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7.13 Forever2005/07/01
Text by Winnie Li, photos by Li Yanming and coutesy of BOCOG Do you remember what you are doing on the night of July 13, 2001? As in every year since the fantastic night that Beijing won the right to host the 29th Summer Olympic Games, it has celebrated this special event on or about July 13 with its "Beijing 2008" Olympic Cultural Festival. This summer, the celebration began on June 26 at the Workers Gymnasium in Beijing with the announcement of the Games new Olympic slogan, “One World, One Dream.” The festival will continue with a wide range of events (described below) until July 16. The excitement and pageantry surrounding the announcement of the new Olympic slogan vividly displayed the Chinese people's sense of pride in and dedication to hosting a high-level Games with Chinese characteristics that the people of the world will be happy to participate in. Since this year's festival is the first since the end of the Athens Olympic Games, even more attention is being paid to the activities of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and Beijing Municipality and others who are steadily preparing for the Games. And not just Beijingers are involved in the preparations. This year, for the first time, the Olympic Cultural Festival will also be celebrated in Qingdao, Olympic Theme Songs Performed At the closing ceremony, the top ten songs selected from submissions to the second-round solicitation for Beijing 2008 Olympic theme songs will be performed at Olympic Sports Centre. The final theme song for the Beijing Olympic Games will be chosen from the winners of the annual theme song solicitation events which will last until 2007. Enjoy Sports Films Sports films, a first for many Chinese people, will be another attraction of this festival. For the first time the city will host a Beijing International Sports Film Week featuring 20 sports-themed films from home and abroad. A documentary film about Yao Ming, China's greatest NBA super star, will be premiered. Pop Concerts for Everyone Chaoyang Park, a perfect venue for pop concerts, will become a paradise for Beijing residents and visitors during the festival. Every evening from June 23 to July 16, 1.5-hour pop concerts themed "Olympic Time" will take place. In addition, visitors can also view exhibitions concerning the progress of Beijing’s preparations for the 2008 Olympics there. Take home 2008 Olympics products and souvenirs Other events include a number of open-air cultural activities at Chaoyang Park, Shichahai, Ditan Park, Zhoukoudian Cultural Square (the suburban Fangshan District), Tianqiao Folk Customs Cultural Square (Xuanwu District) and Lianhuachi Park (near Beijing West Railway Station), where art performances, exhibitions of calligraphic works and paintings, concerts, forums on the Olympics, and art performances by disabled people will be featured. Licensed Olympic products and souvenirs will be sold at these locales. Sidebar Stars Shine on Olympic Volunteer Soirée The smiles of volunteers are the business cards of a city An estimated 100,000 volunteers will provide much needed assistance during the 2008 Olympic Games. On June 5, the city launched the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Volunteer Programme. Official registration and training will begin next year. On July 13, 2005, a concert will be held to promote the volunteer programme. Stars from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and abroad will sing songs and interact with audiences, hoping to arouse support for the 2008 Olympics Volunteer Programme. Those who attend the concert will be treated to a laser show, flame show and videos. The videos will highlight historical scenes, from Beijing's first bid for the Olympic Games in 1990 to the city's recent preparations.
About 713 sets of tickets at a price of 2,008 yuan (US$251) have been prepared for this concert. Volunteers will serve audiences during the concert. In addition, a "Fund of 7.13 Beijing Volunteer Action" will be launched in support of the Beijing Volunteer Service Fund under the Beijing Youth Development Foundation. From 2005 to 2008, this fund will be used to pay for the training of volunteers and voluntary activities for the Beijing Olympic Games. Revenues from the concert will go into the fund.
Programme of the Third “Beijing 2008” Olympic Cultural Festival
Qingdao"Ocean Dancing with the Olympics" Opening Evening Gala "Building Olympic Great Wall" Sand Sculpture Event in Commemoration of the Olympic Day The First Friendship Sailing Competition of Cross-Straits Ocean Universities |
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