August 8, 2008

8.8.2008

Today I went to visit the Coca Cola factory and I saw that the company used artists from all over the world to create different designs for Coca Cola bottles, just like the Buddy Bears. This factory usually doesn’t allow just anybody to come and visit so I thought I’d take some photos of these amazingly wonderful Coca Cola designs so you can see their ideas and awareness of environmental protection.

Speaking of environmental protection, I really admire and appreciate the companies that are mindful of this because apart from earning money, protecting our environment is also very important. I was happy when I found out that the Coca Cola company adopted new and improved technologies to recycle their packaging materials and turn them into clothes, rugs, ornaments, and other manufactured products. Hopefully in the near future, whether it’s a large company or an individual, everyone will pay more attention to environmental protection work. I hope everyone will cherish the world that belongs to all of us.

I actually didn’t know until after visiting the Coca Cola factory that 1.5 billion servings of Coca Cola branded drinks are consumed each day worldwide. This figure is astonishing. I even have a picture to prove it – take a look at this photo of Jaycee and Solon playing ping pong; the board in the background on one side clearly shows this number.

Also while I was in the factory, I saw S.H.E, a very popular female pop-group from Taiwan, and Pin Guan, a famous male singer from Malaysia. The songs that they sing are very well known in Mainland China and S.H.E is also a very popular pop-group in China. They were very playful and had stickers of the Olympic rings stuck on their faces.

The opening ceremony for the Olympics didn’t actually start until eight o’clock but we decided to go early and make our way towards the Bird’s Nest around 1:30 P.M. I first looked around Olympic Park and made my way into the stadium. People who arrived later had to spend an hour just to clear through security. A group of us traveled together and we arrived at the stadium really early. We went into one of the corporate boxes, sat down, made ourselves comfortable, and quietly waited for the highly anticipated moment to arrive - the moment the world had been waiting for.

In order to capture some more of those precious shots, I bought a Canon 600mm lens for my camera. You may or may not have noticed; I also had a crazy time playing around with everybody at the ceremony because I wanted to be involved with the occasion. I even stuck the Olympic rings sticker on my face and hand.

The moment we’ve all been waiting for finally arrived and there was no one in the crowd who wasn’t excited. I quickly took some photos of the opening ceremony so I could show them to you. Maybe you would have already seen these wonderful moments when the ceremony was broadcast live on television but let’s just have another look back at those memories:

Three panoramas (click to enlarge):

Even though I was only involved with singing the last song at the end of the ceremony, I still felt very nervous. I couldn’t understand why; I’ve previously participated in a countless number of large scale events and grand occasions but this time I got so nervous that my head started to hurt and I had butterflies in my stomach. I was really worried that when it was time to officially perform, I’d make a mistake or do something wrong. I think I felt this way because I knew this event represented a new milestone for China. Just in China alone, there were 840 million people watching this ceremony, and 2 billion people watched the broadcast worldwide.

Backstage with the performers.

While I was watching this amazingly spectacular opening ceremony, I honestly felt that Zhang Yimou will always be Zhang Yimou. The efforts put into preparing the ceremony over the past year by the director and all the staff involved was not wasted.

When I saw the Hong Kong team walk into the stadium, I felt even more excited and immediately took some photos of them. The effect I wanted to capture in the photo didn’t come out very well because the distance was a little too far but when I took the photos, I still felt very involved and very happy. The excitement I felt watching the Hong Kong team walk into the stadium was equal to what I would have felt if it were me walking into the stadium myself.

Time went by very fast and it wasn’t long before I had to go out and perform so I went backstage to prepare. Just as I arrived backstage, I saw many of my good friends including Emil Chow, Sun Nan, Han Hong, Karen Mok, Andy Law, Joey Yung, and Nicholas Tse. Everyone was prepared and ready.

After I changed my clothes, I practiced singing the four person melody Zhàn Qǐlai (Stand Up) with Sun Nan, Han Hong, and Karen Mok. As I’ve mentioned in my previous diary, I had some track suits custom made for the Beijing Olympics and this set I’m wearing is a different style. The main design on the suit is the Chinese national flower, the peony, and a butterfly. Basically, the designs on all the track suits are rich and full of Chinese colors, and I really like them. Here are some of the drawings used to plan the designs:

Here is a translation of the lyrics to Zhàn Qǐlai (Stand Up):

Zhàn Qǐlai (Stand Up)

Lyrics: Wang Pingjiu

Composer: Shu Nan

Stand up   My love runs along the mountain ranges,

Through sprinting there is hope,

The start is written in my future   hey ya..hey ya..

At the finish there is no success or failure.

Stand up   My love embraces the big ocean,

Excelling not only happens now,

The brilliance from the run is still here,   hey ya..hey ya..

Tears are the emotions of victory   hey ya..

