Seven days to go until the Olympics - and plenty of rules to follow
Updated on 01 August 2008
Beijing seems to be determined to make sure the Olympics is simply not fun, writes our Beijing bureau's Matt Jasper.
OK, so I am a blogging virgin - at least in its written form. I have lived in China for near on six years and this morning I woke up with the desire to put my words on the record.
I think what set me off was finding out yesterday that during the course of the Olympic Games, fridges and televisions will be banned from the underground. WHAT? Who sits down and thinks, hmmm, what new law can we pass today - Barry, I've got it - don't let the people take any white goods on the train.
The last few months have been a little weird here in Beijing. New rules popping up every day or old rules suddenly being enforced. I know it is important to maintain security in an Olympic city, but I remember that the Olympics used to be fun.
Let me say that I am Australian and a sports lover. Always have been, but Beijing seems to be determined to make sure the Olympics is simply not fun.
China always says that you should not mix politics and sport. It tells other people to not get the Tibet, Darfur or Human Rights questions mixed up in the Games. But China has always mixed the two. It didn't go to Moscow in 1980 because of Russia's invasion of Afghanistan. Before '80 it didn't go because the Taiwanese team were using the word China in their name.
Can you really believe that a country takes on the Games just because it is a sporting event? Certainly not China. The government here is using the Olympics to show itself off to the world, and not just on the track.
As a new world power, China wants the world to see big new shiny buildings, happy citizens and a previously unseen openness. Put simply, it's reminding the world "we are here now - get used to it".
The thing is, China has problems. Some deeply rooted, some that they don't want their own citizens to know about and some that they would be embarassed for the rest of the world to know.
The plan then is to clean up Beijing before the Games - sanitize it - let the world see a Beijing that looks good from the outside. It seems from living here that it is more like a slash and burn.
The whipper snipper is out cutting down the weeds and unfortunately other things get sucked into its path as well. One man we interviewed recently equated Beijing's attitude to a boss who has a tree next to his office that everyone pee's on. How do you fix the problem? Cut down the tree.
I'll give you a few examples (other than no fridges on the underground).
- At least one five star hotel that we know of has to serve food and drink from plastic plates, cups and using plastic knives and forks.
- Some bars have been told to have no dancing or no live music during the Games.
- Most restaurants with tables outside have to take their tables inside.
- Bars around the main bar street have to close at 2am - this was a rule that was previously not enforced.
- No sleeping outdoors - to maintain maintain public hygiene and the cultured image of cities.
- Shanghai hotels have reportedly been asked to drop foreign tv channels during the games.
- Dog meat is off the menu in Beijing (but for those inclined, seal penis or scorpion on a stick is still available).
- No skateboarding during the games.
- No frolicking in cars or in bike lanes.
- No group get togethers outside of more than 10, 20 or 30 depending on who you ask.
- No chewing gum inside venues.
A lot of the new rules here are also intentionally vague. A recent press release suggested that for those people who wanted to protest, there would be three protest zones set up around the city.
Of course you have to request a permit five days in advance, and even if it's granted nobody knows if you will be arrested as soon as you leave the park or whether journalists will be able to cover it.
My guess is that there will be a maximum number of protesters allowed and no media. So it could be a few blokes, one large flag and an empty park.
When I was growing up the Olympic Games to me were fun, surprising and about the sport. It should be a celebration of the host country and the athletes that are competing.
