Olympic spirit breezes into the city

Everyone coming to Qingdao is surrounded by the warmth of the Olympics, with landscape sculptures, huge billboards and flying five-ring Olympic flags at every corner of the city.

Wan Wei, vice-chairperson of the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Committee, told China Daily that the local government has done everything possible to create an Olympic atmosphere in the city, with 80 Olympic landscape sculptures and 1,000 billboards put up.

Several million pots of green seedlings have also been planted and about 5,000 sq m of sod shaped like the "Olympic five rings" have been laid, making the city more beautiful and colorful.

Donghai Road, just outside the Olympic Sailing Center, is decorated with 154 streetlamps shaped in special torch 8.8 meters high, becoming a gorgeous "torch street", a visual treat in Qingdao.

About 20 million pots of flowers bloom in all the streets and parks, making the city a fabulous garden. A warm welcome is present throughout the city, with flowers shaped in a "Welcome to Qingdao" set in the airport, a green Olympic five rings downtown and a "Harmonious City" in the May 4th Square.

One of the country's largest building posters also showed up on Qingdao International Finance Center this July to promote the Olympic spirit, with the 150-meter high, 40-meter wide poster covering the 50-floor building.

Huge Olympic posters and electronic screens also appear on about 10 skyscrapers over 100 m in the city's east.

All Qingdao citizens have contributed their own part to become good hosts, welcoming friends from home and abroad with a friendly attitude and a sincere smile.

More than 10,000 city volunteers help divert traffic and provide help to visitors in every corner of the city.

About 1,800 Games volunteers are also contributing to the Olympic sailing competition by helping athletes.

Some 1,189 brand new environmentally friendly buses sport the Olympic logo "One World, One Dream", charity advertisements and other Olympic slogans, running through the city and creating a warm atmosphere in Qingdao.

A folk customs culture display in the Qingdao Olympic Village, entitled Dynamic China, showcases the unique charm of China's history and culture, which enjoys wide popularity among athletes and coaches living in the village.

Local people young and old actively participated in the activity to show their talent and skills in the Olympic village, displaying traditional Chinese arts like painting, Chinese ancient zither playing, calligraphy, erhu playing, Chinese lute playing, martial arts and a Shandong clapper ballad.

Students in Qingdao's universities and colleges organized and passionately participated in all kinds of activities to show their love for the Olympics, like a Qingdao University's volunteer group, Qingdao University of Science and Technology's recreational sports meeting, and Ocean University of China's grand campus discussion, to carry forward Olympic spirit and promote Olympic ideas.

All these efforts showcase the city's readiness and joy to provide the best service and to present a wonderful sailing competition.

(China Daily 08/08/2008 page60)