We must not exaggerate what is said

After the successful Olympic opening ceremony, director Zhang Yimou rode a carousal of media interviews. In one of them he revealed that a member of the organizing committee of the 2012 London Games "invited" him to their show. Zhang turned down the offer.

In China, Zhang is the kind of celebrity about whom anything is newsworthy, and this remark instantly gave rise to a debate. Some argued that Zhang should have accepted the offer, using it as another opportunity to "promote Chinese culture", or at least the Chinese way of doing things. One commentator suspected Zhang had fabricated the story to make himself look good.

Well, without calling London for the truth, I'll offer my two cents worth: