Tag: 2008 Olympics

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China Travel: Putting Down Beats From One Host Country To Another

Where: Chengdu, China
August 13, 2008 at 11:00 AM | by | Comment (1)

Finally, someone to speak for the expats: Rapper Eli Sweet found his niche as a performer-slash-English teacher after moving from Hotlanta--to Chengdu, China.

His MySpace page still lists him as Atlanta-based--and as "the dopest white rapper without a fade"--but after graduation from Haverford College in Pennsylvania, Sweet, who had been studying Chinese on and off for years, took an unconventional path to musical recognition in becoming perhaps the only white rapper in Chengdu. NPR's videos of Sweet in Chengdu present a completely different side of the Olympic hosts, but inspire us to visit just as much as those sweeping shots of the Watercube.

We wish Sweet were a more regular blogger, based on a March '07 entry about the popularity of the combover, the state of the bathrooms and what Chinese people think of their neighbor, Thailand. His on-the-ground knowledge of what Asian rap sounds like alone is priceless.

Related Stories:
· American Rapper Eli Sweet Reflects On China [NPR]
· This Is Why I'm Hot [Eli Sweet's MySpace Blog]
· Beijing Olympics 2008 coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of a rap concert in Shanghai: nicklui]

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WiFi Travel: Beijing Suddenly Has More Connections to Monitor

Where: Beijing, China
August 12, 2008 at 5:15 PM | by | Comments (0)

Worldwide wireless provider Boingo has just launched 349 new hotspots in Beijing, a move timed to coincide with the Olympics.

The full list of hotspots is here, though it currently only shows 329 places to jump online. You can use Boingo's new Aspirin promotion, but since these connections are overseas, you'll have to pay a "premium fee" to get online.

Presumably, the WiFi is still under the same restrictions as all internet access in China, so your mileage may vary. Earlier this year, we discussed some strategies for circumventing state control of the internet.

Related Stories:
· WiFi coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: jon crel]

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Dispatches from Beijing: Live from the Olympics

Where: Beijing, China
August 11, 2008 at 12:30 PM | by | Comments (0)

A friend of Jaunted is on-hand for the Olympics, and she'll be doing her best to keep us posted on what it's really like for a spectator in China. The first of her reports came through today:

I arrived in Beijing with my family early this afternoon and we went to our first event: the Women's 58 kg Class Weightlifting. It was amazing to see these women lift up to two-and-a-half times their weight. China's Yanqing Chen won the gold.

But that wasn't the first Olympic event we attended, as we were lucky enough to get tickets to the Men's Preliminary Football event on August 7 in Shanghai Stadium, where some of the soccer matches are being played. We saw an exciting game, sitting next to 50,000 other fans: The sold-out match between Argentina and Ivory Coast.

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2008 Olympics Travel: Google Mapping All the Venues

Where: China
August 8, 2008 at 4:15 PM | by | Comments (0)

Just when our 2008 Olympics Venues Map started getting good, Google had to go and outshine us. The wizards over at the outfit's mapping division put together an awesome mash-up of the venues, events and medal winners for the Olympics, which you already know started today--or yesterday if you're checking the clock in Beijing.

Also included on the map are videos made with Google Earth that have the camera flying over 3D renderings of all the venues. Qinhuangdao Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, here we come!

Check the super-map here

Related Stories:
· Off to the Games! [Lat Long Blog]
· 2008 Olympics Venues Map [Jaunted]

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2008 Olympics Travel: Beijing National Indoor Stadium

Where: Beijing, China
August 7, 2008 at 2:30 PM | by | Comments (0)

This week we're mapping the top spots in China to be faster, higher and stronger.

The wee girls of gymnastics could get lost in Beijing National Indoor Stadium, also the sleek, glassed-in home of handball and trampoline. (Did you know trampolining has been an Olympic sport since 2000? Our childhoods were not in vain!)

Located just north of the Watercube, the solar-powered stadium was designed by the German firm Glöckner with the cooperation of the Eastern European collective the Munich Group.

Glöckner envisioned a steep-sided arena seemingly open to the heavens for "intensive tension between spectator and athlete." Judge for yourself with an animated stadium tour that will give you chills even if you're not Paul Hamm.

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Beijing Travel: Cab Driver... Or Spy?

Where: Beijing, China
August 7, 2008 at 12:45 PM | by | Comments (0)

Watch what you say in that Beijing taxi: The Wall Street Journal says tens of thousands of cabs in the capital have been outfitted with small microphones and GPS trackers that can be used to spy on passengers and drivers.

Officials have asked cabbies to watch out for "suspicious behavior and odd packages," the paper reports, though it's doubtful that China has the ability to monitor every conversation in every one of Beijing's 70,000 taxis. Maybe that's why the city of Shenyang--where some soccer matches will be held--recruited 38,000 drivers to work as unofficial spies?

You won't be safe to gossip in secret once you step out of the cab, either. The State Department advises visitors that hotel and conference rooms could be bugged at any time, and every phone in the country, including cell phones, can be tapped.

Related Stories:
· Beijing Taxis Are Rigged for Eavesdropping [WSJ]
· Paranoia Travel: Get Spied on at This Scary German Bar [Jaunted]
· Beijing Olympics coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Boris van Hoytema]

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Adventures of Link: Our Olympics Air Quality Obsession Continues

Where: Beijing, China
August 6, 2008 at 5:15 PM | by | Comments (0)

So those scary-looking masks seen on American cyclists yesterday? Turns out they were designed by the US Olympic Committee and handed out before the games. How do you say gaffe in Mandarin?

