The Beijing Olympics opening ceremony started at 8:08:08 pm on 8 August 2008. How creative!
The opening ceremony is a combination of:
> modern technology
> art and culture
> discipline and focus of the people.
China can be proud of its remarkable achievements during the past two decades. Many people now forget that China is a Communist controlled country. China has shown that a Communist system can deliver peace, progress and prosperity for its people. I am amazed at the pride and loyalty of the people towards China.
This is one side of the picture, the very positive and outward side. Typically communist systems can go to great lengths (at tremendous cost) to achieve something for face value. They spent about 3 times more (billions) than the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. I read that they even denied use of a water source for farming for a nearby province just to ensure more can be supplied to Beijing. For democratic countries it may not be so easy to do such things.
ReplyDeleteStop being far-fetched and sour grape. What's wrong with showcasing the world the best ever opening ceremony? In "democratic" Singapore, the Government spends hundreds of millions dollars on NDP whereas many old folks have to be cleaners and ordinary ppl are suffering the high inflation. If u wear ideological glasses, u can always see negative things.
ReplyDeleteMr. Tan, I tend to agree what lies in the success of the Olympics Opening Ceremony hinged mostly on the last of your 3 in 1 combination of factors you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteMany people still has a misconception about how to get things done or how things are actually done in China.
Perhaps in our own democratic system, we are always talking about those 99 ways out of 100 available which are not workable, and we are left to find that 1 way which might really work, which we then need to seek "approval" from Authorities. By then , we are already lacking in the "warmth" to get things done to the best.
To China, perhaps "focus and discipline" could be just on that 1way that really works to achieve the best. And if "focus" is complemented by "warmth" personally in getting things done ... you see the results.
Personally, I find it could be even faster and easier to get simple things done in China, that is if we know the right way. Perahps, we are still wrongly assumming that Communism in China means a total 100% control of the 100 ways to get a certain thing done.
But perhaps, they have actually evolved and alleviated to a level that they can identify that this 'one' way which will work best without much debate about what could not work, and yet this one way is still warmly accept by the majority of Chinese, not just in China, but shared by Chinese all over the world.
There are more than meet the eye. If the system can deliver peace, what peace are we taliking with respect the the Tibetan people, what progress when they are places where fresh drinking water are not avaliable and prosperity when you have droves of china girls coming to Spore and Malaysia selling their bodies for money. There are unreported selective political presecution, heavy corruption and many more.
ReplyDeleteLook at Singapore. Peace, progress and prosperity? The media only reports the good part that benefit some group of people.
080808 - Beijing Olympics opening ceremony
ReplyDelete090808 - Singapore NDP
One heaven one earth.
Beijing Olympics opening ceremony is simply amazing! Zhang Yimou is really a talent.