Little Jasmin Loves Big World~~

Shen Wei is the principal choreographer of Beijng Olympics opening ceremony. He is a Chinese as well as an American. Although now he is an American citizen who is going to vote for the presidential election, he, at the same time, is putting his heart and soul to work for his motherland, without any political ideology. I think this is the right thing we should do now,because it should be like that. I like everything to be pure. Art is art. Sport is sport and politics is politics. At present the whole world seems going on a direction of messed up. They are all interwined with each other, with politics as the most powerful force. It just should not be like that, and I do believe humanity have the ability to understand that.

So what is the concept of being pure? I think being pure means that everything stays on its own position and develops in a natural way. If we must impose some influence on them, we have to foresee the results. If it could be mutually-beneficial, then do it; if not, just find another way. As an artist, his job is to pursue his ideal artistic dream, no matter how difficult it is. As a scholar, his main responsibility is to be an spirit leader as well as a knowledge spreader. Unfortunately, the status quo seems discouraging. Politics just  penetrates through all kinds of obstacles into every field of human life. It is the renewable source when we want to discuss global warming; it is the infrastructure when we talk about urban construction; it is the safe guard when we need to fight against terrorism, to rebuff unilateralism and to prevent ethnical conflicts. So I am really glad that there are still people who stick to their principles doing what they should be doing.

At this moment, a very sensitive moment, the calls for boycott are becoming louder and louder. We Chinese people say that Ok, if you want to boycott our Olymipics, our opening ceremony, you can do that and we cannot judge on that. But don’t you forget that we are now living in an age of globalization. You have supermarkets in our country, and your economy is, to a certain extent, linked with us. We could boycott your products and you cannot judge on that, either. If we anylize recent situation, we may reach a conclusion that these Olympic and Boycott things is becoming more like a slapstick. There are voices saying that people, especially young students who are easily agitated, are used by politicians. The world is not pure any more, and I hate that.

I call for more and more people who are just like Shen Wei to spend a little bit of time thinking about the nature of being a man. Please do not take side easily. Let’s try our best and make this lovely planet we share and depend on a purer place, as it used to be.

Right now the Olympic torch is passing in Africa. I do not know what things will happen when I turn on TV tomorrow. Maybe some more governors will stand out and say that definitely they will boycott the Beijing Olympic Games, or maybe the hysteric supporters for Tibet will present some more unexpected incidents to this already crazy enough world. Something has gone too far, I think. Tibet is not the real problem. The real problem is China, as this word carries too much meanings.

The Tibet problem is just a fuse of all these turbulences that have been bothering China these days. Before March 14th, everything seemed fine between we and America, we and Europe. Surely there are some problems related to trade, to commerce or every part of a country’s development. But at least, on the surface, we were friends. We were all looking forward to an oriental and somewhat mysterious Olympics. In one sense, China is lucky enough to be the host city for the 29th Olympics; in another, being in the spotlight also pushes us to a very sentimental position. There is a complicated history between China and the western countries. But I was still surprised to see that these so-called developed countries which claimed human rights turned their backs on China, on facts and justice. I do not think that it was proper for them to criticise our government when they knew nothing about Tibet(except the name), nothing about the history of China, nor was it wise to act so imprudently and openly to show their ridiculous protest. They were, are and they will always be outsiders of China’s own bussiness. They do not have the qualification to comment on this. Tibet is the excuse.

I always think that things will always go in the right direction, even if mistakes have been made, misunderstandings have existed. I think a real man is a person longing for good and truth. We can fight, but there will always be a reason to be friends again in the future. We can pretend that we distrust each other, but we must understand that as human, we do have something in common. The Olympics just provide us a platform to acquaint each other, so isn’t it good for us to just embrace them without any evil thoughts? Why must we link Olympics with politics? I do believe that most people on the planet love peace. Why did the western media give an distorted account of what really happened in Tibet? Why their government organise their citizens to cause troubles when the holy torch was being passed? Why? What’s more, I do not see that they can benefit from all these things. Is China so intolerable? As a Chinese, I understand my country quite well. We have good reasons to Anti-CNN, because truth is in out hands. I hope some western countries can stop attacking China on the Olympics with Tibet as a pretext. Truth tells everything.

People, please cool down.

In this article, the author talks about the current situation of China’s sports through several famous athletes. This article is quite long, but I finished it, bacause I thought it has touched the most sensitive part of the huge body of China’s sports: where is it going? To be honest, this article is written from a very objective and practical point of view. Every word and every sentence is about the facts, without any bias, which makes it acceptable and deep.

