost 1,500 competitors from Russia, Japan, Hungary and Italy departed on Tuesday alone. Kenyan swimmers and boxers are already back home while some athletes will leave this week headed for Europe to continue with their commitments for the season. The rest of the Kenyan team leaves next Wednesday.
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Hong Kong man on the Forbes rich list
Money matters now. Li Ka-shing is Asia’s richest man. The 78-year-old secondary school dropout hails from Hong Kong, which is hosting the Olympic Games’ equestrian programme.
With a net worth of $23 billion, Ka-shing ranks ninth on the world on the Forbes rich list and his fortunes seem to be getting better.
The world’s largest operator of container terminals, supplier of electricity to Hong Kong, mobile phone service provider, estate developer and retailer also owns a multi-media concern, Tom Group. The group runs Tom Online.
