BEIJING - As the 2008 Beijing Olympics came to a close Sunday and China’s Games are widely considered a massive success.
So has medal fever gripped the inhabitants of London’s Chinatown and do they think the UK’s capital city will be able to compete when it holds the event in 2012?
There was certainly some sporting action at the Chinese Community Centre in Gerrard Street but the drama was not taking place on the television in Beijing.
Andrew is taking part in the centre’s summer scheme Andrew Yiu was taking on two younger friends at a game of table tennis, sorry ping pong, and he seemed to be in line for another Chinese gold medal.
The 14-year-old schoolboy was born in the UK but his parents are from Hong Kong. He has “mostly” been supporting China but has enjoyed watching US swimmer Michael Phelps storm to a record eight gold medals.
“It is the first time I have been into the Olympic Games probably because they are in Beijing,” he said.
“There has been some amazing athletes, particularly Michael Phelps. The highlight for me has been the determination to do well and the amount of talent there.”
The community centre is in the heart of Chinatown in London’s West End, and Sarah Wong works there as an information officer.
The 37-year-old from Hong Kong said many of their elderly clients have not been that bothered about the Olympics, preferring to watch Chinese news programmes or play their own games.
She said most of them come from rural villages in China, are not used to TV and do not really understand the Olympic brand and hype.
“They are interested in China’s gold medals but they will not watch the whole programme, only the highlights,” she said.
‘Olympic dream’
Yan Lee, 84, already had his fix of the Olympics by the time he arrived at the centre.
He was mentally preparing himself for a game of Chinese chess with his friend who had the steely look of a formidable opponent.
Speaking through an interpreter, he said his highlight had been anyone who had won a medal.
Mr. Lee has lived in the UK for more than 30 years “It doesn’t matter which country,” he said. “They deserve the glory. They made the effort and did the training.”
A criticism of the Games has been the lack of viewing opportunities for locals and tourists away from the main action in Beijing, and Mr Lee was one of several people to praise the big screen in Trafalgar Square.
He was also full of admiration and pride for his country which he said had realised its “Olympic dream”.
“When I was little and living in southern China it was very poor, especially under Japanese occupation,” he added. “But now I have noticed all the changes and the people in China are better off.”
‘True colours’ Outside the community centre, pride in China’s achievements, not only weighed in gold, was as pervasive as the smell of exotic fruits and roast duck.
Born in the southern province of Guangxi, Zhai Bo has been in the UK since 2003.
The 27-year-old has been watching the Olympics in the morning before heading into the New Loon Moon supermarket, where he is assistant manager.
Zhai hopes the Olympic spirit will persist in China
“I’m really proud as a Chinese,” he said. “It’s inside how you feel and I don’t know how to express it.
“The most important part is letting the world know about China. Most of the time they don’t see the true colours of China. It is not always how the press shows it.”
While the spectacle and sportsmanship may have eclipsed the controversy which hounded Beijing in the run-up to the Olympics, Zhai echoed the unanimous chorus of opinion garnered on the streets of Chinatown that politics and sport should not mix.
Many felt that China, its human rights record and dealings with Tibet, were all unfairly placed under the spotlight.
“There is an issue, I’m not denying that but we just need more to time to sort it out. China is a big country and there is a lot of educating and developing to do,” he said.
He was the first to mention a legacy of “connectedness”.
“We are open now,” he added. “The truth is I don’t know what they are going to do after the Olympics but I would like it to stay that way. I would like to see the Olympic spirit continue.”
‘Growing up’
Annie Wang, 32, is the reception manager at Everwell Chinese Medicine. From northern China, she has been in London for seven and a half years.
Ms Wang said she had been too busy to watch the sporting action
The opening ceremony was so good, she watched it twice.
“It was fabulous,” she said. “Many people don’t know China very well and the opening ceremony was all about China’s history.”
She grimaced at the mention of Liu Xiang, China’s poster boy hurdler who limped out the Games, but the smile returned when talking about Lin Miaoke, the pretty stand-in who mimed at the opening ceremony in place of the less aesthetically-pleasing singer.
“The director just wanted to show the best of China to the rest of the world,” she said.
Jie Li hopes the Olympics have changed people’s perceptions of China and its Communist rulers.
The 50-year-old housewife from Beijing said: “The West views China as poor, with no food. They want to show the world that China is growing up. They want to connect with the world.
Mrs Li is very proud of Team GB’s achievements
“The Chinese government has problems, same as every country. There are so many people and it is difficult to change quickly. I think the Olympics have shown they are trying.”
She adds that she has been trying to get interested in cycling, because the “British are good at that”.
Pride in their adopted country and its record gold haul was a sentiment shared.
It was generally agreed that London 2012 had a challenge as well as a baton in its hands but there was also great faith in the city and its ability to show off its talents.
There was a sense Beijing was about putting the city and the country on a different footing, while London is already an international city.
Bank worker Edmond Wan, who perhaps had a professional eye on the budgets, summed it up: “London has big shoes to fill but I think it will be a different kind of games. It will be smaller scale with the focus on the sports.”
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