Also it is the author Wright Thompson’s honesty makes feel sad. Truely, as an athlete in China, his life is designed for the glory of the country. When he retires, his life is ususlly not secured because sport is the only thing he could do. But the world is changing, and unfortunately the development of the sport system is far behind the growing of the nation, which makes it unsuitable any more. The story of Guo Jingjing and Tian Liang is very typical. Facing so many lures, either about material or about mentality, it is hard for any athlete to keep his old way of life. As for me, I think the athlete should control his own life as long as he has finished the task the nation has given him. The country should carry out her promise and let that athlete go. Right now the society is a marketing society, so if the athlete wants to earn money for a better living, he should be free to do so.

As to the story of Zhou Chunlan and Yu Chaohong, I feel sorry for them. They have devoted all their lives to the development of sports in China. But in the end, they did not get what they deserved. Competitive sports is cruel as a little margin decides the winner and the loser. They are unfortunate to be the victims of the old system in China, which focuses only on sports but neglects the personal development of athletes themselves. I really hope that it could change after the Olympics. They do not have to sacrifice too much for the country. They know it.

So what could be an ideal pattern of a sports system? We cannot eliminate the commercial element, nor can we overlook athletes’ own destiny. I think Yu Fen, the diving coach for the team of Tsinghua University, has given us a very practical, if not flawless, example. An athlete should be a combinition of knowledge and sport expertise. Only in this way can ganrantee their future development, and only in this way will they not be abandoned by the society.

Chinese professional athletes destiny is hanging by a thread. Their future is in their own hands as well as in the system’s hands. Where to go is a question that should be answered at once. If not, waiting ahead for China’s sports is a horrible disaster…

This year is certain to be a year full of uncertainties and troubles, despite all kinds of best wishes. As the greatest sports gala of human being is drawing near, China, this rising dragon in east Asia, is doomed to be under more pressure and scrutiny from all parts of the world. Unfortunately, the recent tragedy of Tibet just gave some nations seemingly good reasons to put doubt on our nation’s ability to hold the Olympic Games. Some critics in those countries have become ridiculous and kind of hysteric. They want to use their words as a tool to make the Olympics politicalized. They want the flow of opinions to follow their direction. But, I want to ask a question: who do you think you are ? What are the things that make you think you are qualified to comment on our  nation’s own business? Before you open your mouth and start talking about this old nation, have you made everything in your own country under control? So, please take care of yourself first and then come to talk about our nation.

I do admit that there are some sticky problems in our country, and Tibet is just one of them. But to administrate such a huge country is really not an easy job to do. What is the most difficult part to understand? It is people. You might have the ability to control several people. But when the population reached 1.3 billion, it is not fun any more. Danger is hidden inside, and at any possible moment, something unexpected can break out. Honestly, the Chinese government is doing very well. I am really confident in the leaders who have been just elected. They have shown great power in the storm disaster at the beginning of 2008, and they have done everything they could to handle all the problems. But it is impossible to make everyone satisfied as everyone has his own aim. I just do not understand why some nations, especially those capitalist countries in the western hemisphere, keep going hard with us. It seemed that they could not benefit from those debates. So what exactly do they want?

Here is another question, which is about human rights. The Darfur’s crisis in Sudan is related to human rights, the Olympics is related to human rights, the Tibet problem is related to human rights, the safety of Chinese products is related to human rights…. In fact, any thing that has even a little relationship with China is linked with human rights. And almost all of them are reported negatively. If China is really a country with little human rights, with little expression and resemble freedom, why more and more foreign people choose China to study and live? Maybe only those who have been immerged in Chinese culture could tell the world what China really is. So what about those countries which constantly criticize China on this matter? Maybe they themselves are suffering from their own human rights problems. Their citizens are victims of fake human rights. Maybe they have more limitation in their life. Otherwise, why are there so many scandals in their countries?

I think any nation that wants to comment on China and wants to influence China’s development should first think about itself. At this sensitive moment, in this important phase, please, cool down. The Olympics in Beijing will be at least as successful as those have been held in other countries, and this is not so-called great nation’s empty confidence, we will prove it.

