Beijing’s Olympic-Caliber Parties

by Josh Lew on

Hong Kong and Shanghai have long been the capitals of cool in the Sinosphere. But Beijing‘s trend-setters are trying to take advantage of the international attention brought by the Olympics to earn their own spot on Asia’s glamor map.

Apparently, they have been somewhat successful. Outrageously posh parties are taking place all over the capital of the Middle Kingdom.

The ironically named Commune, at the Great Wall, is a modernist luxury hotel complex. A recent event there was enough to make Chairman Mao do a 360-degree roll in his tomb. The venue’s developers were on hand, along with a host of scantily clad dancers, flashing lights and expensive cocktails, to party with the likes of Rupert “so rich ‘n powerful he doesn’t have to be cool” Murdoch and Quincey Jones.

Corporations are trying to get in on the scene as well. A party thrown by Adidas included an appearance by Jet Li and several other big-screen stars. The proceedings were accompanied by the sporadic popping of expensive champagne corks and the handing out of even more expensive sneakers.

Official Olympic timekeeper Omega tapped former supermodel (now just model?) Cindy Crawford to appear at their corporate pavilion wearing an impossibly expensive Omega watch. Even a noticeably casual George W. was hanging around during the first few days of the Games, looking very ex-presidential.

Beijing certainly has its share of new wealth, so don’t expect all the action and celebrity to depart once the Games end. A growing music scene, a film industry that is coming to resemble Hong Kong’s in its heyday, and an independent arts scene will help keep the hipness factor high.

Behind the Olympics: An architectural tour of the venues

by Jerry Guo on

If you’re watching the Olympics on TV, you’re quite familiar with the over-the-top athletic venues here. To say they boast a “wow” factor is an understatement. These testaments to China’s growing architectural prowess (or at least their deepening wallets, as most of the designs are by foreign architects) are sure to be tourist destinations long after the end of these Games.

But if you’re a bit confused as to what’s the bird’s nest versus the bird’s egg or whether the water cube is made out of water, here’s a cheat-sheet for you.

  • Bird’s nest. Its official name is the National Stadium, but locals and foreigners alike will forever call it by what it looks like. This venue hosted the epic opening ceremony, which culminated in a torch lighting never seen before (Chinese gymnast Li Ning “ran” or “flew”, depending on how you see it, around the stadium’s rim on wires). Now it’s host to the track and field competitions along with some soccer bouts.
  • Water cube. An iconic venue in its own right, the water cube sits right next to the nest. Again, its official name is more staid: the Aquatics Center, which houses some 17,000 people here too watch swimming and diving. And those bubbles? No water inside–they’re made out of ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene), a plastic.
  • National Indoor Stadium. The lack of a cute name should clue you in. Not much of an architectural gem here, unless you’re into the whole communism school of thought. You’ll be stuck here if you have tickets for gymanstics, handball, or something called trampoline (and no, this stadium isn’t in someone’s backyard).
  • Shunyi Rowing-Canoeing Park. Considering that China makes its first Olympic debut in rowing–a sport it’s literally invested millions upon millions–this facility is quite remarkable and worth a visit, if nothing else to do some kayaking or rowing and escape the fumes in the city.
  • Peking University Gymnasium. Possibly the poshest college gym ever, this new facility–get this–holds nothing else but ping pong matches. It’s well worth the visit because you’ll be on the campus of historic Peking University, the Harvard of China, with its spectacular Asian scenery and little temples on lakes.
  • Terminal 3. Host of the hang-gliding events (OK, I wish), terminal 3 is the newest addition to Beijing’s rather flimsy airport. But Norman Foster’s newest creation, in the shape of a giant plane, boasts some 60 restaurants and 80 restaurants. It’s also the biggest terminal in the world. You might have to fly here just to see an airport.

Troubled American girl and her mother forced to leave China before the Olympics

by Jamie Rhein on

The story I read today about an adolescent girl with psychiatric problems being pushed out of China before the Olympics reminded me of details people need to consider before moving to another country to live with their children.

The girl, who is from Ohio, was living in Beijing with her parents. Her mother was a teacher at one of the international schools. After moving to China, the girl began to get into trouble due to some psychological issues. Prior to the Olympics, the Chinese officials put pressure on the family to get the girl out of China.

According to the article in today’s Columbus Dispatch, the Chinese government wanted it to be smooth sailing when the guests arrived so people who were problematic, such as, political dissidents and protesters were removed from the city’s scenery. The girl happens to fit the profile of undesirables.

