Beijing 2008

In the 1950’s, Cuban Artist Luis Carbonell recorded “La Habana de Hoy” [Present Day La Habana] for the recording label Kubaney. Inspired by the recording and what I have seen in Beijing, the time has come to write about Beijing. Another reason is to correct the misconceptions of Beijing and China that have been invented by a press in the Western World [examples such as CNN, CBS, and the like] bent on eliminating alternative view points so that they can regain the monopoly once enjoyed. I had already written a reply to the comments made by a BBC Journalist in Beijing that in my opinion defamed the people of China and the Olympics.

Before talking about my impressions of Beijing, I would like to respond directly to those in the media who defame China and the Beijing Olympics. There are many who have never visited China or are inside China with prejudices inside their heart and soul. Many of these people work in the Western Mainstream Media and have not done their homework before reporting on such a glorious event as the Beijing Olympics 2008. The People’s Republic of China and the Olympic Committee within China including Beijing has made commitments for a Green, People’s, and High Tech Olympics.

I. Green Olympics

Beijing has done more than other cities in the area of pollution. In fact, I saw almost no pollution in Beijing and the areas of the Olympics. I write this taking into account that there is plenty of traffic in Beijing. The air was clean and I was able to breathe freely the air without suffering from allergies. Beijing has also instituted inspections of automobiles within the city in order to make sure that there is no Carbon Dioxide or Carbon Monoxide Emissions from automobiles. I was a witness to people driving in cars that were powered by electricity and batteries which also decreases pollution. The citizens of Beijing in cooperation with the municipal government as well as the National Government of the People’s Republic of China have assisted in cleaning their city. In other words, there is no pollution in Beijing. Again, the detractors talk about algae in Beijing and Qingdao. I was a witness to people cleaning up the Beijing and Qingdao area of algae. The problem has been resolved. There are no algae in Beijing or Qingdao. The problem of smog is a result of bad weather such as rain that exists in all of the areas of the Earth.

Another aspect that Beijing has done in order to promote a Green Olympics is to promote naturally grown food. This is not new since China is a pioneer in naturally grown food. It is the West that has managed to play catch up. The Chicken, Meat, Peking duck as well as Noodles, Vegetables, and Rice are grown in organic environments and subjected to the inspection of culinary experts and experts in Quality Control and Utilization Review. The same applies in the medical aspects since I am in the realm of Quality Control and Utilization Review in Health Care. The food and health care in Beijing [as well as the traffic] conforms to what will be a Green Olympics. The food and health care exceeds expectations.

II. People’s Olympics

Before discussing the issue of the High Tech Olympics, it can be said that Beijing is truly an Olympics for the people. Beijing and the People’s Republic of China deserve credit for returning the Olympics to the people. Everyone from the desk clerk in the Olympic Venues to the upper hierarchy has been included in the participation of this soon to be magic and historic moment in the People’s Republic of China.

I could still remember my visit to the Temple of Heaven. During the visit to the Temple of Heaven, I remember with fondness how a woman would wave a colorful belt and how I learned from her. When I waved the colourful belt, it was like being with family.I was in my own world and enjoying it. I managed to wave a heart and later was able to wave a figure eight.

During my visit to the People’s Republic of China, I remember seeing on CCTV a music video of a female Chinese Pop Star singing and raising the flag of the People’s Republic of China. In the background, there were people respecting each other as well as the sense of family and community. I remember looking at the video and felt an emotion that is hard to express. There is nothing like country and family and seeing the music video made my heart beat and gave me a feeling of happiness and peace within myself that cannot be repeated. I was able to see this outside in Beijing with the people being friendly and helpful. I could remember the hotel clerk allowing me to use the umbrella when there was heavy rain. I could remember seeing families in the China’s People’s Palace Hotel as well as other areas of Beijing going out and enjoying life. It is this sense of family that has indeed made the Beijing Olympics an Olympics for the People. It is also a shame that this sort of unity in family was missing in the Western World [including the United States of America].

