I Like Chinese

[Disclaimer: I have no problems with China, or those of Chinese heritage. I only used the following lyrics as a precursor to my post, because sometimes Mony Python really does say it best. Please take no offense.]

"I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
They only come up to your knees,
Yet they're wise and they're witty, and they're ready to please."
- Monty Python


Wise, witty, and ready to please.

Proven to an even further extent at the opening ceremonies at the Summer Olympics held this year in Beijing.

Firstly, for those of you who actually watched the opening ceremony, it was stunning, no? I've never seen such grandeur in all of my days than when the hundreds and hundreds of Chinese men moved in perfect synchronization, beating their drums merrily, ushering in the international competition that lay before them in the coming weeks. I was thoroughly impressed at the orchestration that went into the production, and it all went over without a hitch.

However, a couple of days after the opening ceremonies, I discovered just how "ready to please" Beijing really was.

Remember the cute little girl who sang the Chinese anthem to kick off the ceremony? Apparently, she really wasn't singing. The young lady who was really cast the part to sing, was determined (at the last minute) to be unfit for international broadcast - due to her teeth!!. Thank you, China, for reminding me how shallow humans can really be.

I also remember being floored by the fireworks display that lit up the sky during the finale of the opening ceremony. I recently learned that half of these marvelous lights were digitally inserted before broadcast, because they were worried that the cameras "wouldn't be able to capture the entire skyline". Hmmm.

I'm not making any bones about these little cut corners, but I found it a little bit disappointing that we can no longer settle for the truth. This is old news about truth, of course. I only use the Olympics as an example, because it is relevant and recent and every one seems to be fussing about it.

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In news unrelated to China, I am back in Nashville now, and ready to roll into a new school year at Belmont University. It should be a good one. Rumor has it that this years freshman class is the biggest in recorded history. Three cheers for Belmont!

I will leave you with two pictures: One is of the little girl whose voice resonated throughout the world during the opening ceremony, and the other is of the face that was seen. I won't bother pointing out which is which.