Dear Language Enthusiast,
Welcome to the Chinese Monthly, the
Internet newsletter from Transparent Language. In this
issue, we will talk about China’s Olympic history.
Last month’s newsletter stated that "the only man-
made structure in the world that is visible from
space [is] the Great Wall of China." While the source of
this information was "The Encyclopedia of World
Geography" (Andromeda Oxford Limited 1993:
Oxfordshire, England), some of you pointed out that
this is only partially true. To clarify, Robert
Crippen, a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist,
has told us that "from space, through a VERY clear
atmosphere, the human eye can barely see most large,
high contrast 'man-made' structures (e.g. large
concrete dams), ...certainly not just the Great Wall
of China."
Sincerely,
Transparent Language
www.transparent.com
In English:
The 27th Olympic Games in Sydney are right around the
corner. In this issue of our newsletter, we will look
at China’s Olympic history.
The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in
1896. The year before, Greece had invited China to
join the Games, but like many other governments,
China’s ruling Ching dynasty didn’t send any athletes
to the Games. In fact, China did not participate in
the Olympics until the 10th Games, held in Los Angeles
in 1932. There, Chinese athlete Changchun Liu
participated in the men’s 100 and 200 meter sprints,
but did not qualify for the medal round. After that,
the number of Olympians and sports in which China
participated increased gradually.
In 1949, the political situation changed in China. The
Nationalist government took power in Taiwan while the
People’s Republic of China was established on the
mainland. Both sides wanted to represent China
officially in the Olympic Games. Due to their
political problems, Taiwan declined to participate in
1952, while in 1956, mainland China withdrew from the
Games. China did not return to the Olympics until the
Lake Placid (New York) winter games in 1980. The year
before, the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
recognized the Chinese Olympic Committee (representing
the People’s Republic of China) and Chinese Taipei
Olympic Committee (representing Taiwan), which finally
settled the problem.
The 23rd Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984 was the first
time athletes from both sides joined the summer Games
together. There, Chinese athlete Haifeng Xu won the
men’s free pistol event, China’s first Olympic gold
medal. Since then, China has won 52 Olympic gold
medals. In three out of four summer Games during this
time, China was among the top four countries to win the
most gold medals. China’s strongest Olympic sports
are gymnastics, diving, and table tennis. China has won
nine gold medals in each of these three sports.
Beijing was leading the competition to host the 2000
Olympics, but in the last round of IOC voting, the
city lost to Sydney by only two votes. China is now
enthusiastically lobbying to host the Olympics in
2008. Next July, the result of the competition between
Beijing and nine other cities will be announced.
Sources:
Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee’s Web site
Connors, M., Dupuis, D. L., & Morgan, B. (1992). The
Olympics Factbook. Detroit: Visible Ink Press.
Britannica.com
Titanneiwai
Beijing 2008