The sense of community extended to people who helped me dress up as an Emperor during the Temple of Heaven visit. It was not easy but the employees selected the clothes, helped with the crown, and with the throne. The people who helped dress me as an Emperor even assisted with the sword and how to express an “aristocratic” emotion. I wanted to smile but I was told an “Emperor had to look like an Emperor” so I played the part.

The People’s Republic of China especially Beijing contained a sense of community with people saying “Please” and “Thank You”.

The Official Postal Service China Post was also immaculate and organized. China Post was helpful with this humble citizen when he sent his post cards and letters to family and friends in the United States of America and Cuba. The courteous attitude of the people left an impact that I tried to express but could only say the word “Excellent” and it’s Spanish Equivalent “Fenomenal”. Many people in Beijing asked me the reason for my saying just one word. My response was that I am a believer in using one word to talk about all of the positive things in the world.

The people of Beijing have a desire to learn about other people. A few people in Beijing once asked me if in America people believed in lucky charms. My response was to say that many people carry a Cross, a Buddha, and a Stone but that I preferred to carry a photo of my wife Marlene and Daughter Veronica as well as a badge of China Radio International as well as the tour guide by CRI English. The people of Beijing were happy with such a response.

I was able to establish friendships with people from different parts of the world such as Ukraine, Germany, Laos, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Tanzania as well as my friends and family in China Radio International and the People’s Republic of China. Our subjects of discussion have been the Olympics and how it should be separated from politics. We helped and learned from each other and with our actions, were able to contribute to the concept of the People’s Olympics. I still remember climbing to the top of the Great Wall of China at Badaling to the cheers and applause of the tourists and the staff of the Great Wall. The event was celebrated at a restaurant next to the Great Wall with the Restaurant Workers adding extra rice, vegetables, and Coca Cola as a form of celebration and Fernando Bo [one of the participants of this historic contest] saying: “Roberto Carlos is strong”.

There were people who asked me about my beliefs and I said that “I am a person who believes that people should be accepted for what they are on the inside regardless of race, ethnicity, and ideology”. I explained that my beliefs were based on Deng Xioping and his “Cat and Mice Analogy” as well as what Cantinflas [the Mexican Comedian] once said: “I do not desire riches or power, I just want to be friends and be at peace with all of the people of the world.”. The people of China especially Beijing responded by saying that Roberto Carlos had the Olympic Spirit and I still carry that love within me to this day.

I could not imagine that one day while listening to China Radio International [at the time Radio Peking or Radio Beijing] that I would be in the Great Hall of the People. The Great Hall of the People is a building that houses the reunions of the Government of the People’s Republic of China as well as other formal reunions. It was built during the days of Socialist Realism of the 1950’s and 1960’s. It was a pleasure and an honour to be in such sacred grounds. It was a pleasure and an honour to be the recipient of the Olympic Awards which included a ceramic trophy and a certificate. I felt my heart beat after receiving the award and then receive the following congratulations from the Government of the People’s Republic of China, China Radio International, and the Embassy of the United States of America in Beijing, the People’s Republic of China. I will never forget the words of the representative of the Embassy of the United States of America: “Roberto, you deserve to be honoured for your efforts in promoting the People’s Olympics by promoting the improvement of relations between the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America”. It is these words that will remain in my heart. It is also these words that have the people of Miami Florida thinking that the Beijing Olympics of 2008 has truly become a People’s Olympics.

The Great Hall of The People was also the historical meeting place between this humble listener and the Director of CRI English Service Yang Lei. We were able to talk about CRI English and my beginnings as a listener of CRI English. We also talked about how CRI English was a station in constant contact with its listeners. I suggested to Yang Lei that CRI English maintain its shortwave service. I managed to explain the reasons such as the fact that people in America are purchasing shortwave radios after the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Rita, and Wilma in 2005. Mr. Yang Lei was responsive to the need of continuing Shortwave Service from CRI English.

