“I sweated a lot and people were staring at me, thinking I’m a crazy foreign guy,” Linnell said, joyfully recalling his half-hour adventure on Thursday and laughing.

To Australian journalist Garry Linnell, covering the Olympics in Beijing is “a lot of fun”. Dining “strange” food at noisy local restaurants, playing ping pong with the Chinese in park and even jogging at the Tian’anmen Square in the morning rush hour.A veteran sports reporter, Linnell, who works for Australia’s News Limited, arrived in Beijing half a month before the Games, leaving himself enough time to see the city and scrutinize the host’s preparations.

Tian’anmen Square is a must visiting place and Linnell has been there three times. “I interviewed local people and asked how they felt about the Olympics. I am glad that I could move around with no restrictions.”

As thousands of journalists pouring into Beijing, the host is making every effort to make the often critical group satisfied. From well-equipped media villages to the grandiose Main Press Center (MPC) and International Broadcasting Center (IBC), all life and work necessities seem to have been taken into consideration.

To many foreign reporters, the most noticeable phenomenon in Beijing is the huge number of volunteers who seem to be everywhere.

“I am impressed by the amount of people working here,” said Linnell, who also covered the 1992 Games in Barcelona and the 2000 Games in Sydney. “There are even two volunteers in front of the toilet room (in MPC).”

The Aussie said the volunteers are friendly and very helpful. In order to make it to an early TV interview, Linnell told volunteers at the transportation desk at the media village that he needs a Taxi at 5:00 o’clock in the morning. When he walked out of the building at 4:50 am, a Taxi awaited for him at the gate.

Brazilian reporter Rio do Janoiro shared Linnell’s compliments to the volunteers. “They are so attentive and ready to help.”

Janoiro said it’s a pity some of the volunteers don’t speak English. “But if they don’t understand, they call other people for help. I once had four to five volunteers around me trying to help. It’s so cool.”

According to the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 29th Olympic Games (BOCOG), there are about 100,000 Olympic volunteers in Beijing and the six co-host cities.

In addition to the huge number of personnel, Beijing’s efforts in providing first-class living and working environment are also “impressive”.

Linnell used “extraordinary” to describe the brand new North Star media village, which provides 6,000 rooms to accredited Olympic journalists. “It’s only 15 minutes away by bus from the MPC. The bed is big enough and the pillow is comfortable….”

In the Huiyuan media village which is two kilometers east to the MPC and IBC, about 2,000 volunteers and staff are working on shift and fitness center, clinic, bank, post office and free laundry are open to all journalists.

Stuart Vallace, staff of the Australian TV Channel 7, said he was very happy with the free laundry. “I spent 30 US dollars on laundry in Turin (Winter Games) for a bag of clothes. Here is free. It’s nice.”

Source China Daily
Date 07/26/08

BEIJING — The elderly were playing cards on Friday afternoon in Ritan Park while children all around them ran wild and laughed. Others were sleeping on chairs, paying no regard that the park had been designated for protests, if any, during the Olympic Games.

“The worst thing I expect is that I have to suspend my business for several weeks during the demonstrations,” said Sun Xiaosheng, proprietor of a rock climbing wall. “But I believe the protests would be peaceful. It is unlikely that violent protestors would destroy the park or hurt us.”

Ritan, or Temple of Heaven, about 10 km from Beijing’s Tian’anmen Square, was where emperors in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties worshiped Heaven and prayed for a good harvest. It was turned into a 20-hectare park after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

China announced on Wednesday it would set up zones in three Beijing parks where demonstrators could legally stage protests during the August Games. They are Zizhuyuan Park in the city’s northwest, Ritan Park in the east and World Park in the southwest.

“The move to set aside protest areas is in line with Beijing’s promises to the International Olympic Committee to adhere to Olympic traditions, such as free expression outside sporting venues. It offers a new channel for the protestors to better express their opinions by attracting eyes of the tourists, reporters and officials during the Games,” said Mo Yuchuan, director of Research Center for Constitutional and Administrative Law of Renmin University of China.

“The measure is also expected to help reduce the risk that unexpected demonstrations of large scale would harm the public interests,” he said.

