Millions of viewers were captivated by Lin Miaoke, the cute little girl who sang during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Problem was, she was lip-synching because the real singer, 7-year-old Yang Peiyi, was deemed not cute enough:
"The reason was for the national interest," said Chen Qigang, the ceremony's musical director, in a state radio interview. "The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feeling and expression. ... Lin Miaoke is excellent in those aspects."
The decision was made at the highest levels, Chen said.
"We had to do it," he said. "We'd been through several inspections. They're all very strict. When we rehearsed at the spot, there were several spectators from various divisions, especially leaders from the Politburo, who gave the opinion it must change."
Perhaps, they are trying to reestablish an image of their people to the world
With this following on from the "fake firework footsteps" I am beginning to wonder if any of it really happened.
Some of it was real right?
Don't you think that almost exactly the same thing happens here in the west (probably to a larger extent). The difference these aspects of our society are not dictated to us by the government, but by various other factors (I'm not gonna point any fingers like a crazy conspiracist). What do you think would happen if you wandered around in a string vest and how many unnattractive pop stars do we have (especially female).
So by all means condemn this act, as I too disagree with it, but bear in mind that none of us live in this utopia where looks don't count.
AH, YES!!! My thoughts EXACTLY!!! C'mon, people! These comments from the same type whose "Idol" votes are cast to some degree on LOOKS!!!
Give me a break.
I don't agree with the decision either, but be careful pointing fingers. We are, after all, a society of plastic faces and bodies, tummy tucks and Rogaine, and Junior Beauty Pagents.
I think it's just sad that society as a WHOLE is subjecting little girls to this kind of treatment :(
Everybody Behave, Now.
Do I think the US is infallible? Far from it!
I do think we are being a bit heavy on the scrutiny? Absolutely!
I thought the opening ceremony was beautiful! I praise China on its integrity in providing a wonderfully spectacular opening! I think they succeeded above and beyond!
However, this is sad.
We are talking a beautiful little girl with a wonderful voice who was well deserving of the spot light. This is sad to me because this little angel is being taught that no matter what her talent, beauty is everything.
And to the little "beauty" you will always be a winner based on looks alone... So sad, perhaps she will grow into a homely adult and have nothing but the notion that her beauty was the only thing of substance she had to offer.
In a world where beauty does prevail... how sad it is that we perpetuate the ideal even among the tiniest little talents.
Such is the world.
They /both/ did an excellent job and they /both/ deserve credit. (and they're both cute)
Guess what? You can get a lot done when your entire country is afraid of being locked away for having a hair out of place on TV.
This is an eerie echo of it. But the terrible part of it was it happened to children.
I thought a lot of parts in the opening ceremonies looked lip-synched. I just assumed the kid wasn't actually singing, or her microphone wasn't turned on, and the whole bit was pre-recorded.
And damn, that girl on the right IS better-looking. That's what life is all about. Beautiful people succeed. Get over it, whiny folks.
On a side note, I find it fun to watch the events while listening to U2's "Silver and Gold" off the Rattle and Hum album.
"Am I buggin you? Didn't mean to bug ya. Edge, play the blues."
We need to encourage China. Look how far they have come in the past 10-20 years.
the decision of is soo mean!
the first girl who can sing is CUTE too! c'mon! =(
i feel sorry for the first girl. now she'll think that she's not good enough to represent her country or something.
@Absent - epic lulz
Don't get bent out of shape folks. China's antics pale in comparison to the lies we tell ourselves about the efficacy of the TSA and our need to throw away our basic rights for security.
Lin Miaoke is not just a pretty face like most people think. She is actually a child actress and had already acted significant roles in two tv shows and signed the contract for another movie before the olympics. Since then she has starred in three more tv shows and one movie. She can cry whenever the script states. however, her singing voice is extremely average, maybe even less than average. if China wanted to use her in the ceremony because she is a child star, fine, but don't let her "sing". any other role in the ceremony would be just as well.
or what about a duet? a child star singing with a girl with an angel's voice.
moreover, China is a large country...i have seen many girls prettier than miaoke and nicer voices than peiyi...they couldn't find a girl who was both?