A journey of 7000 years in just 25

"We left Narita (Tokyo) at 4:30 pm on CAAC, the Chinese national airline. The plane was a 707 but a very old one. Seats were broken and and the carpeting was threadbare...We arrived in Beijing at 7:30 (we gained a one-hour time change). It was still light out and the airport was huge. We were the only arrival. No other airplanes in sight...Lots of forms to fill out. All our luggage made it . Very thorough check including many questions about electronic equipment. By 9:00 pm, we loaded on the bus for downtown Beijing. It took about an hour to reach the hotel. As we travelled, there were crowds of people along the sides of the road, camping, working, sleeping, chatting, eating. It was very busy. They scurried like rats when we passed by. There was virtually no other motorized traffic...only bicycles...and us. Our hotel was a three-story concrete box. No frills, to say the least...dinner was scrambled eggs and noodle soup with beer and orange soda to drink. We headed for bed right away. It was very hot and a little smoggy but our room had a window air conditioner that worked intermittently. Tomorrow, we'll do some touring...the Great Wall, I think."

Beijing, China, August 8, 1984

This short excerpt from my travel journal in 1984 is an amazing coincidence as I start out for Beijing on 8.8.08. I know it will be a different experience this time. For one thing, my wife Jane will be with me, instead of a bunch of mountain climbers headed for Chomolungma, "Mother Goddess of the Earth", or, as some call it, Mt. Everest.

My trip to Beijing during these historic Olympic Games has been a long and interesting journey. Over the past 25 years, China has been a constant companion in my business travels. I am fascinated with the culture and the people and have come to understand how the roots of a civilization that is thousands of years old have grown in so many different directions.

This trip has happened because a long-time friend who is a native of Shanghai has constantly put me in front of the Chinese business and political communities over the years. We have made many interesting inroads together and now I find myself advising those sitting across the table, as well as the clients next to me.
I'm not here to see the Games. I may be fortunate to take in some competition. But mostly I'm here to try to explain the mindset of the Western news media to their hosts and to answer the "why" questions that the visitors may have. I'm like a doctor on call. I don't know for certain how or when I'll be called upon but I have a schedule for checking in and I'll follow it.

With more than 3000 hours of television coverage from NBC and its partners, you won't need me to tell you what's happening on the playing field. You will be able to witness the Games and the backstories in an unprecedented way, even live. But you might be interested in hearing about the old man with a black bag and a milkcase stool fixing people's teeth on the sidewalk next to the Forbidden City...or the pack of young kids diving fully clothed into the lake at the Summer Palace in a swimming competition of their own making.

For the next 10 days or so, I will comment, when I can, about what's going on here. This is sure to be one of the most talked about events for years to come. And I'll be there in the thick of it...with the estimated 7 million other visitors. My hope is that it is fair, competitive, exciting and above all safe. If the opening ceremonies are any indication, it's going to be a "doozie"!

Until the next time,
Dan Mc

Posted by Dan McConnell on August 8, 2008 11:23 AM Permalink

"Ni Hao" from Beijing

Comparing the major east coast cities of mainland China to their US equivalents has always been a clear analogy to me. Guangzhou in the south, just across the water from Hong Kong, is like LA, warm, sunny, glitzy and very entertainment centric. Shanghai is New York City, the business capitol and long established in the global trade scheme. Beijing has been Washington, DC, the seat of political power, lots of monuments and stuffy, grey government buildings with military troops all around.
But today, the millions and millions of dollars that have been put into Beijing for these Olympic Games have elevated this city to world, cosmopolitan status on a par with Paris, London and Geneva.
It was fortunate that through friends we got an apartment which helped our hosts get us a very quick visa for Jane, so we could have this experience together. For a time, they had stopped issuing visas altogether. Persistance and opportunity were on our side.
We came into the city from the airport on a new six-lane highway that was as flat and straight as could be. It was raining and fairly late at night and there was little traffic. We made the 15 to 20 mile trip in less than half an hour. As far as the cost of doing business there goes, the taxi fares are the buy of the century. It is hard to spend more than the equivalent of $1.50 to go anywhere in the city. The ride from the airport was less than $10.
We stayed in an upscale apartment complex near what you might call Embassy Row. The Canadian and Columbian embassies were right next door and the new US Embassy was just down the street.There were pockets of old Beijing all around us. Within a block and a half of our apartment was a Hutong area, where families live in small, very spartan dwellings around a courtyard. There were shops on the streetside for fresh vegetables, meat and hardware. A bicycle repairman sets up his stand on the sidewalk and can disassemble a bicycle and repair anything on the spot. However, bicycles are being banned from certain areas of the city and cars a taking over, which is a bit sad in my mind.
Speaking of cars, the odd-even driving days during the Games have alleviated much of the congestion on the roads, though with 3 million cars in the city and 1000 new ones being sold everyday, the situation is certainly not getting better.
The rain has cured most of the pollution concerns and, with an occasional thunderstorm blowing through, even the humidity is bearable. No one is complaining about the air quality for now. The sky is blue and sun is bright.
Our first full day was spent getting the lay of the land and the rhythm of the city. I like to be as local as possible anywhere I go. I'll never be mistaken for Chinese but I like to do things the way they do...eat on their schedule, at their places (except for McDonald's, of course) and walk and shop away from the congestion of tourist stops. There are supposed to be over seven million visitors to the city during the Games and, believe me, they are obvious.
There was a french bakery in our complex...not bad croissants and coffee, although Starbucks is everywhere too. We ate dumplings (steamed buns) and noodles for lunch, a Beijing favorite. Lunch for two with all the trimmings was less than $20 at a very nice restaurant. You can eat dumplings from the street vendors, and I do, for a couple of bucks.
All the venues for the Games are north of the downtown. Our apartment was in the northeast quadrant and close to Worker's Stadium, which has been their major outdoor stadium until now. Some events are being held there but most are using the new venues, completed in the past few months.
I had a conference each day with members of the Beijing Organizing Committee to discuss relevant public issues that were potentially in the eye of the world's media attending the Games. These issues changed daily. How the local organizers would react and how Western media and public opinion could be affected were the topics of discussion. After that, we tried to see some of the competition and the sights.
Every day was filled with non-stop activities. There was no time to take a breath. We were going from 6am to midnight...and it was exhilarating and incredibly awesome.
I plan to do four more of these reports...one about the people, one about the issues, one about the Games/Venues and one about our trip to the Today Show. I hope you find them interesting. The atmosphere in Beijing was very positive and hopeful. It felt like this effort could definitely be world-changing. For the better, if we're lucky.
Dan Mc
Posted by Dan McConnell on August 19, 2008 10:38 AM Permalink