It was an honour to be able to visit another sacred place called China Radio International [CRI as the initials]. It was great to be shown the building and to receive the award of the Beijing Olympic Stamps. Most important was to meet with the dedicated professionals of China Radio International such as Gao Huiying [my interpreter], Xie Tingting [my photographer], Guan Juanjuan [Deputy Director of CRI], Ye Feng [Deputy Director Associate Professor of the CRI Urdu Service], Jade Wang [Channel Director of Easy FM China Radio International], Meng Yi [West Asian and African Broadcasting Director], Xing Bo [Vice Director CRI General Editorial Office], Fernando Bo [Asociacio Chinesa do Brasil], and Yang Lei [Chief of CRI English]. The dedicated professionals of CRI and CRI have proved themselves to be protagonists of the People’s Olympics by welcoming an old family member. I even saw my own envelope to CRI in the CRI Museum. It was great to be able to visit a station with more than sixty five years of history and has left me touched to the point that my heart beats with excitement.

I have never seen such an expression of what a People’s Olympics is and the fact that people were in a universal embrace with expression of love. I could say that at that moment, there was a universal expression of love, happiness, inclusion, with a sense of family [such as respect for people for what they are on the inside, loyalty, respect, and helping one another]. It is this universal expression of love, happiness, inclusion, and sense of family which is the equivalent of true freedom and the true People’s Olympics

III. High Tech Olympics

Beijing is a city without limits and one of them is high tech. I was a witness to some of the latest technologies in the Beijing Olympics that do not exist in the West. Haier [one of the innovative companies in China] have installed family friendly Television sets with a remote control that controls what is inside the rooms and stadiums. There is an Automatic Teller Machine or ATM which is in the form of some the mascots of the Beijing Olympics [constructed under the auspices of the Bank of China] in which the person can either withdraw money or convert money from Dollars, Euros, to Chinese Money [I have not seen this in America].

There is also the presence of automatic Coca Cola Machines that actually talk and ask people to place their money in the machine and make a selection. After the selection is made, the machine says Thank You. This is something I have yet to see in the West. There are also sound machines which pre-selects whatever music that is necessary for any event from swimming to football [soccer] which includes recording for television stations. It was funny to see representatives of some of the Western Media attempt to use such machines without success. Regardless, the Chinese Employees in the stadium [including representatives of China Radio International] were on hand to assist, and instruct the Western Media representatives on the use of such advanced equipment.

Never in my life have I seen recordings done by digital means and it has left me impressed. I have always been used to analogue recordings but I am attempting to learn the latest digital techniques after seeing digital microphones and recording devices used in the Beijing Olympics Stadiums. This has been the first time that I have witnessed Microsoft Windows Media Players being used with Microsoft XP and Vista at the same time. The organizers of the Beijing Olympics have really taken the high tech to a new level.

I was a witness to seeing Haier Commodes open and close automatically as well as refrigerators which have left messages on a digital television screen. There was one of many laptops that also controlled the events in the stadium including the electricity which has yet to be seen in the West. There were even telephones with Digital Television Sets in order to see the people with whom one is communicating. It is these inventions from Haier and the People’s Republic of China that has the Western Media either in a daze or envious. The International Broadcasting Centre was also testimony to every technology from MP3 to MP4 as well as the I-Pod.

IV. My Impressions

Beijing and the People’s Republic of China earned the right to host the Olympics whether the detractors like it or not. I challenge those who write about Beijing and China in general to study more about China. I challenge those who write about China to write about the truth instead of the lies that are used when there are no other stories. I challenge people who talk about a Green Olympics, a People’s Olympics, and a High Tech Olympics to lay down their prejudices and write about the accomplishments of the People’s Republic of China, and the Olympic Committee in having achieved a Green, and High Tech Olympics that have also become a People’s Olympics.

Beijing and the People’s Republic of China welcomed me with open arms and are willing to welcome people from around the world. The People’s Republic of China is a beautiful country because of its people as well as its history and landscape.

My message to the People’s Republic of China is that the Beijing Olympics will be a success. The Beijing Olympics will surpass previous Olympics and that history will judge the Olympics as Before Beijing 2008, During Beijing 2008, and After Beijing 2008. I love you China, I love you Beijing Olympics 2008, and I Love My Family [which also includes China Radio International].