Liu Shaowu, Beijing Olympics organizing committee security director, said no demonstration of “political, religious or racial propaganda” would be permitted in Olympic sites or areas.

But managers of the parks were still waiting for detailed orders such as which parts of the parks would be set aside for public demonstrations, how large the area was, or how to prepare for the potential protests.

Authorities of Zizhuyuan Park, which is about 100 meters from the Capital Indoor Stadium, are planning to set up a task team for security and evacuation during the Games.

Hao Suliang, the park spokesman, started to learn the law on assemblies, procession and demonstrations upon his return from Shanghai to Beijing on Friday. “We would prepare well according to the law so that protestors can express their opinions,” he said.

The Chinese law requires that demonstrators make requests at least five days in advance and detail the nature of the protest, the topic and number of participants.

The emergency plan on the board in the World Park’s official building showed forces of all departments would be mobilized to deal with 10 kinds of incidents, including illegal demonstrations, activities of heretic sects and terrorist attacks.

But park spokesman Liu Huiming said the plan targets daily accidents and specific preparations for the protest zones and would not start until orders were received from the government.

With nearly two weeks to go before the zones are opened, the biggest worry of locals was whether their lives would be disturbed.

“If the square we dance in is designated to be a protest zone, we would have no place to run or dance,” said Yang Jun who frequents Zizhuyuan Park. “Most of us are retired workers and have been used to doing sports here.”

“We hope the government can ask for our opinions before making decisions where the protest zone is located. But anyway, we would cooperate with the government,” he said.

Source China Daily
Date 07/25/08

While many people coming to Beijing for the Olympics can afford to stay in four or five-star hotels, there are many others who cannot. And that is why budget hotels are booming this summer.

While “Higher, faster and stronger” is the motto of the Olympics, it is “Lower, sweeter and safer” that budget hotels are using to market themselves. They offer comfortable, convenient and clean service for a decent price and have only recently appeared in China since the late 1990s.

And for the upcoming Games, things are looking good.

“Our rooms are very popular,” said Zhou Hangcheng, shift manager at Jinjiang Inns Hotel, which is close to the National Stadium or Bird’s nest.

“The reservation rate increased rapidly in the past two months, particularly on August 22, there is no room available. It seems to be the day Liu Xiang will compete in the 110-meter hurdles race.”

Name your price

Budget hotel chain 7 Days Inn uses the tag line, “To make customers enjoy an economical and pleasant Olympic tour.”

Boasting an online booking system, the hotel, in cooperation with Chinese Internet portal Sohu.com, launched a five-month online room bidding among its 30 hotels in Beijing and Tianjin in the run-up to the Olympics, according to Zhou Huaisheng, vice president of 7 Days Inn Group.

The bidding concept, the first of its kind in China, gives travelers the chance to name the price they want to pay for a room through a transparent online system, according to Zhou.

A room usually costs 188 rmb. There are four rounds of bidding, with each round a bit more expensive than the last. The minimum rate for a standard room in 7 Days Inn’s Beijing hotels during the fourth period, which lasts from July 1 to August 24, is 500 rmb per night, with the maximum reaching 762 rmb.

“The bidding has given our booking rate a boost, especially those close to the sports venues and subway lines,” said Zhou. “The rate for a standard room now is at an average of 600 rmb.”

“The aim of this promotion is to bring more people to Beijing and help them enjoy their Olympic visits as much as possible without causing too much of a financial burden,” he added.

“We’ve also set up a way for customers to make donations. The price difference between the price the customer bids at, and the actual price of the room, will go to charities,” Zhou said.

However, there are some budget hotels that are charging even higher rates. Home Inns Anzhen Hotel, which is close to both the National Stadium and Huixinxijie Nankou station along Beijing’s relatively new subway Line 5, is full for the Olympics, as a local company has booked the entire hotel with rooms at 1,999 rmb each.

Compared with the prosperity of budget hotels, the short-term service apartment for the Olympics seems to be suffering from a gloomier business. The occupancy rate is only one percent, according to statistics from real estate agents.

“House owners have overestimated the market. The rent for an apartment near the Bird’s Nest for August could reach an astonishing 80,000 rmb, but now it falls to 40,000 to 50,000 rmb,” said Gong Ping, vice general manager of the third-class market division of Zhongyuan Real Estate Agent Co. Ltd in Beijing. “The price is unrealistic. With the Olympics approaching, the price reduction will continue to attract more customers.”

