"Kung pao chicken" made official for Olympics

BEIJING (Reuters) - It's official. Hungry foreign hordes craving a fix of diced chicken fried with chili and peanuts during the Beijing Olympics will be able to shout "kung pao chicken!" and have some hope of getting just that.

As it readies for an influx of visitors for the August Games, the Chinese capital has offered restaurants an official English translation of local dishes whose exotic names and alarming translations can leave foreign visitors frustrated and famished.

If officials have their way, local newspapers reported on Wednesday, English-speaking visitors will be able to order "beef and ox tripe in chili sauce," an appetizer, rather than "husband and wife's lung slice."

Other favorites have also received a linguistic makeover.

"Bean curd made by a pock-marked woman," as the Beijing Youth Daily rendered the spicy Sichuanese dish, is now "Mapo tofu." And "chicken without sexual life" becomes mere "steamed pullet."

According to one widely repeated story, the Chinese name of "kung pao chicken" comes from the name of an imperial official who was fed the dish during an inspection tour.

With the Beijing Olympics 51 days away, a notice on the city tourism bureau website ( www.bjta.gov.cn ) told restaurants to come and pick up a book with the suggested translations.

In China, where meetings are almost as popular as banquets, agreeing on the English-language menu has taken many rounds of discussions over previous drafts since last year.

Just as predictably in this country where nationalism and the Internet make a potent brew, controversy has already broken out over the blander new translations.

"I don't like this new naming method, it's abandoning Chinese tradition," one Internet comment declared. "There are many stories in the names of these dishes."

The Olympics are the perfect place for a protest.

"We believe the Olympic Games are not the place for demonstrations and we hope that all people attending the games recognize the importance of this." Thus spake Samsung Electronics, one of 12 major corporate sponsors of the Olympics, when asked last week whether recent events in Tibet were causing them any concern. Coca-Cola, another Olympics sponsor, has stated that while it would be inappropriate "to comment on the political situation of individual nations," the company firmly believes "that the Olympics are a force for good." The chairman of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, was also quick to declare that "a boycott doesn't solve anything"—just as quick as he was to dismiss the demonstrators who waved a black banner showing five interlocked handcuffs, in mockery of the Olympic symbol, at Monday's lighting of the Olympic torch in Greece. "It is always sad to see such a ceremony disrupted," he declared, rather pompously.And no one was surprised: Companies that have invested millions in sponsorship deals and Olympic bureaucrats who have invested years trying to justify their controversial decision to award the 2008 Olympics to Beijing are naturally inclined to use those sorts of arguments. But that doesn't mean that the rest of us have to believe them.
Look a bit closer, in fact, and none of those statements holds up. A boycott doesn't solve anything. Well, doesn't it? Some boycotts do help solve some things. The boycott of South African athletes from international competitions was probably the single most effective weapon the international community ever deployed against the apartheid state. ("They didn't mind about the business sanctions," a South African friend once told me, "but they minded—they really, really minded—about the cricket.") The boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics helped undermine Soviet propaganda about the invasion of Afghanistan and unify the Western world against it. I don't know for certain, but I'm guessing that from the Soviet perspective, the Soviet bloc boycott of the Los Angeles Olympics four years later was successful, too. Presumably, it was intended to solidify Soviet elite opposition to the United States in the Reagan years, and presumably, it helped.The Olympics are a force for good. Not always! For those who don't remember, let me remind you that the 1936 Olympics, held in Nazi Germany, were an astonishing propaganda coup for Hitler. It's true that the star performance of Jesse Owens, the great black American track-and-field star, did shoot some holes in the Nazi theory of Aryan racial superiority. But Hitler still got what he wanted out of the games. With the help of American newspapers such as the New York Times, which opined that the games put Germany "back in the family of nations again," he convinced many Germans, and many foreigners, to accept Nazism as "normal." The Nuremburg laws were in force, German troops had marched into the Rhineland, Dachau was full of prisoners, but the world cheered athletes in Berlin. As a result, many people, both in and out of Germany, reckoned that everything was just fine, and Hitler could be tolerated a bit longer.
The Olympic Games are not the place for demonstrations. Aren't they? Actually, the Olympics seem an ideal place for demonstrations. Not only is the world's press there with cameras running, the modern Olympics were set up with a political purpose: to promote international peace by encouraging healthy competition between nations. Hence the emphasis on national teams instead of individual competitors; hence the opening and closing ceremonies—since copied by other sporting events—as well as the national flags and national anthems.
These elements make the Olympics special, different from other international competitions, but they also sometimes give the games a nasty edge. The old United States vs. Soviet Union basketball rivalry; the parade of East German women with husky voices; the lists of who has won how many medals—all of that is evidence of the decades-old politicization of the Olympics. There were black power demonstrations at the 1968 Mexico City Games. A Palestinian group attacked and killed Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Games. Australian aborigines protested at the 2000 Sydney Games. And everything associated with the 2008 Olympics, from the massive Beijing building program, to the Olympic torch that is due to be carried across Tibet, to the Chinese Olympic Committee's Web site ( it describes China's commitment to promote "mass sporting activities" on an "extensive scale, improving the people's physique, and spurring the socialist modernization of China") is blatantly designed to promote the domestic and international image of the Chinese state.No wonder, then, that everyone who hates or fears China, whether in Burma, Darfur, Tibet, or Beijing, is calling for a boycott. And the Chinese government and the IOC are terrified that they will succeed. No one involved in the preparations for this year's Olympics really believes that this is "only about the athletes," or that the Beijing Games will be an innocent display of sporting prowess, or that they bear no relation to Chinese politics. I don't see why the rest of us should believe it, either.