Meanwhile, amateur meterologists web-wide are trying to figure out what the smog situation will be when the Beijing games start on Friday. Current consensus? It's not looking good!

Related Stories:
· Beijing Quickly Becoming Spin City [SI]
· Good to Know! (Olympic Air Department) [James Fallows]
· A Protest Sign and Lots of Smog [Flickr]
· A Clear View of the CCTV HQ [Flickr]
· Masked Cyclists Apologize to Olympic Organizers [AFP, via Google]

[Photo taken August 5: Sprol]

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2008 Olympics Travel: Laoshan Velodrome

Where: Beijing, China
August 6, 2008 at 2:02 PM | by | Comments (0)

This week we're mapping the top spots in China to be faster, higher and stronger.

Visitors will want to take off those pollution-proof masks to take in the stunning 250-meter wooden track at the Laoshan Velodrome, in western Beijing. Home to the track cycling disciplines, it was designed by Schuermann Architects, a German family firm that's designed more than 120 bike-racing venues worldwide.

Intentionally designed to mimic the shape of a bicycle wheel, the velodrome's structure is anchored by a central "hub" of steel cables that branch out to support the roof. The last thing cyclists need while speeding along the track is the harsh sun in their eyes, so a translucent oculus at the peak of the dome allows for plenty of natural light without the risk of dangerous glare.

The venue will seat up to 6,000 during the Olympics, some of whom will get to sit inside the track in a spectator pit. Outside, a reflecting pool and small park invite visitors to mingle, and nearby public transportation links make it easy to get home after events.

Related Stories:
· 2008 Olympics Venues Map [Jaunted]
· Beijing Olympics coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Schuermann Architects]

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Adventures of Link: US Cyclists Channeling Michael Jackson

Where: Beijing, China
August 5, 2008 at 5:30 PM | by | Comments (0)

Olympic cyclists from the United States arrived in Beijing today, some of them sporting face masks to hold back the city's polluted air. Necessary? Maybe--but not very diplomatic!

Cyclist Mike Friedman says he and the other riders weren't trying to make a statement:

This is really a surprise because I didn't think it was going to be such a big deal. Why we wore the masks is simple: pollution. ... They have pollution in Los Angeles, and if the Olympics were in Los Angeles, we would probably wear these masks, too.

An International Olympic Committee official says the cyclists don't need to worry:

I would not carry a mask. I do not see a need for that.

Related Stories:
· US Cyclists Arrive in Beijing Wearing Masks [NYT]
· US Cyclists Provoke Beijing Smog Row [Telegraph]
· US Cyclists Fly into China with Masks [Reuters]
· Beijing Olympics coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Reuters]

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2008 Olympics Travel: The Watercube

Where: Beijing, China
August 5, 2008 at 2:30 PM | by | Comments (0)

This week we're mapping the top spots in China to be faster, higher and stronger.

Next to the Beijing National Stadium on the Olympic Green, the Beijing National Aquatic Center looks like it might be soft to the touch or at least pop like bubble wrap. The PTW Architects/Arup-designed building has a polymer skin structured like the natural design of soap bubbles, which was assembled and then inflated to create the outer walls.

The Watercube is most impressive outside at night with its ethereal blue lights but holds an estimated 17,000 spectators; it covers 7.8 acres. Will this fascinating facility become the temple that Phelps built--or his inspiration to hang up the extra-long wetsuit?

After the jump, watch the architects' video to pretend you're inside the giant cube.

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2008 Olympics Venues: The Bird's Nest

Where: Beijing, China
August 4, 2008 at 10:35 AM | by | Comment (1)

This week we're mapping the top spots in China to be faster, higher and stronger.

The Beijing National Stadium is the mega-arena that will host the opening and closing ceremonies and the soccer final on August 23. You'll find it on the Olympic Green, a collection of venues and green space built specifically for the games a few miles north of the Forbidden City.

Designed by Swiss architects Herzog & De Meuron, officials say the Bird's Nest could host as many as 160,000 people for the opening ceremony on August 8, when the Olympic Green officially opens to the public.

How will they all get there? Beijing is planning 28 additional, direct bus routes to the stadium; regular service to the area includes 48 existing bus routes and three metro lines.

Related Stories:
· About 160,000 Expected at Olympic Opening [Xinhua]
· The China Syndrome [NYT]
· Beijing Olympics coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: f u n k y !]

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Toilet Travel: Are You a Peach or a Banana?

August 1, 2008 at 9:18 AM | by | Comments (0)

Digging deeper into the files of random, unstandardized stuff from China: Apparently going to the bathroom is an even trickier matter than just figuring out the squatting thing. The extra challenge comes in figuring out which toilets belong to your gender.

A recent survey of public signs in Zhengzhou, for example, decided that 60 percent of the signs are unclear. One restaurant had banana on the sign for the men's and a peach on the women's; another place had a waterfall symbol for men and a picture of rain for women.

As if needing to pee in a foreign country isn't stressful enough, trying to guess which door you should enter definitely lends an anxious layer to the whole situation. But it could lead to some exciting gossip about Olympic athletes winding up in the wrong place with the wrong people, so we say, bring it on.

Related Stories:
· Banana and Peach Surprise on Menu [Ananova]
· Beijinging: Do You Sit or Squat? [Jaunted]
· Toilet coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Leo Reynolds]

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