Now that the girl and her mother are back in Ohio, they are having a hard time getting services to help the girl because they are technically not residents of Ohio anymore. They have overseas residential status, sort of. The health insurance they had in China doesn’t cover them in the U.S.

In the meantime, the father is still working in China in order to make enough money to return back to the U.S. Depending on the contract he has, he may not have the cost of a flight back covered in his contract if he has to leave early. This is conjecture on my part, but plausible.

Remember Michael Fey, another teenage Ohioan who had issues while he was living in Singapore with his mother and step-dad? He was also sent back to the U.S., but not before being arrested, jailed and caned for punishment.

Although living the expat lifestyle overseas can be a wonderful experience, for people who have children with special needs, it can turn into a disaster. The support services are generally not there when it comes to special education and mental health issues. At least they are not typically as available as they are in the United States, and people can be left stranded to try to deal with problems on their own with little to no help.

Schools the students attend can be supportive up to a point, but they are in a position where they need to maintain a good relationship with the country in which they are located. If the boat springs a leak, so to speak, the person causing the leak my be dumped overboard. It’s not personal. It’s business.

If you’re contemplating moving overseas with your family, know what services are available in a country before you ever sign a contract and get on that airplane. This is particularly important if you have a special needs child. The stress of adjusting to this new life can cause issues not anticipated as this Ohio family found out.

Gadling Take FIVE – August 9–August 15

by Jamie Rhein on

Yesterday afternoon I was on a WiFi quest with no luck, so here’s the
Take FIVE a day later.

While I was on my WiFi quest with no luck, Gadling welcomed a new blogger. Meg Massie has an interesting way to get around the world. Her husband is a professional bridge player. Meg travels for other reasons too. Bridge is just one of them.

Along with the welcome addition of Meg, there have been a mix of culture related posts from entertainment to food, plus, there is a new feature thread called Gadling Covers the Olympics.

From the humor angle: If you missed Jerry’s post on Stephen Colbert’s tour of the Cantons of America, here it is. Along with poking fun at Canton, Ohio (on the list of the top five cities that are dying in the United States), Colbert also pokes fun at other towns called Canton.

  • From the gastronomic angle:Jefferey lamented the absence of his beloved döner, Turkish kebabs from Concierge.com’s list of the world’s best street foods
  • From the cinematical angle: Josh pointed out the popularity of Indian musical movies in Africa and wonders how much Bollywood will take over Hollywood’s place here.
  • From the musical angle: Aaron pointed us in the direction of Asian music that has gained a following
  • And, from a capturing an aspect of culture yourself angle: Scott posted on great price on a Fuji camera.

Beijing Weathers the Weather and Pollution

by Josh Lew on

On August 8th, while the opening ceremonies were in progress, Chinese meteorologists had their eyes on the sky.

In the days before the Olympics, Beijing assembled its own Olympic-caliber weather team, choosing the cream of the crop from a pool of over 200 meteorologists. At one point on the evening of the ceremonies, the chief of these weather superstars, Guo Hu, ordered rockets to be fired to disperse rain clouds that seemed to be headed for the Bird’s Nest.

But the hot and hazy weather that came with the lack of rain was stifling. Though the air quality was better in Beijing than before the Games, the haze was still prevalent enough to cause concern. Some of the city panoramas broadcast by NBC on August 9th showed a haze that made Los Angeles look like the fresh air capital of the world.That’s probably why there were no rockets shot at rain clouds on August 10th and 11th. Not only did the rain ease the nearly 100-degree heat of the previous day, it doused the smog as well. Even as competitors in the women’s bicycle road race were skidding across pools of standing water on the roadway and crashing into water-filled ditches, commentators and athletes were commenting on how pleasant the air was. The air pollution index on the rainy days reached 38, well below the rating of 50 that the World Health Organization deems acceptable. By contrast, the pollution score was in the 70s last Saturday, well above the acceptable mark set out by WHO.

Xinhua News Agency, China’s official press outlet, says another round of rain will wash Beijing’s air over the coming weekend.

Thus far, the visiting members of the press have not made a big deal about the pollution. Most of the “glamor events” of the Games have been held indoors. When gymnastics and swimming end, the focus will be on the outdoor events of track and field. If the pollution index is high during the Olympic marathon, we may be seeing athletes don masks to keep the smog out of their lungs. Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie, once the favorite to win the 26.2 mile race, has already dropped out, citing worries about the dirty air.