Smile...the world is watching.

The first thing I noticed on our trip to the Beijing Olympics were the smiles on the faces of the Chinese people. In the past, a smile has been pretty hard to come by there. Oh, you could get a smile after awhile, if you worked at it, but it wasn't easy.
Now, you see that "Hello" (or "Ni Hao") and "Welcome" smile everywhere you look. On the faces of Games volunteers greeting the athletes and officials at the airport; taxi drivers and there are hundreds of them; shopkeepers; retail clerks; and even people on the street.
It's amazing what a smile will do for the disposition of a visitor to a new and strange place. I don't know how they got the hint but the Chinese people have the idea and it's working.
The 70,000 Games volunteers in their blue and white shirts are keeping things moving on the downtown streets, in stores, at tourist sites and at the venues. Some of them speak English but many don't. Even so, they do a great job of making you feel comfortable while they are moving you in the right direction. They go to many classes before they are awarded their blue and white shirts in a special ceremony. The volunteers are very proud of their status and they wear those shirts like a badge...and they do it with a smile.
Taxi drivers have to take a rigorous test to get their license and one of the requirements is to be able to say "hello", "goodbye", "thank you" and " this is how much" in English. They certainly get an "A" for effort, although you do hear a lot of "ha", "goobuh" and "fankoo". It's definitely better than trying to dive into the chinese language. They always win that game.
As long as I have been travelling to China, a shopkeeper's main tools are a pad of paper and a pencil. Once you've decided what you want, the price appears on that pad. If bargaining is in order then you cross out that price and write down a new one. This goes on until you get a nod and a smile. You've made your purchase. Although bargaining is diminishing in the big cities with the coming of the western retailers, it's still out there and still a lot of fun, if you're up to it.
The Night Market is another great place to find a smile. It's a three-block-long row of colorfully-lit food booths where you can sample anything from barbequed scorpion to deep-fried starfish-on-a-stick. Whether you dare to eat or just watch, it's a laugh-riot to see hordes of people, mostly Chinese and few brave foreigners, sampling monkey brains and snake-on-a-stick while drinking bubble tea. On this visit I decided to see just how spicy hot they could make a bowl of noodles. When I placed my order, a rather devious smile appeared on the face across the counter. The "chef" gathered his friends around and began to cook. "More spice?" his eyes said to me. When I said "yes", he laughed and kept pouring it on. When he thought he had hit my limit, I said "more". His friends gave me a cheer and he added a huge scoop of a steamy black spice. As he handed me the bowl, the onlookers folded their arms and just looked at me. Man, was it hot! But I ate every bit of it, right in front of them, as they smiled in amazement. I took their handshakes and pats on the back but as I walked on my way, I wondered just what was really going on in my stomach. Smiles all around.
It was in the official Olympic flagship merchandise store that I found my calling as an interpreter. And I received my payment in a smile for services rendered. Most of the clerks there spoke English but for some, that is like saying I speak Chinese...a little goes a long way. I was contemplating my next overpriced "official" trinket purchase when a young Chinese woman rushed up to me and said "Please help me!". "Uh-oh", I thought, "This could be trouble." She told me that there was a shopper on the phone and she couldn't understand the woman's English. Do I look like an American or what!? A bit reluctantly, I took the call. Well, first of all, the woman was Australian. I know that accent, Mate. Secondly, she was looking for a red keyfob with the Games logo. Now I don't know how old you have to be to know what a keyfob is, but I do. Together, we searched the store from one end to the other. At last, near the cellphone wriststraps, we found a keyring with a small leather patch attached and the logo stamped there in gold. I'd made a sale! And a friend. The young woman gave me a big hug and smile and the bag of junk I bought for twice its value, all of a sudden seemed worth it.
Finally, after we had gotten to know several bright, young Chinese people, who helped us get around the city, I thought I would ask them how their parents had chosen their western-sounding first names. They all spoke very good English, so Jessica, Isabella, Candy and Michael were all very happy to oblige. It seems that their parents did not select their first names. They did. When they go to university and begin to speak English, their professors ask them to select a western first name that has some particular meaning to them. Jessica loves pop music, so Jessica Simpson it is. Isabella loves Italy and Italian movies. Candy loves...well, you get the idea. Even I thought of Michael Jordan because Michael had told me he was a basketball nut.
Now, there are so many ways to engage the Chinese people. Most encounters, even passing people on the street or seeing them in restaurant windows, are pleasant and enjoyable. These Olympic Games have made the people of Beijing very proud of their city and the country. But more importantly, they have made Chinese people proud of themselves. And that's such a good thing, it makes me smile.
More later,Dan Mc
Posted by Dan McConnell on August 20, 2008 10:12 AM Permalink

