Aug 2008

Well, today I had some time to myself to tour around Beijing while my father was off on official business.

I decided to take the afternoon and head to Tiananmen Square. It was a wonderful experience, as I had the opportunity to walk through the Square and observe some of the local culture and historical landmarks. One thing that is apparent is that all Chinese people in Beijing have a strong sense of ownership and pride, both in their country and for the Games. I was speaking to one of the local guide's here, and she indicated that all Chinese people consider that to be a volunteer with the games (e.g. ticket taker, driver, etc.) to be a source of great pride and esteem. I think that is an accurate description of the feeling that most locals have towards the games.

I have posted two videos below (one intro and one panoramic view of Tiananmen Square) to give you an idea of what it is like here in Tiananmen Square.

As I mentioned in the video, on two occasions, individual Chinese people approached me while I was visiting the Square to ask if they could take a photo with me. One of them was a young Chinese girl with her mother and extended family who were visiting the Square for the day. The little girl was very sweet and pretty shy, but she had the courage to approach a stranger to ask for a photo. I of course reciprocated and asked if I could similarly take a photo with her which she was very excited about. Below is a photo I took with her and her mother (who spoke some English).

I also met these guys who approached me in front of Mao's photo, and asked if they could take a picture with me. As they did not speak any English, and I do not speak Mandarin, we had some difficulty communicating, but the message was clear through their actions: they were happy to see a foreigner visiting China during a time of such great pride for their country. Somehow having foreigners here during the Games is a sense of pride for the local Chinese. To be sure, we are guests in their country, and so long we act as proper guests and treat all with respect and courtesy, the language barrier does not matter so much.

Lastly, below are two photos of a garden in Tiananmen Square that include the slogan of the 2008 Beijing Games: One World One Dream.

As for today, we are going to head to the boxing and to spend some time at Canada Olympic House. Hope you have a good day.