“Another reason is that Olympic hotels and home-stays have taken many customers away from short-term service apartments, especially budget hotels,” Gong said.

Hotels in Beijing now have cut their room rates in a last ditch effort to attract tourists before the opening of the Olympic Games next month. Compared with March, room prices in the average four-star hotel in June, are reduced by 42 rmb to 2185 rmb, with the occupancy rate rising 3.3%, according to the Beijing Municipal Tourism Bureau.

Ready for guests

A comfortable bed, a clean bathroom, a table and a lamp, an oil painting on the wall, broadband access and several books are featured in a typical budget hotel room. Aiming for good service at a reasonable price, budget hotels are making their service sweeter for the upcoming Olympics.

When asked about what special services will be offered to its customers during the Games, manager Zhou Hangcheng from Jinjiang Inn Anzhen gave many reasons. Anzhen chain in Beijing is the closest hotel to the National Stadium among Jinjiang Inns’ 30 hotels in the capital city.

“As the closest branch, we are supposed to do the best job,” Zhou said.

The hotel will offer its guests free use of their bicycles during the Games. A total of 300 bicycles will be provided to customers who pedal around Beijing. “It’s convenient and environmental-friendly. It also embodies the ‘Green Olympics’ concept,” Zhou added.

A ‘Green Olympics’ raises people’s environmental protection awareness which is one of the three concepts that the Beijing Olympics embraces, along with ‘High-tech Olympics’ and ‘People’s Olympics’.

The hotel also has a plan to organize interactive activities with its guests. Zhou said there could be an “Olympic Lucky Draw” and “Olympic Games Group watching” as the events had not yet been confirmed.

Zhou said the hotel is ready to provide language service. All the staff at Jijiang Inn received English training which began earlier this year. The Jinjiang Inns group held a ‘Service in English Role-play’ contest to mark the 100-day countdown. Some staff played the role of guests, and others as waiters or waitresses. The result of the contest proved fruitful, according to Zhou.

Super 8 is the only budget hotel with a branch designated as an Olympic-endorsed hotel. It also launched an intensive English training for its staff from May to July. After the training, the staff should be able to communicate with foreign guests well, from greeting to check-in and inquiries, according to news reports.

To ensure a “safe Olympics”, all hotels, including budget ones, have stepped up security in response to terrorist attacks. Jinjiang Inns has increased its security by providing customers access only to their designated room and floor. There are more security guards on the hotel property and they are now on more shifts, according to Zhou.

Economical and comfortable most important

For 35-year-old Dai Chunguang and 28-year-old Sun Ping, they think they have made a right choice. Dai, a government staff from Guangzhou, will visit Beijing on August 15 to watch the Olympics with his wife and child. Dai has not booked the hotel yet but intends to stay at a budget one though he has never stayed in one before.

“For me, four or five-star hotels are a little expensive. For a standard room, 2,000 rmb and 3,000 rmb have now become commonplace,” he said. “Actually I have no requirements for stars — comfortable and economical are the most important.”

“I intend to stay at a budget hotel,” Dai continues. “They have a good word of mouth: Clean, comfortable and convenient. These are enough and good enough for me. Most importantly, the price is more acceptable compared with those star-rated hotels.”

Sun Ping, a college teacher in China’s central Hubei Province, has already made his travel plans. Sun, who is a member of Home Inns, booked his room with the hotel chain in mid-June. “I’m a loyal customer of Home Inns. It’s quite obvious where I’m going to stay,” Sun said.

The dedicated sports fan said he didn’t care much about the price since he decided to come watch the once-in-a-lifetime event. “Though the price is higher than normal, it’s cheaper than those star hotels,” Sun explained. “As to the service, I don’t worry about it. It’s standard. I think young people prefer this kind of hotel.”

Beijing’s skies are looking bluer in the last few days since it imposed a slew of severe restrictions, including a partial car ban and the stoppage of major pollution sources, on July 20.