Beijing Olympics - The stunning new Beijing airport

The airlines that will use airport initially include Air China, Sichuan Airlines, Shandong Airlines, Hong Kong's Dragonair, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Qatar Airways, Qantas Airways, El Al Israel Airlines, Emirates and other Star Alliance members.

Visitors walk past a giant bronze decoration at the new terminal building T3.
Photograph: China Photos/Getty Images

Beijing Olympics - The stunning new Beijing airport

The airport's runway is capable of handling the world's largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380.

The airport building has integrated environmental control systems to minimise energy consumption and carbon emissions, report say.
Workers at the departure hall of Beijing's giant new Terminal 3 ride an escalator.
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Beijing Olympics - The stunning new Beijing airport

Apart from the shuttle, a high-speed commuter train (subway as also elevated) service will carry passengers between the airport and Beijing in 15 minutes. Two Airport Lines, scheduled to open before July, on elevated lines connect the airport with the transport hub of Dongzhimen. The Olympic branch line has four stations, each with a theme.
The inside view of Senlingongyuannanmen Station of the Olympic branch line of Beijing Metro. Two Airport Lines, scheduled to open before July, are elevated lines connecting the airport with the transport hub of Dongzhimen. The Olympic branch line has 4 stations, each with a theme. This station's theme is 'white forest'.
Photograph: Hao Xiaotian/ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images

Beijing Olympics - The stunning new Beijing airport

The terminal has a 3-km long concourse, divided into three sections and connected by a shuttle train. The airport's shuttle train service can ferry passengers around the mammoth airport.

According to Norman Foster, the airport's architect, the airport is 'so big that under a certain amount of light you can't see one end of the building from the other.'
The baggage conveyor belts at Beijing's giant new Terminal Three at Beijing Capital International Airport.
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Beijing Olympics - The stunning new Beijing airport

The size of the new Beijing airport can be gauged from the fact that it boasts of 64 restaurants, 80 retail stores, 175 escalators, 173 lifts, 437 travelators or moving footpaths, and 300 check-in counters.
A visitor makes a phone call near lines of public phones in the new terminal building T3 at the Beijing Capital International Airport.
Photograph: China Photos/Getty Images

The stunning new Beijing airport

The new terminal will have a capacity of 75 million passengers a year. It features an extremely high-tech passenger baggage system -- on 50 km of conveyor belts -- that can handle 19,800 bags per hour.

Beijing Olympics - The stunning new Beijing airport

British firm Arup, which has provided engineering and architectural design services for the Hyderabad International Airport, built the airport.
The departure hall of Beijing's giant new airport Terminal 3. This is the latest in the Chinese capital's stunning infrastructure boom ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

The stunning new Beijing airport

The airport was designed by British architect Norman Foster, who has also designed Hong Kong's famous Chep Lap Kok airport.
A man walks in a tea house at the new terminal building T3 (Terminal Three) at the Beijing Capital International Airport. T3 is a main project for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Photograph: Feng Li/Getty Images

The stunning new Beijing airport

Almost 50,000 workers toiled round the clock in 8-hour shifts and built the colossal $3.75-billion terminal in only four years. China wanted the airport to be ready before August 8, when the Beijing Olympic Games begin.
A sculpture welcomes passengers at the departure hall of Beijing's giant new Terminal 3 at the Beijing Capital International Airport.
Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

The stunning new Beijing airport

The terminal has walls of glass. The skylights of the terminal building are designed to look like scales on a dragon's back and to let natural light into the building. The dragon is considered a sign of strength and luck in China.
A view of the dragon-shaped Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China. Over time, T3 will have an annual capacity of 75 million passengers.
Photograph: Tian Baoxi/FZWB/ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images

The stunning new Beijing airport

The roof of the swanky new terminal looks like a dragon from the air with its wing spread running 3.25 km. The giant dragon-shaped terminal is 100 hectares in size: that is as big as 170 soccer fields.

