Beijing Ready for the Olympics——Beijing Olympics - Striving for the Highest Quality Services

August 8, 2008 will see the grand opening o1 the ⅩⅩⅨ Olympic Games in Beijing, when athletes from over 200 countries and regions will gather in the capital.
With a 3,000-year history, and serving as China＇s capital for about eight centuries, Beijing boasts a number of historical sites and a rich cultural heritage. Over the last 800 years, it has been the political and cultural center of China, and it is now emerging as one of the world＇s most bustling metropolises.     

Treasuring Memories of the Paralympics

DISABLED athletes of all nations mill about the main commercial thoroughfare that runs through the Paralympic vil-lage, shopping for mementos to commemorate their extraordinary two weeks in Beijing during the 2008 Paralympic Games. Beautiful music floats on the air to the applause of audiences gathered on the central plaza beneath the fluttering multi-colored flags of participating countries.     

The Olympics Economic Bonanza

SINCE Los Angeles unexpectedly reaped a profit in 1984 for the first time in the history of the modem Olympics, the quadrennial event has become an economic bonanza for host cities. Barce- lona, for example, achieved a profit of US $26.05 billion in 1992. The Olym- pic-related economy in Beijing is also picking up as the big event draws near.and put up eight temporary structures in and around the park. After the Games, the park and venues will continue to host top sporting events, and provide ample facilities for the public＇s sporting activities. The boom is expected to last well beyond August. At the begin- ning of 2007, the Beijing Municipal Government stated that sports-related businesses are set to be one of the city＇s     

Catering for the Beijing Olympics

DURING the 2008 Olympics, 280,000 people from more than 200 countries and regions will need catering services. What will Beijing put on their dinner tables, and how will it handle the entire catering process？ These are issues that the Beijing Organizing Committee for the ⅩⅩⅨ Olympiad （BOCOG） cannot afford to ignore.     

China and the Olympics

WHEN will China send athletes to the Olym- pics? When will China win the gold? When will China host the Games?"asked a magazine in an article entitled"Ath- letic Sports"as far back as 1908.     

Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony： Zhang Yimou Keeps Everyone Guessing

Ireally can＇t tell you anything about the opening ceremony,“ Director Zhang Yimou says with a smile. Presently, Zhang＇s ”offi- cial“ identity is chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics in August. More broadly, he is probably China＇s bestknown film director, who first came to prominence as part of the so-called “fifth-generation” in the late 1980s. He has garnered numerous awards globally, including the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes for To Live （1994） and ihe Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festi- val for The Story of Qiu Ju （1992） anc Not One Less （1999）. More recentl5 Hero （2002）, House of Flying Daggers （2004） and Curse of the Golden Flowel （2006） have all been box office hits ir China and abroad.     

Qingdao Sets Sail Toward the Beijing Olympics： We Are Ready-An Interview with Qingdao Mayor Xia Geng

When the Beijing Olympic Games open next month, the sailing competition will take place in Qingdao, Shandong Province, August 9-21. We interviewed Xia Geng. mayor of Qingdao and head ot the Sailing Committee of the Beijing Olympic Games.     

The Long road to equality：China’s Disabled make Giant strides

SUFFERING from congeni-tal cataracts, Ping Yali never had a chance to see the world. While still a little girl, she was enrolled in a school for the visually impaired. There, her talent as a sprinter im-pressed her Pe teacher,     

The Olympics Economic Bonanza （Ⅱ）

THE demand for capital and financial services in the leadup to the Beijing Olympic Games is immense. Come August, over 10,000 athletes, 70,000 working personnel and 21,000 registered members of the press will gather in China＇s capital. Entries to the PRC by foreign nationals are expected to exceed 4.6 million, representing an estimated RMB 4.5 billion worth of consumption. Demand for foreign currency exchange,     

The Countdown to the Beijing Olympics Commences

The year 2007 is crucial to the Beijing Olympiad organizers,as the digital clock in Tian’anmen Square counts the seconds to August 8,2008.Staff reporter Xu Xiaoyan interviewed Jiang Xiaoyu,executive vice-president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the XXiX Olympiad (BOCOG) to see how preparations for this all-important,prestigious event are going.     

Monkey King —Prime Candidate for 2008 Olympics Mascot

IS the monkey an appropriate 2008 Olympic mascot? No one will know for sure until next year. Now that the Chinese Seal has been officially designated as the 2008 Olympics emblem, the games' mascot has taken over as     

Helping the Least Fortunate of the Next Generation

TO the casual passer-by, Sancha in Datong County, Shanxi Province, looks like any other northern village. But a closer look reveals each household here comprises two foster children, cared for by a community of nannies. The oldest foster mother is aged over 80, the youngest is 24. Presently the village is home to 260 orphans, but since 1968 Sancha has taken care of more than 1,000 orphans or abandoned children from the Datong Social Welfare Institute. Many suffer from congenital conditions such as cerebral palsy.     

Beijing： The Old and the New

As the 2008 Olympic Games draw near, Beijing, a dynamic modern city undergirded by 3,000 years of history, is throwing open its celebrated nine gates to the world.     

After Gold,What＇s Next？——Chinese Athletes in Retirement

WHEN Chinese badminton player Zhang Ning won gold for a second time in the women＇s singles at the Beijing Olympics, she knelt on the ground and cried. Tears were still running down her cheeks when she mounted the podium. No doubt this was partly because the victory was also a farewell： soon after successfully defending the Olympic championship, the 33-year-old Zhang announced her retirement, bringing her 23- year badminton career to an end.     

Let the Paralympics Begin!

ATHLETES,reporters and volunteers are all in position.Athletes from around the world have begun adaptive training in local conditions.The Beijing Paralympics are about to begin.     

Construction and Protection：Beijing Feels Its Way in City Planning

PEOPLE returning to Beijing after a few years' absence marvel at how much the city has changed, and for old Beijingers, these changes have occurred daily, before their very eyes. According to the deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Planning Committee…     

Joy and Splendor Once Again Grace the Bird＇s Nest

IT was a night of dream fulfillment and joy for all people around the world with disabilities.Less than a month after the opening of the Olympic Games,Beijing welcomed the world a second time,with the opening ceremony of the 2008 Paralympic Games.On the night of September 6, at Beijing＇s famous＂Bird＇s Nest＂stadium,more than 4,000 disabled athletes from 147 countries and regions came together to celebrate the ideal＂One World,One Dream.＂     

Saving Energy in the MiyunEcological Industrial Park

IN the courtyard of Beijing Ren- chuang Technology Co., Ltd. the ground is covered with colorful water-permeable bricks -- the same bricks that have been used in Olympic venues such as the ＂Bird＇s Nest,＂ ＂the Water Cube＂ and Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park. Renchuang is loeated in an eco-industrial park in Miyun County on Beijing＇s outskirts. Office supervisor Yang Shihu explains, ＂Our company holds the patent on the ecological brick both in China and abroad. The permeated rainwater is used as a coolant on production lines, or for landscape irrigation.＂