A long time ago I had thought that maybe Liu Xiang was living under great pressure, or it is not an assumption but a fact. As the Olympics are coming nearer and nearer, can he bear all these things? Like interviews, advertisements and most importantly, the expectations of a huge nation with a population  of 1.3billion. If I were Liu Xiang, I really doubt that whether I can make it through. Now Yao’s injury proves that my worry is true. The whole country seems to have overreacted because of his fragile ankle. Even Yao is not so concerned. Why?

I think the answer is media. It is the media to spread the idea that they are the only hope we have for our country. It is the media that makes us believe either Liu or Yao is not reperensenting himself but China. In a sense, the media is quite right. Those outstanding athletes or successful entrepreneurs should naturally own the resposibility of being in behalf of their motherlands when their motherlands need them. This responsibility is unquestionable and inevitable. However, people tend to be selfish, which is the nature of human being. Thus thousands of journalists rush to interview these elite men. Everyday millions of articles appear on the newspapers, magazines and the Internet pages, telling people these “poor” men’s stories and raising common ones’ expectations. Everyone wants to get something. In the meantime, the subjects, or victims of  our too much attention lose their right to be selfish. They have to pretend that they are happy in front of a camera even when they are not. They are the images of our country therefore they are not allowed to suppress their anger even when they are badly pissed off. In a word, anything that is considered not elite must be well controlled.

When I saw the news, almost instantly another hot topic jumped into my head—-the sex photos scandal of Edison Chen. He lives as a well-known actor, not a top athletes.Yet I do believe that recently he is having his worst moments in his life. There has already been fierce discussion about who is to blame on the spread of those photos. To me, the media plays the most crucial role in it. The situaition now which is impossible to control is definitely a result of the media’s mistake. Edison could survive with punishment, but can he survive people’s gossips? I think only God knows. The media did not stop it when they should have stopped. Conversely, too many people seemed having the thought that the longer people talked about it, the better and intentionally expanding the scandal. Actors and athletes are all public people. Their life is extremely closely related to the media. Media can create them, but it can destroy them too.

Anyway, I think that the government now realises the burden of the anthlete is very good and necessary. Although they should have taken measures long long ago, it is not that late to do these. Also,  I appeal to our dear media: please take a deep breath and have a rest. Only when the media can do this can the public elites enjoy a peaceful day.

Roger Federer is beaten by Andrew Murray! The legend of tennis is on a losing streak for the second time in four months. The top-ranked Federer, who won three Grand Slam titles last year but has struggled since the U.S. Open, lost to Andy Murray 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-4 on Monday in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships. It may be kind of sad for the hero. But after a while, when I calm down, I just tell myself: well, that is what sport is about. As a matter of fact, I do not know the guy Andrew Murray. I searched for his information and found that he is a genius tennis player from Scotland. And, he is younger than me! People say that he is a grumpy young man who would show some very impolite behavior on the court. Yet it seems that he was pretty cool after he beat Federer. I think the only reason for this is that he is growing, in this cruel and fluctuating sports world which is full of competition. Sports, especially pro sports, are definitely the combination of thrill and bloodiness. The only thing that matters is winning. And I think this environment could push young athletes grow much faster than normal kids.

I like Murray’s reply when he faced the journalists: “I’ve got so much respect for him. I’m obviously delighted that I won, but to get a chance just to play him is an honor. From growing up in Dunblane to having a chance to play against someone like him in front of 7,000 or 8,000 people is pretty special. I didn’t want to let it get too emotional because I’m still in the middle of a tournament.”

Respect and dignity, modesty and honesty, this young star presented his gentleness to the entire world. Who can still criticize this gentleman? Who can argue that he is of no good? All of his previous mistakes were normal behaviors of a growing boy, I think, and as time goes by, this little boy will finally become mature and gain the reputation that he deserves. Do not let those gossips interrupt your plan, Murray, just try hard and pursue your dreams, Murray!

As to Ferderer, I don’t think there is any need to use more words to describe him. After all, No.1 is No.1. His status in tennis is unshakable and losing a match would definitely have little influence oh him. However, it is also a truth that No.1 will not be No.1 for ever. One day he has to hand the baton to the next generation. Of course, I firmly believe that day for Federer is far far away. I give my best wishes to this hero and all I want to see is that sports are live, undying and immortal.

Ginger and Robbi are two American girls who play golf  as their future career. Despite the fact that both of them are only in their early teens, they have already shown amazing talent on golf. Robert Howard, their doting father, cheerleader and financial sponsor, calls his dear daughters as the Venus and Serena Williams of golf. Both he and his wife believe that what they are doing today is for a purpose, and this long and tough journey will certainly end with victory and glory.