Half of the capital’s 3.3 million cars, excluding taxis, buses and emergency vehicles, are forced off the roads on alternate days depending on whether the license plate ends in an odd or even number. The temporary measure, to be enforced till September 20, will ensure good air quality for the athletes competing in the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Those drivers caught violating the rules will be fined 100yuan (US$14), according to the municipal traffic management bureau.

Earlier, the capital banned aging vehicles that failed to meet municipal emission standards, which are also called yellow-labeled vehicles or freight trucks.

This two-month driving restriction should cut vehicle emissions of 118,000 tons which is about 63 percent of total emissions in Beijing, said Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing municipal environmental protection bureau. The measures will also curb air pollution and ease traffic congestion for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Aside from restricting car use, Beijing has also closed heavy industries, halted dusty construction sites and stopped outdoor spray-painting to clear the skies and maintain relatively fresh air for a “Green Games.”

Nineteen heavy-polluting industries, including steel and cement mills, coke plants and refineries, have been asked to cut emissions by 30 percent, according to Du.

In addition, neighboring cities, including Tianjin and Tangshan, have also joined the efforts to ensure good air quality for the Games.

Tianjin, a nearby industrial port about 70 miles east of Beijing, will order 40 polluting factories to suspend operations for two months from July 25, according to Xinhua. As a host city for the Olympic football qualifiers, work at 26 construction sites near the city’s Olympic Stadium will also be closed.

One of China’s busiest steel centers, Tangshan, which is about 90 miles from Beijing, has ordered 267 factories to freeze operations by July 8.

According to statistics from the Beijing environmental protection bureau, these measures have brought about initial success. Data from the bureau shows the density of nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide generated by vehicle emissions has reduced by 15 percent and 27 percent respectively.

“There were 16 more blue-sky days than the same period last year,” said Du. The bureau also reports a 143-blue-sky-day record up until July 21.

With all these measures in place, “Beijing is confident to fulfill its commitment to improving air quality and meeting the International Olympic Committee (IOC) standards during the Olympics”, Du said.

Source: China Daily
Date: 07/22/08

SINGAPORE – Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said here on Tuesday that Chinese government and people will faithfully honor their commitment to the world and work together with the international community to ensure the success of the Beijing Olympic Games.

At the ASEAN Plus Three (China, Japan, South Korea) Ministerial Meeting held in Singapore on Tuesday, Yang said all the preparations for the Beijing Olympic Games are now in order, adding that the Games will open in Beijing in 17 days.

The Chinese foreign minister expressed thanks to ASEAN countries, Japan and South Korea for their “keen interest in and generous support to the Beijing Olympic Games.”

As a grand sports event, the Games will contribute to friendship and cooperation among people of all countries”, said he.

He said China will work together with world community to ensure the success of the Games and promote the Olympic spirit and movement.

“We sincerely wish athletes from ASEAN countries, Japan and the ROK every success at the Games”, Yang said.

Source: China Daily
Date: 07/21/08

Beijing Sunday inched a step closer to realizing a green Olympics by enforcing a series of measures to ease traffic jams and reduce pollution.

Vehicles with even and odd plates will hit the roads only on alternate days, which effectively means just half of the capital’s 3.29 million automobiles can run on any given day.

With more than 1,000 new cars being registered every day, Beijing is fast becoming one of the world’s most congested cities. But the traffic restrictions will hopefully make another 4 million people use public transport.

There were fewer vehicles on the roads Sunday and people found it easier to drive after the even-and-odd license plate rule was enforced. It will be in force till Sept 20, when the Paralympic Games ends.

On a normal day, a drive from Liuliqiao Bridge, on southwest Third Ring Road, to Beitucheng, on the northeast, would take more than an hour. But Sunday morning it took only half an hour.

Beijing residents are eager to use public transport if it’s fast and comfortable. For instance, Lin Fengjiang, whose vehicle has an odd license plate number, took a bus because of the restrictions. “It’s okay with me. Buses are running very fast today. They’re more time-efficient.”

Yao Zhenping, assistant to the general manager of the Beijing Public Transport Holdings Group, said more than 95 percent of the buses ran on schedule Sunday, which is impossible on normal days of traffic congestions.

The city authorities said the restrictions, along with an earlier ban on the use of vehicles that had failed to meet emission standards, could keep up to 2 million vehicles off the roads.

