Begin forwarded message:
From: "Mario Profaca" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: August 17, 2008 12:06:19 AM PDT
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [SPY NEWS] In China, Looks Are Everything
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=7197763c18e7c5216bc4078bb19eda39
In China, Looks Are Everything
New America Media, News Analysis, Jun Wang , Posted: Aug 15, 2008
Editor's Note: The controversy over little Miaoke Lin lip-synching
during the Olympic opening ceremony has split the Chinese blogosphere
and shocked the West. Jun Wang is a Los Angeles-based reporter for New
America Media.
In China, everything has to look perfectly good, especially if it's
related to the Beijing Olympics. The opening ceremony did look
magnificently grand. However, it has set off serious arguments around
the world.
Everyone knows now that Miaoke Lin, the nine-year-old girl who
appeared to be singing the Hymn to the Motherland in the Olympics
opening ceremony, was not the singer at all. The voice belonged to
Peiyi Yang, a seven-year-old girl, who sang from backstage.
Video: Miaoke Lin at the opening ceremony
Download video!
The switch was revealed by Qigang Chen, music director of the Olympics
opening ceremony, days after the event. He said directors didn't let
Yang perform on the stage because they were concerned about her
appearance. "This is a matter of national interest. The girl must look
good and perform good," Chen said.
The remark provoked many Chinese to post comments on the Internet.
Wrote one: "Why not put Huan Liu, China's top singer without a popular
face, singing behind the stage and bring some handsome face to move
his mouth beside Sarah Brightman on the stage to boost China's
national interest?"
Xi Lin, a famous Chinese composer said that for him, fake-singing is
not a problem at all. But Chen's explanation makes him angry. Lin said
he doesn't see much difference between the two girls in terms of
appealing faces. But he believes the national image of China must be
incredibly easy to shake if it's based on a performer's looks.
The Chinese are split over the two-girl issue.
Supporters of the opening director Yimou Zhang say all the
performances at the opening were teamwork. Nobody thinks Ning Li, the
legendary gymnast, actually flew around the bird-nest stadium to light
the Olympic torch all by himself. It's very clear that there are tons
of people working unseen behind him. Nobody asks to list all their
names after Li.
"Pretty Corn" argued back on the same website: "I don't oppose fake
singing or so-called cooperation, but Yang didn't get her credit."
The playbill handed out at the opening ceremony is criticized as
misleading. It shows "Actress A: Peiyi Yang, Actress B: Miaoke Lin."
Translated, that would indicate that Lin would be Yang's substitute if
Yang can't make the show. A post by "ysy ysy" asks "Why not put
singer: Peiyi Yang, performer Miaoke Lin? Why (didn't anyone) bring
this up in the press conference immediately after the opening ceremony?"
Giving credit might not be a big problem in China, but most people, on
both sides of the issue, worry about what effect all this will have on
the little girls, especially on Peiyi Yang. Her appearance has been
officially evaluated as "negatively affecting China's national image."
The girls' experience has no doubt taught them that outward
appearances, if superior, can definitely give them more opportunities
and glory.
Lin and her parents received so many interview requests from the media
that the little girl had to suggest to her mother that she turn off
her cell phone and tell the media it's out of battery power.
Lin told the media, "Uncle Zhang (the Olympic opening director) said
my voice is splendid." According to the Wuhan Evening News, Lin's new
job was to perform for three minutes in a movie, for which she
reportedly got paid 600,000 RMB (about 90,000 USD).
Before the Olympics show, Lin had shot dozens of TV ads and performed
in many shows. Her journalist father and celebrity grandfather are
believed to have worked hard to promote Lin in the entertainment
industry.
Family backgrounds are investigated as a tangible clue for Lin and
some other kids who won in the nationwide competition to perform at
the opening ceremony.
Muzi Li, the little girl sitting beside pianist Lang Lang while he was
playing in the opening, is also at the center of a controversy. She
was found to have a real estate magnate mother, who's from a high
level Chinese government leader's family. Li's mother went to Harvard
University. Rumors circulating on the Internet say she is married to
the son of Qinghong Zen, the mysteriously low-profile former Chinese
Vice President.
Ironically, an online post on Wenxuecity by "Registration Info 123"
points out, "All the faults belong to Peiyi Yang. She stirred up the
conflicts. Why wasn't she born to a powerful family? She's from a
grass root family but with a golden voice. If she were from a national
leader's family, or at least had some powerful relatives, but still
with your harming-China's-image face, I bet nobody dare to bully her.
Her talent would have put her on the stage, instead of playing the
hero-behind-the-stage."
According to Star Entertainment News Service, Peiyi Yang and her dad
said there are a lot of people working behind the stage for the
Olympics opening ceremony. They are very content that Yang's voice got
into the world party. The China-based entertainment news service
believes that Yang will start a blog soon, just like Lin has done.
An online post by "peace lover" intends to redirect the heated
arguments. It says tha according to the Chinese value of collectivism,
Yang's a hero behind the stage, who sacrificed her personal
recognition for the people. It's an award for her to bring the secret
deal into light. But Western values say it's a violation of
individual's right. So they (Western countries) do such things
everyday, but cover them up.
"Rosyleaf" posted on Huaren, a Chinese online forum, says that "the
Yang issue starts being harmonized. The news has been filtered from
heavily visited Chinese websites like Sina, CCTV, Chinanews , etc."
"cxl" commented on MITBBS.com , the top Chinese Internet forum in the
United States, says that "In China, anything that doesn't look perfect
has to be covered up." The poster hopes China will grow stronger, so
the country can be confident enough to care less how it looks.