How much~~~waiting through wind and rain,

Passing through the rainbow in my heart and telling me my existence,

Acclamation is the reality of life,

The worship from you and I,

Hope to see the heroes and the colorful miracles.

How many~~~dominating dreams,

Together with courage I’ll use my heart to win back true love,

There is no distance between us,

The contest between you and I,

Stand up, without the finish   the start will still be there.

Stand up   My love runs along the mountain ranges,

Through sprinting there is hope,

The start is written in my future   hey ya..hey ya..

At the finish there is no success or failure.

Stand up   My love embraces the big ocean,

Excelling not only happens now,

The brilliance from the run is still there   hey ya..hey ya..

Tears are the emotions of victory   hey ya..hey ya..

Stand up.

How many~~~dominating dreams,

Together with courage I’ll use my heart to win back true love,

There is no distance between us, the contest between you and I,

Stand up, without the finish   the start will still be there.

Stand up   My heart embraces the big ocean,

Excelling not only happens now,

The brilliance from the run is still there   hey ya..hey ya..

Tears are the emotions of victory   hey ya..hey ya..

Hey ya..hey ya..

After the Olympic Games opening ceremony ended, ground staff immediately cleared the stadium so we left as well. To sum it all up, the opening ceremony was completed successfully and after waiting all those years, we didn’t disappoint our country or the 1.3 billion people in China. Instead, we made everybody very excited and pumped up with adrenalin. Because of these Olympic Games, 1.3 billion people in China made many sacrifices; for example, in order to reduce congestion and keep traffic flowing on the roads, fewer townspeople drove their private cars and the government enforced a system where cars with even or odd number plates were permitted on the roads on alternate days. But all of this was worth it because in doing this, we were able to show the world that our China can also host a very good Olympic Games. Not only will it be a good Olympics, it will be the best Olympic Games in history. I still remember when the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said to me, “I don’t know what we’re going to do for the next Olympic Games!”

Before the start of the Olympic Games, I told my friends that this will be the most successful Games in history and sure enough, as the opening ceremony has already proved to everyone, China can do it! I remember at the very beginning, there were a lot of people who said they would boycott the event and not attend the Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony but many leaders and heads of states from different countries around the world attended the opening ceremony today – the most in the history of the Olympics.

At the moment, there are a lot of reporters who are still trying to pick a bone out of an egg. I truly don’t understand - why can’t people have a little more tolerance and show some compassion? Because of these Olympic Games, everyone has contributed and sacrificed a lot so instead of picking at the small things, why not focus a little more on other things like the results and achievements from everybody’s hard work and appreciate the sacrifices made by the 1.3 billion civilians and acknowledge the efforts of the 400,000 volunteers. Luckily, only a small handful of people are acting this way. I think that with relationships between people, or even between countries, everyone should try to understand, sympathize, and be forgiving of each other. Nothing is absolutely perfect. Even when someone criticizes another person, the person making the comments or the country that they come from is also not perfect. People should know that being part of a crowd and criticizing other people is very easy.

No matter what, I feel very proud because I am Chinese. I believe that after next Olympic Games that will be hosted in London, everyone in Britain will also have a sense of pride for being British. It doesn’t matter which country is hosting of the Olympic Games, the people in that country will definitely have a great sense of pride and dignity.

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Text and photos ©2008 The JC Group. All Rights Reserved

August 8 (星期五)

二零零八年八月八日：

          今天去了参观可乐厂，厂商找来世界各地不同的艺术家为可乐设计不同的图案，就像芭迪熊（Buddy Bear）一样。这个厂不是随便让人参观的，所以我拍下一些照片给大家看看这些美轮美奂的可乐设计、他们的理念和环保意识。

          谈到环保，我真的很欣赏一些顾及环保的公司，因为除了赚钱，保护我们的环境也是非常重要的，当我知道可乐公司通过科技创新，把包装材料再利用到衣服、地毯、饰品等等的生产制造上，我真的很高兴，希望不久的将来，不论是公司或是个人都注意环保工作，珍惜我们共同拥有的地球。

          参观过可乐厂后，我才知道可乐公司的饮料在全世界的每日销售量是15亿支，数量真的很惊人。有图为证的，你们看看Jaycee和Solon打乒乓球的照片，旁边的布景板就清晰的写了这些数字了。

          另外，在可乐厂内见到台湾的人气女子组合S.H.E和马来西亚的人气男歌手品冠，他们所唱的歌曲在国内都非常流行，而S.H.E在国内更是受欢迎的组合。他们很顽皮，把奥运五环贴字贴在脸上，你们看看：

          来到鸟巢，当然要拍一些照片给大家看。

          其实奥运在晚上八点开始，我们下午一点半已经出发到鸟巢。首先参观奥运村，然后进场。那些迟进场的人，就是安检也花了一个小时。我们一行人很早就进了场，来到一个包厢，很舒服的坐着静候这个万众期待的时刻来临。