Pollution has been one of the biggest problems for the Olympics organizers, who are banking on the traffic and industrial restrictions to ensure blue skies for the athletes and other visitors, especially because car emissions are the major source of air pollution in Beijing.

He Kebin, a professor at the department of environmental science and engineering of Tsinghua University, said Beijing had met almost all major indicators of air quality for the Olympics, except that for the inhalable particulate.

“Vehicles account for more than 50 percent of inhalable particulate, and traffic restrictions are the most effective way to deal with it,” He said.

Environmentalists estimate that the even-and-odd number plate rule and the ban on vehicles that failed to meet emission standards would cut emissions by 63 percent.

The city authorities have warned drivers not to flout the even-and-odd plate rule because hi-tech surveillance cameras can easily detect their numbers, and once caught they would be fined heavily.

More than 10,000 “smart devices”, including cameras and electronic detectors have been installed on major roads and dozens of designated Olympic routes.

Taxi drivers, who loose valuable time and money because of traffic jams, have welcomed the traffic restrictions. “See, the traffic is already so much better, it’s much easier to drive today,” said a smiling Han Jianguo from behind the wheel of his cab.

But ordinary Beijingers who will have to cope with the already-crowded public transport were not all so thrilled. Some richer ones, however, have bought a second car.

“The rules will certainly help (ease congestion). But it will create some real difficulties for ordinary people,” said a city resident, Liu Shuo.

A series of regulations to check emission from factories in and around Beijing, too, went into effect Sunday. More than 150 high-polluting cement and other factories will be closed for two months.

Tianjin, a port city east of Beijing and host to the Games’ soccer qualifying matches, has ordered 40 factories to close down temporarily.

And the industrial base of Tangshan, northeast of Beijing, will shut down nearly 300 factories this month.

Beijing has spent about 120 billion yuan ($17.58 billion) to clean the environment.

Source: China Daily
Date: 07/20/08

PARIS – Beijing will host an outstanding Olympic event, said Bernard Debre, a member of the French National Assembly, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Debre, who will accompany French President Nicolas Sarkozy to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics scheduled for August 8, said the International Olympic Committee made a very good decision to choose Beijing as the host city for the Games, which come at a good time when China keeps opening itself up to the outside world.

He voiced his indignation at those attempts to disrupt the Olympic torch relay in Paris and some other cities, calling them “shameful” acts and said “politicization of the Olympic Games means the death of the Olympic spirit.”

The lawmaker also expressed his appreciation of China’s preparation for the upcoming Games, and particularly the venues’ architecture.

Debre, who is also an excellent urologist and visited the earthquake-hit Sichuan province of China in early June, recalled his past tour, saying he was both shocked and moved.

“When the earthquake struck Sichuan, I thought I should go to the spot to do something for the quake victims either out of the professional humanitarianism or our friendship. The seed for this sentiment was planted in the times of my father who was the first prime minister in the De Gaulle administration and was dedicated to promoting the French-Chinese friendship,” said Debre.

As one of the first Western doctors that entered the disaster-hit zone, he still vividly remembered what he saw in the quake area.

“Everything was going on in an orderly way. People were no more panicky although they still wore painful expressions. I saw many soldiers and volunteers were working selflessly. Psychologists arrived in the disaster zone about three weeks after the quake to carry out psychological intervention. Many ordinary people drove their private cars to send medicine and food to the quake victims. In a way, the entire China was mobilized… as a doctor, I have taken part in the disaster relief efforts in many countries, but none was as united and touching as the one in China,” he recalled emotionally.

After he returned to China, he wrote an article entitled “I saw China was back on foot,” in which he gave a full account of the touching details he experienced in Sichuan.

“I love China, and I love the Chinese people even more,” he repeated these words several times during the interview. He also expressed the hope that he could raise more money in France to help the people in Sichuan.

Debre, who served as the country’s cooperation minister in the 1990s, comes from a distinguished family. His grandfather Robert Debre was a world famous pediatrician who participated in the founding of the United Nations Children’s Fund.

His brother Jean-Louis Debre is the president of the French Constitutional Council, a significant political body in the country which is responsible for examining whether a law draft is in accordance with the Constitution and to observe the presidential and parliamentary elections.