However, after reading this six-page article, I start asking: do they really need such a journey to finally make their big dream come ture? I think Robert is pushing too hard on the two girls. And he is leading this family to a condition which could have been much better but now is no way back to. All the things he is doing is aimed at the “purpose”. What is the price he is paying? It is his children’s normal childhood and a great economic burden of the family. I firmly believe that both Ginger and Robbi have talent for golf, but I also believe that when they grow up, they will have regret about their abnormal life which is planned by their beloved father. Robert wants his daughters to go on a shortcut to success—-being sports superstars. What he overlooks is that this is a way which is even more risky and tougher. Their story reminds of the Chinese snooker prodigy, Ding Junhui. Their similarities are that both the two families are ordinary families; both are children with sports gift. Their diference is that Ding is already successsful while the two little sisters are still young and they still have a long way too go. What the consequence will be? I don’t know. Judging from what I see, I contend that Robert is sacraficing the two girls’ childhood happiness for his own purpose. It is true that he longs for the best life for his children, but what wonderful life can he provide for them when Ginger wants a piano and he even could not afford it? Children are children. They do not care about the fame or money. They want to do things they like. Maybe they like playing golf now, but I really doubt whether they like it from the first moment they swang the club. They are now fond of this expensive sport because they have to. They have the reasoning ability of normal children who are in their early teens and enjoy the happiness of life. When they see their parents are working so hard, they definitely will think it is inappropriate to let their parents down and quit golf. Once this kind of idea forms, it will become impossible for them to disobey their parents’ orders, or wishes as time goes by. Maybe they will be the Venus and Serena Williams of golf in the future. However, what they will gain, it seems to me that, overweighs what they have lost.

It is definitely a journey for a purpose. The question is, WHOSE?

ARE THEY REALLY HAPPY?

The first time I saw Lewis Hamilton was on TV. All I could remember was his pretty face and the impression that he was an excellent driver in Formula 1. The next time I heard about him was during a presentation given by one of my classmates, a great fan of F1. From her presentation, I got to know that he was not just excellent, but he was likely to become the king of F1. Today is the third time I get contact with this name. The news is about his victory in a testing race in Spain. Yet the mentioning of his racial abuse shocks me.

I know that even today, when people get more and more civilised, there is still a large group of people who would treat others badly just because of their color of the skin. A couple of days ago, I watched one episode of Grey’s Anatomy, one of my favourite plays made in America. There was a guy who refused to be treated by Dr. Bailey, who was a black woman with wonderful medical expertise. I just want to know what exactly is wrong with the color. The behaviour to despise one person due to that person’s color is based on something I could not understand at all. Even people like Lewis Hamilton, who receives respect in his own area, who shows great talent and promise in F1, cannnot avoid such humiliation. I really want to ask those Spanish fans if they feel good doing that. Presenting disrespect to someone who is better than them in F1 because of his color of his skin is unforgiveable. Those Spanish fans’ action just proves that they are lack of education.

Hamilton’s victory is a powerful response to those who humiliated him, and it is also a reflection of his great personality. Maybe those Spanish fans think they could influence Hamilton’s performance so that the driver they support could win. Unfortunately they are wrong. The more disrespect they show, the stronger Hamilton becomes. I believe Lewis Hamilton will be another Micheal Schumacher or even greater than him. There is nothing wrong with his color and his bright future is waiting for him.

I caught sight of the name Dwain Chambers by chance today when I was browing the pages. To be honest I am not a big fan of sports, or maybe even not a little fan. Yet I do have a good memory and I believe it was not the first time for these several days I have seen this name, so I think it is worth paying attention to  this guy. I searched this name to find out the profile of this athlete and all I want to comment on him is “Stupid Dwain Chambers”.

If we divide athletes into several kinds according to their aptitude, I think there should be three categories—-those who are born to be top athletes, those who are talented but not so talented but can still succeed if try hard, those who build their way to success through tons of sweat and uncountable days of hard training. Of course, even genius needs to work diligently. But the natural ability does play an important role in an athlete’s career. Dwain Chambers, without any doubt, belongs to the first category. If he had not made mistakes , he was definitely a young man with enormous promise and bright future. What a pity for him when he went to the wrong direction. The reason for his stupid behaviour was that he was willing to take  the chance to dope and hoping not being checked out. How ridiculous! Does not he understand that from the moment his scandal revealed to the world, his future became clouded?

