huaiwei

You seem to give the Chinese alot more credit then is due. Why would they bother to spend millions on high-tech wizardry to have computer-controlled blocks, when enlisting thousands of military men to do the same job would save the organisers plenty of money to buy more fireworks? Logic seems to take a backseat whenever grapes turn sour!

Erm...communist the country may be, but you do not expect any other nationality to change their normal gestures when their anthem is sung just because it was on display on international TV?

I thoroughly enjoyed the ceremony, although like many ethnic Chinese, expectations may be higher than they ought to be. Anyway, I saw this article in my local paper, which says: "Most Asian media reports were fulsome in their praise for the opening extravaganza at the 'Bird's Nest' stadium, but a number of reviews in the Western press carried cynical undertones even as they credited Beijing for a job well done." The Straits Times Seems to reflect the comments made by some members here!

This has got to be one of the most insensitive and obviously gleeful comments I have seen to date. Shame on you.

Unfortunately, alot of people...and entire nations, do.

Would you kindly spell out in clear terms what would consitute a "dictatorship" in your books?

For the sake of balance, why would it not be an issue to single out those who are supposedly "very pro-China"? I, for one, found some of his comments entertaining for its worth. Why should anyone clam up just because you fail to appreciate it?

I am an ethnic Chinese who swears allegiance to the country of Singapore and to Singapore only, as does several millions of those around me, yet I felt intense pride when Beijing was selected as an Olympic host. I identify myself as an ethnic Chinese, yet I view China as a foreign nation resurging into the global arena and feel no close affinity with Chinese nationals in my country. I condemn some of China's past acts against humanity, including in particular the Cultural Revolution, yet I respect its wishes to guard its national borders against external and internal threats. I support the reunification of Taiwan with the rest of China, yet I wish that to happen only when all of China is democratic, and that the democracy in Taiwan will not be compromised. I would never see myself living in a non-democratic nation, yet I felt displeasure when certain individuals choose to adopt a myopic view of all things Chinese, make over-generalised criticisms without fully understanding the object of crticisim, and assumes one's own nation's history, culture, and experience is enough to judge another's with. Do you see a problem with any of my statements above? If yes, then you clearly need to travel the world more and find time to understand the world better. If I were to be in Shenzhen when the torch passes by, I can be 100% sure I will be there to cheer it on without being a Chinese national, and without the government blarring a command that I do so. What makes you think that I should be a minority in this regard?

I am 100% positive that I saw him in the dragon boat across the Victoria Harbour. That was the highlight, so it was given enough coverage for me to wonder why this chap is getting so much "torch-touching" opportunities!

Wasent he the one who carried the torch across Victoria Harbour?

The key word is "seem". If I have real issues with any particular news network, I will state it outright. Since I hadent, perhaps you may wish to direct your question somewhere else where you may get passionate answers? I personally could not give two hoots about how BBC covers this event. I rely on my local news networks and then verify them by checking a variety of international sources online, including the BBC if I have so, so thank you very much.

Jackie again? He hasent had enough of the limelight in HK?

Becase the BBC was specifically mentioned in the post I was responding too?

Fret not, for they have not exactly selected the main theme songs yet. "Beijing welcome's you" was launched during the ceremony as the theme song for the 100-day countdown, but we have yet to know the main opening and closing themes.

Apparantly the climbers are more conscious of their personal safety then you would like to believe: Weather keeps Olympic torch 6,500m up Everest I wonder if you beloved BBC makes reports of such nature?

An "open" and "objective" press seems to continue to ellude those who clamour for the former without considering the later.

Interesting choice of article title by the BBC. Compare that to Chinese out in force for South Korea's Olympic torch run

Not quite. There is indeed a sizeable brigade of Chinese nationals who are either already there due to studies or employment, or actually travelled there to protest. Ethnic Chinese minorities (by this I recon you meant ethnic Han Chinese who are minorities in, say, Australia or Japan) in their adopted countries do not exactly constitute a significant number. The "pro-Tibet protestors" are clearly far more international, with true Tibetans contrituting only a tiny percentage for obvious reasons. And as much as some of you like to claim that the protests are targetted solely at the Chinese government and not against the Chinese people (as thou this vindicates the protests), this distinction is clearly lost on many. It is clearly lost amongst a significant proportion of the Chinese people in particular, who's culture and traditions would normally consider the people and its leaders one and the same. The thousands upon thousands of Chinese who reacted strongly to the protests, and their singling out of the "West" for their allerged attempt to shame China (and all that it represents) is an obvious case in point.

A reaction which was deemed "neccesary" can still very well be considered an "over-reaction" by others. I suppose you would also then consider is not an over-reaction and an absolute necessity in China's part to react strongly against western activies for disrupting the flame by "politicising" it?

May I just ask once again, how you would associate China with another country's decision to empower their local law enforcement agencies with such a measure? Do China deserve this much credit?

Were these figures very far from what happened at the scene? It was clear that this numeric imbalance was observed in almost every destination after San Francisco. I also obseerve the sudden disinterest in this topic. Arent people going to comment on the views of the Pro-Chinese demonstrators who are hogging the limelight now?

Hmm...Spanish or Catalan?

Even if this is all true, so what? To h*** with the minority non-Chinese speakers!

I would be amused that the Chinese government is now responsible for the security measures taken by the authorities of another country.

Such a defensive response to something which is just light comedy...