          为了捕捉一些珍贵的镜头，我买了一个Canon 600的镜头。大家可有留意，为了更投入，我也跟大伙儿一样闹着玩，把奥运五环贴纸贴在脸上和手上。

          期待已久的一刻终于降临，在场的人无不兴奋莫名，我连忙拍下一些开幕仪式的照片给大家看看，可能大家看直播的时候都看过了，就让大家重温吧。

          虽然我只是参与唱最后一首歌，但是我仍是非常紧张，真的不明白，我曾经参与过无数的大型或是隆重的活动，这一次竟然紧张得头又痛，胃又痛，因为我很担心正式演出时会行差踏错。我想是因为这一个活动是代表我们中国的一个新里程碑，就是中国已经有八亿四千多万人收看，全球有二十亿人在看。

          看着这个华丽精彩的开幕礼，感觉张艺谋始终是张艺谋，总导演和所有工作人员这一年多的功夫没有白费。

          当我看到香港队进场的时候，心情特别兴奋，马上为他们拍了照片，由于距离比较远，拍出来的效果不是很好，但是拍的时候，我还是很投入、很高兴，看到香港队进场就像自己进场一样的兴奋。

          时间过得很快，快要到我出场的时候，我要到后台准备。刚来到后台，就看见很多朋友，包括有周华健、孙楠、韩红、莫文蔚、刘德华、容祖儿、谢霆锋等等，大家都准备就绪。

          换过衣服以后，我还跟孙楠、韩红和莫文蔚一起彩排四人合唱的‘站起来’。我已经讲过，这一次为了北京奥运，我特制了些衣服，这是另一款式，主图案是中国国花牡丹和蝴蝶。基本上，这一批衣服都富有浓厚的中国色彩，我是挺喜欢的。以下是‘站起来’的歌词：       

站起来

作词:王平久 作曲:舒楠
 
站起来 我的爱牵着山脉
奔跑才有了期待
起点写着我的未来 hey ya..hey ya..
终点没有成与败
站起来 我的爱拥抱大海
超越不只是现在
跑过的精彩 依然在 hey ya..hey ya..
泪水是 胜利感慨 hey ya..
多少~~~风雨的等待
穿越心灵 彩虹告诉我的存在
生命真实喝彩
我和你的崇拜
希望看见英雄 奇迹般色彩
多少~~~梦想的主宰
勇敢和我一起 用心赢回真爱
彼此距离不在
你和我的竞赛
站起来终点没了 起点也会在
站起来 我的爱牵着山脉
奔跑才有了期待
起点写着我的未来 hey ya..hey ya..
终点没有成与败
站起来 我的爱拥抱大海
超越不只是现在
跑过的精彩 依然在 hey ya..hey ya..
泪水是 胜利感慨hey ya..hey ya..
站起来
多少~~~梦想的主宰
勇敢和我一起 用心赢回真爱
彼此距离不在 你和我的竞赛
站起来终点没了 起点也会在
站起来 我的爱拥抱大海
超越不只是现在
跑过的精彩 依然在 hey ya..hey ya..
泪水是 胜利感慨hey ya..hey ya..
hey..ya..hey..ya..

          奥运开幕礼完结后，工作人员马上清理场地，我们也离开了。总之，奥运开幕礼完满结束了，等了这么多年，没有让国家、十三亿中国人失望，反而令大家热血沸腾和激动，因为为了这一次奥运，十三亿人民付出了代价，为了让交通畅通，市民都减少开私家车，政府又推行单双号车行驶等等，这一切都是值得的。因为，我们可以展示给世人看，我们中国也能办好奥运，不单是办好，更是历届最好的。我还记得，英国前首相托尼．布莱尔跟我说：「下一届我们都不知道应该怎样做才好！」

          在奥运还没有开幕的时候，我已经跟朋友说这将会是有史以来最成功的一届，果不其然，这个开幕式已经证明了给大家看，中国做得到！还记得最初有很多人抵制不参与北京奥运开幕礼，但是今天出席开幕礼的各国元首是历届最多的。

          有很多记者现在还要在鸡蛋里挑骨头，我真的不了解，为什么不能多一点容忍和包容呢？为了这一次奥运，大家都付出了这么多，为什么不多着眼于大家的努力成果或是收获，没有欣赏十三亿人民的付出，四十万志愿者的努力，只针对一些细微的东西。幸好，这只是小撮人的所为。我想人与人之间，或是国与国之间，大家都应该互相体谅和包容，那有一件事情是完美的，就算批评别人的人，他们自己或是他们的国家都不是完美。要知道，做一个观众去挑剔别人是很容易。

          无论如何，我以自己是中国人而感到非常骄傲。我相信下一届英国举办奥运会后，他们都会以身为英国人而自豪，无论是那一个国家做主办国，当地的国民都一定会感到自豪和骄傲。