In China there is a proverb —-being smart for all one’s life and doing stupidity for just a moment. That very moment would destroy the whole life. It is not difficult to understand why today so many gifted athletes take drugs. It is becoming harder and harder nowadays to be a champ and everyone is searching for something to break the limit in order to be better than others. Some are already super stars but they still want more, and more. There is no end for human’s desire but there is a boundery of the physical function of human being. Facing the the temptation of glory, some people will forget the nature of sports competion, that is, fairplay and friendship. At that very moment, they lose the ability to balance how serious the results will be. That is why we have Marion Jones, and she is not alone. Lu Xun, an outstanding Chinese writer once said such a sentence when he saw the Chinese people in the old society of China—-”I feel sad when I see their misery, but I am also angry about their laziness in struggling.” To those “Stupid Dwain Chambers”, I’d like to make a parody of Mr. LuXun’s words: I think it is a pity when I know they have done so, but I am also furious with them because of their attitude towards their own careers. As sports stars, how could they treat themselves like that? It is so irresponsible!

However, if we analyse all these doping cases objectively, we should not criticise the athletes only. They themselves are the biggest cause but not the only one. Too much pressure also make them do wrong things. Anyway, human makes mistakes. They cause much more influence because they are public people while we ordinary people also make similar mistakes. Too many “Dwain Chambers” have already made us think about our society—-what exactly is wrong with us? Should we cool down and think carefully about ourselves? And, that, I think, is the real point of these issues.

Just a week ago, the official football for 2008 Olympics was unveiled. Former president of the Football Association of China Nian Weisi introduces the official ball for the 2008 Beijing Olympics football match during its launching ceremony in Beijing January 26, 2008. Featuring Chinese characters ‘China’ written by Nian, the ball will be used in Olympic football preliminaries in Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang and Qinhuangdao, and the Olympic finals in the Olympic City of Beijing, according to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. The Chinese characters on the ball read as “China”.                                   

Obviously this football is designed on the base of the one that has been used two years ago in Germany. What is different from the former one is the color and two bold Chinese characters”中国’，which means China. The red color of  the ball is a very traditional design of our Chinese, as red in China symbolizes happiness. Although the design of the football is quite magnificent, it stirs up arguments.

      Some people say that it is fine to keep the ball as a collection as it has significance;however, making it the official football for the football games is not so appropriate. The reason they say so is the two Chinese characters. They stands for our motherland, so is it really proper to kick a ball with our dear country’s name  printed on its surface? It may be acceptable in the western world, but in China it is different. We show high respect to our country’s name, the national flag, the national  anthem. From  this point of view, to kick a ball with China printed on it equals stepping down our country’s dignity. As long as we are still a patriotic Chinese, we should stop it from happening. Thus the Great Wall star, that is  the official football for the games, cannot be used as the official football anyway. And, they say, it is a matter which reqires no compromise because it is as essential as our sovereignty.

     The different voice say that it is no big deal to put ‘China’ on  the football. Since we can bear “China” printed on the clothes as well as many other kind of products, why can’t we accept this? To link the design of a football with our country’s dignity is absurd and unreasonable. We should love our country by actions not focus on this word thing. If kicking a ball with “China” on its surface means overlooking a nation’s dignity, there is a chance that a coat printed with “China” falls onto the floor and people step on it, is that also showing disrespect for our motherland? Isn’t it ridiculous? The Olympic Games is the greatest sports gala in the world. It can serves as a platform to let  the world understand our culture and civilization. Putting “China ” on the official football of the Games is just one of hundreds of ways to leave unforgetable impression on the players and tens of thousand of visitors. It is a waste of time to argue about the relationship between the football’s design and China’s national dignity.

    As for me, I do not consider it is a serious problem concerned with dignity. In my opinion, a country’s name is a little different from the natinal anthem and the natinal symbol. We talk about a country’s name almost everyday yet we cannot abuse our national anthem and the national symbol. This does not mean that the characters which stand for our country are not of dignity. It is just used in a more broad spectrum. When we accidentally break a thing printed with “China”, we have not even a little intention to despise our country. Working too much on the words has taught us a lesson. What we should work hard for is a high-level Olympics with great distinctions, not these things. I hope we can provide the world with a outstanding sports feast and our Chinese football team will play for progress and friendship. If we can make players from verious countries play with satisfaction, we win, in a sense.