The arrival of the Olympic torch in the Chinese capital and the
Beijing leg of its round-the-world relay were momentous events
closely followed by everyone in the city. Among those millions were
28 families who were more excited than most: they had been selected
to take part in the ceremonies.
Beijing Television Station, the Beijing Evening News
and the Office of the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall jointly
sponsored an activity entitled, “Climb the Great Wall, Welcome the
Olympic Torch, Share the Happiness.” With the help of the Beijing
Women’s Federation, they invited average families to apply to
participate. The only prerequisite was that family members have
some experience related to the Great Wall or the Olympic Games.
Twenty-eight families were selected.
One of the lucky families was that of Zhang Zhiyou, who is a
member of the China Artists Association. Zhang once made a
book-collector’s seal for Juan Antonio Samaranch, former president
of the International Olympic Committee.
All three members of Cheng Bingshi’s family are torch designers.
Their designs were used at the 1st National City Sports Meet and
the 11th Asian Games.?
Chen Shan, along with his wife and their five-year-old daughter
Boya, was also selected. They said it is mainly because little Boya
began a fitness program before she was quite one year old. She
usually works out for about 10 minutes daily.
Before making their final selection, the organizers expressed
some concern about Boya’s ability to make it through the entire
long ceremony and all the activities surrounding the Olympic
torch’s arrival. But any objections faded when a confident Boya
waved her fist and said, “I am the strongest. I will climb to the
top of the Great Wall by myself.”
The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall snakes through the
mountains 90 kilometers northeast of Beijing. On the morning of
June 8, the green slopes and the beacon towers surrounding the site
of the festivities were adorned with dozens of flags and huge
balloons in the Olympic colors of red, yellow, blue, green and
black.
At 10:30 AM, the emcee announced that the torch was on its way
and a cheer went up.
The Athens Olympics Torch delegation, all in blue uniforms
bearing the signs of olive branches and the figure of a
torchbearer, entered the site, led by Athens 2004 Olympic Torch
Relay Ambassador Spiros Lambridis. Awaiting their arrival at the
wall were members of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games
of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and the Chinese Olympic Committee.
In his address to the assembly, Lambridis said that the
enthusiasm he was seeing at the Great Wall made clear the fact that
the people of China love the Olympics. He added that Athens was in
the final stages of preparing for this summer’s Games, and that the
city welcomed friends from all over the world.
At 11:20 AM, Lambridis and Zhang Mao, deputy mayor of Beijing
and vice president of BOCOG, held up the torch together as confetti
fell from above.
The 28 families in attendance had trouble containing their
excitement. One middle school student broke ranks, insisting that
his classmates and teachers had to see a photo of him with the
torch.
Little Boya had to ride on her dad’s shoulders to get a view.
When someone asked her what she thought of seeing the Olympic
torch, she replied, “I think all children should go jogging in the
morning until 2008, when China has the Olympic Games.”
(China.org.cn by staff reporter Chen Shan, June 10, 2004)