Day: 283
So in a city where you can’t see the sky because of insane amounts of pollution, the greatest athletes are going to converge, next summer, to achieve their worst times and scores of their careers. How anyone expects these stars to give their best when their eyes are bleary from the particles in the air, and lungs are on fire from the constantly grey skies is beyond me. I have difficulty walking out to get a plate of dumplings, much less run a 2000 meter relay. All the while the construction continues; while the city is alive with anticipation for next summer, every corner will sell you a “Beijing 2008” hat or sweater. Seems obscene in a place where Blogger.com and Wikipedia.com are banned because they are not healthy for the general Chinese welfare.
I know, all I do in Beijing is complain but it is excessively well deserved. London in 2012 will at least have clear skies and a place to get a decent beer, I’ll wait until then to get my fill of the Olympics…
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Hey is that Solan in the pic? I believe they are importing clean air for the games it should all be good. Bring me back a shirt.
Reminds me of California in the late 1950s.
Save your breath.
China is planning to do what they do everytime the Olympic committee is there…They shut down all the plants and factories for days in advance and send all the workers back to the country. This allows the air to clear. I learned this two years ago when I was in China…from a state official. So since the air is so bad…I would say no olympic officals in town.
[…] In other China news, blogger Robert Paetz recently left China (after taking stunning photos as he traveled from its crowded urban areas to the desolate outer-reaches) feeling impressed yet disillusioned with the hype of 2008. […]