Radio Canada International present a unique, innovative web series 'A NEW FACE FOR BEIJING'.
The series is about a 25 year-old Chinese-Canadian, Jennifer Hsiung, who moved to China to work for CCTV international as their sports anchor 2 years ago. The series documents her integration into the Chinese community and the transformations of Beijing in the last few months.
The atmosphere is Beijing is electric, and the series captures the environment and mood of the people in the capital as the Opening Ceremony fast approaches.
The series is shot by Jennifer's sister Tiffany and together they offer a different lens through which to view Beijing from the point of view of CBC's and ABC's living in the city. This unique viewpoint has made the series a great success so far.
We invite you to look online and make your own opinion heard at www.rcinet.ca/rci/pekin
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Taking Away Olympic Fun
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And the restrictions seem to keep multiplying. "Each day, new rules," says Wang. "Wake up, new rules. We're just always waiting for new rules." Some bar owners have been directed to close the rooftop terraces that usually draw crowds in Beijing's sweltering summer nights: a falling bottle might hit a passerby, they're told. Elsewhere, street-level seating has been banned. Inspectors recently carted off the tables, chairs and ornamental hedges from the sidewalk outside Aperitivo. "What happened?" says Fin. "How do I know? They don't tell you, they just come and take tables away." Demke says he saw a restaurateur in his neighborhood lie down in front of a truck to keep it from driving away with his furniture.
Some of those rules aren't arbitrary: they're meant to ensure things like fire safety and food hygiene. "There's a perception that China's trying to make it not fun, but China's trying to make it safe," says Mike Wester, managing editor of The Beijinger, a recently relaunched city magazine. Unfortunately, city officials are sacrificing something else in the process. "They want to make sure everything looks clean and goes smoothly," says Tom Pattinson, editor of Time Out Beijing. "They're not so interested in making sure that everyone ... [learns] what a great vibrant exciting city Beijing is." The spectacular opening ceremony, choreographed by Oscar-nominated director Zhang Yimou, is guaranteed to drown out the gripes of Beijing's Western inhabitants. First-time visitors may never guess what they're missing.
© 2008
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