Recently, a friend of mine who is currently in the United States asked me about the Olympics here in China and what it is like to be here during the Olympics. This topic is very important in China and to the Chinese people, so I will talk about it here. Everyone in China is amazingly excited about the Olympics. Whenever I go anywhere, the T.V.s are all turned to channels about the Olympics, and the Olympic symbols and mascots seem to be in every corner of every city.
I am not sure if the Olympic mascots are prominent only throughout China, or throughout the world as well, so I will describe them here: they consist are five characters – an antelope, a panda, a fish, a bird (or, more accurately, a swallow), and the Olympic flame. These mascots are made into stuffed animals, humongous balloon decorations, key chains, etc., and are all over the television. The Olympic symbol is also everywhere I look. It is in gardens, in parks, in houses, on shoes, on shirts, on fans, and more.
It is amazing to see the amount of pride that the Chinese people with the Olympics being held in Beijing and it is wonderful to hear them talk about the Olympics. For them, the Olympics are really something that unifies the country and the people. They are all so proud to have it here. When I watched the opening ceremonies with one of my Chinese friends, she was so excited and proud to watch. It was great just to watch her reaction to everything that was happening on the T.V. that I almost didn’t need to watch it myself. Watching her and seeing her reactions was almost more fun.
Now, whenever I go out, the T.V.s everywhere are turned to the Olympics. In restaurants, in bars, in clubs, in stores, it is impossible to escape them (not that I would want to). Even before the Olympics started and I visited the homes of Chinese people, they would turn the T.V. on to stations that covered information about the Olympics. In a nutshell, the Olympics are a phenomenon that may be exciting for the world, but mean the world for China.
I am not sure if the Olympic mascots are prominent only throughout China, or throughout the world as well, so I will describe them here: they consist are five characters – an antelope, a panda, a fish, a bird (or, more accurately, a swallow), and the Olympic flame. These mascots are made into stuffed animals, humongous balloon decorations, key chains, etc., and are all over the television. The Olympic symbol is also everywhere I look. It is in gardens, in parks, in houses, on shoes, on shirts, on fans, and more.
It is amazing to see the amount of pride that the Chinese people with the Olympics being held in Beijing and it is wonderful to hear them talk about the Olympics. For them, the Olympics are really something that unifies the country and the people. They are all so proud to have it here. When I watched the opening ceremonies with one of my Chinese friends, she was so excited and proud to watch. It was great just to watch her reaction to everything that was happening on the T.V. that I almost didn’t need to watch it myself. Watching her and seeing her reactions was almost more fun.
Now, whenever I go out, the T.V.s everywhere are turned to the Olympics. In restaurants, in bars, in clubs, in stores, it is impossible to escape them (not that I would want to). Even before the Olympics started and I visited the homes of Chinese people, they would turn the T.V. on to stations that covered information about the Olympics. In a nutshell, the Olympics are a phenomenon that may be exciting for the world, but mean the world for China.
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