This makes the airport larger than the Pentagon and almost 20 per cent bigger than all five terminals of London's Heathrow put together.
An artist's imagination of the top views of the dragon-shaped Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China.

The stunning new Beijing airport

This is the Beijing Capital International Airport. It is the world's largest airport building and the centerpiece of China's multi-billion-dollar infrastructure boom and provides a glimpse into China's vision of 21st-century air travel.

The futuristic airport has been built in preparation for the millions who are likely to visit China for the Olympic Games and to meet the country's booming air traffic.
An airport employee cleans the floor at the new terminal building Terminal Three -- T3 -- at the Beijing Capital International Airport. This is the world's largest terminal.
Photograph: Feng Li/Getty Images

Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

Latest News - Beijing airport's new terminal inaugurated

The terminal is equipped with a set of art works modeled after ancient China's astronomical observation device -- armillary sphere.

(BEIJING, January 13) -- The third terminal of Beijing's Capital International Airport was inaugurated recently, after four years of construction.

With a construction area of one million sq m, it will be put into operation soon.

On February 29 and March 26, the modern facility will conduct two test runs.

The terminal has three functional areas -- Areas C, D, and E. International boarding procedures, domestic departures and all luggage claims are handled in Area C. Area D is to temporarily be used for the arrivals and departures of the Olympic and Paralympic charter flights. Area E caters to international arrivals and departures.

Recently, the terminal was unveiled to the press.

Beijing airport's new terminal inaugurated

Policemen patrol at the hall of the terminal in a rehearsal drive

Exclusive Photos - Beijing airport's new terminal inaugurated

A Suzhou-styled miniature garden is installed in the waiting hall of the terminal.

Beijing airport's new terminal inaugurated

The boarding facility and duty-counter are ready for operation.

Beijing airport's new terminal inaugurated

A view of the terminal from one end

Beijing airport's new terminal inaugurated

Workers are cleaning the window in preparation for the test runs.

Beijing airport's new terminal inaugurated

Two-kilometer-long bus tracks and passenger lifts in the airport

Beijing airport's new terminal inaugurated

A fountain within the airport hall

Beijing airport's new terminal inaugurated

Entry of the airport

Photo ID and personal information needed from Olympic ceremonies ticket buyers

(BEIJING, January 14) -- To ensure security, eradicate fake tickets, control speculative ticket reselling, and safeguard the lawful interests of the majority of the buyers, a real-name entry system will be applied for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Under these circumstances, ticket purchasers are required to submit their personal photograph and identification to facilitate the examination of their tickets' authenticity and effectiveness.

In the days to come, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) will start gathering the photo and ID of buyers through the following procedures:

1) Members of the public living on the mainland of the People's Republic of China who have successfully bought tickets for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games must submit their photo and ID information.

2) The submission time frame is from January 15 to January 31, 2008.

3) BOCOG will send out a registration form to the buyers, who are required to fill it in, stick a personal photo onto the form, and send it back through an outlet of the Bank of China, together with a duplicated copy of their identification card. The materials must be sent in person or through a trustee, any posted mail is invalid.

When the documents are submitted in person, the buyers must show their original identification card. If they are submitted through a trustee, the buyer and trustee should sign a letter of trust and attach this to the registration form. The agent must then show his or her own original identification card plus its duplicated copy.

The registration form can be downloaded from the official ticketing website of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (http://www.tickets.beijing2008.cn) or sought from an outlet of the Bank of China.

4) The photo submitted must have not been taken earlier than August 2006. The picture should be a 2-inch (48mm x 33mm) frameless color photo of the buyer, hatless, with a white or even-colored backdrop.

The identification card should be identical to the one attached to the ticket order form. The duplicated copy should be on a piece of white A4 paper, with the ID number, photo, and the issuer clearly identifiable. Both sides of the ID card of the resident of the People's Republic of China should be duplicated. If any other personal card is provided, the holder's name, photo, and the card's serial number, issuer and expiration date should be duplicated.

5) Legal Statement

The submission of the buyer's personal photograph and information is part of a necessary procedure to buy tickets to the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games; hence, the buyer should guarantee the authenticity and accuracy of his or her photo and ID. If a buyer cannot submit the materials on time or the materials do not meet the requirements as outlined by the BOCOG, organizers are entitled to deprive the buyer of his tickets.

For inquiries, please call the Beijing 2008 Olympic Marketing Call Center -- (010)952008.