Shanghai China Snippets Observations about living in Shanghai and China in general

Some stats about the Olympic Games in Beijing

• 28 Olympic programs, 302 sub-categories
• 302 gold medals
• 10,500 athletes are expecte to participate
• 21,880 torchbearers will run 137,000 km over 130 days
• The National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) covers an area of 258,000 sq. meters
• The Bird’s Nest has 91,000 seats
• The surface of the National Aquatics Center is covered by 1,437 pieces of transparant material
• The highest price for the opening ceremony tickets is 5000 Renminbi, the lowest is 200 Renminbi
• Beijing expects 550,000 international visitors and 2.4 million domestic spectators
• Over 800 star-class hotels and 4,000 hostels will provide about 420,000 overprized rooms

If you have an established domicile in China you can try to get a ticket on the offical Beijing Olympics website. Phase 1 has ended but in October 2007 there is a new chance.

Source Cityweekend August 2-15 2007

It’s now less than a year before they start, the Olympic Games (link) in Beijing. Part of the whole event is the Olympic torch that travels the world and end it’s journey during the opening ceremony. Shanghai is one of the lucky cities that will host the torch.

Ok, get your agenda and jot fown the following dates, 20 an 21st of May 2008. Ok, that’d done. Now comes the real kicker. (more…)

Today, in one year, the Beijing Olympics will open. As expected there are a lot of articles writing about the good, the bad and the ugly of what will come.

The day of the start is 8-8-2008. The 8 is a lucky number in China despite that officially superstition is not allowed here.

I’m no fortuneteller but one thing is for sure, the amount of attention these Olympic Games will get, will outdo any previous event.

Yesterday’s SCMP cartoon shows some of the hurdles to be taken. (more…)

There are already official posters for the 2008 Olympics and now there are also some unofficial ones that are quite amusing.

Olympics and the Bicycle	Olympics and Mahjong
(Mahjong is a Chinese game where money changes hands a lot)

Sources: Creative Posters
H/T CDT

I wasn’t planning on going in 2008 to the Beijing Olympics. Not because I don’t like sports but I’m not crazy about crowds and I’m sure there will be many.

For those contemplating of going there, there may be another reason to think twice.

According to a Dutch paper a new police unit has been formed, the Airco Police. No building can be cooler than 26 degrees celcius.

Hotels, offices, shopping centres and other buildings will be checked by the Airco Control. It will be Beijing’s contribution to the environment….

There will also be a special snitch line. Any disgruntled employees/shoppers etc can call the Airco Unit and tell that their office/shopping mall is too cool.

Way to go, sweating in your hotel, sweating while shopping, sweating in the crowds, probably sweating in the stadiums, just a hell of a lot of sweating.

I can imagine there are better ways to tackle environmental problems in China.

The good news is that beds will be 10 cm’s wider compared to Athens. Have athletes gotten fatter over the last 4 years?

The bad news is that athletes expecting to spend some relaxing time in their apartment in the Olympic Village watching TV will have to pay extra.

According to International Olympic Committee, organizers are required to provide rooms that are the standard as a three-star hotel. (more…)