...so what's the problem?

There is no doubt that the socio-political policies of the Chinese government have caused concern in many corners of the world. The Beijing Olympic Games are intended to allay some of those concerns and shine a new light on China and its position in the global economy. Although success has been achieved on many fronts with these Games, there are still questions to be answered and realities to be faced.
With almost 20,000 accredited journalists and photographers in Beijing for the festivities, it is clear that the actions and reactions of the host committee as well as the government are under intense scrutiny. That is why the host committee has sought out a cadre of experienced communications professionals to counsel them about the “western view” in key situations. My name was placed in consideration by a prominent Chinese friend and colleague in the early planning phases for the Games. I was asked to help because of my experience as a former journalist and long-time news media strategist. My voice was one in a crowd for this low-profile effort but each day of the Games a list of issues has been put forward for reaction and guidance on the responses to each of these issues. The work has been fascinating and sometimes frustrating but the exchange has seemed valuable nonetheless.
The range of issues that have been faced by the organizers since the beginning of the Olympic Games has been wide and far-reaching. Some have been quite serious, while others have seemed almost frivolous in comparison. Potential responses have been studied with care and reactions have been timely. For the most part, the Games and Beijing have avoided any major controversies or emergencies. Security in and around the capitol city has been paramount. The huge clampdown which started ahead of the Games has included checks at subway stations, restrictions on visas of foreigners and anti-aircraft missiles placed near sporting venues. Officials have said that about 150,000 police and other security personnel are on hand to safeguard the Games.
Still, there have been situations to deal with and here are a few that have ultimately been covered by the global media in some form.
The stabbing of the Minnesota couple and their guide at the Drum Tower is perhaps the most serious. The attacker was obviously deranged and took his own life. Sadly, one of the people who was attacked died as well. The question here was one of “proportional response”. How far do they go to avoid an incident like this. First, it is almost impossible to stop someone acting alone from performing their act. Already there are weapons checks going on at all major public venues. Here, it seemed that an overt action was necessary to underscore the safety of the citizenry and to make it obvious that there is a major effort in place. The Drum Tower was closed immediately. Additional security safeguards were put in place and then the facility was reopened with no further action.
The situation in Tibet was bound to raise its head during the Games and, of course, it did. The group of “Free Tibet” demonstrators made a public spectacle near one of the venues and caused the temporary closure of several important tourist locations including Tian’ an Men Square. This is a difficult cultural problem that will not end here. However, the Chinese Government has made their position on public demonstrations very clear. Previous incidents have resulted in the deportation of the activists. This one was no different. Controlling demonstrations is something municipalities around the world have to deal with. The subject matter is secondary to the public disruption that can result. If things are done in a peaceful manner, they are most often tolerated. The Tibet situation is just too volatile to handle at certain times. This was unfortunately one of them.
There was a related incident with a British journalist who was detained as a result of this demonstration. He cried foul for being manhandled and the BBC reported it. In this case, however, there was more to the story. First of all, the journalist was running inside the group of demonstrators with no visible credential. Secondly, it was reported that he was an active part of the demonstration, even holding up a “Free Tibet” t-shirt, before police intervened. And then when he was detained, he admittedly tried to escape. The suggestion was made that the journalist should be publicly questioned on his actions. When this happened, his story changed and he had little defense. It’s one thing to be a journalist covering an event but quite another to be a sympathetic demonstrator and then turn objective “journalist” when it is convenient.
Finally, a quick note from the other end of the spectrum. Not so serious was the situation when Nike tried an ambush marketing effort at several of the key Olympic venues. Adidas is the official sportswear sponsor of the Games. The organizing committee has been very protective of their sponsors exclusive positions and on a regular basis, commercial competitors have tried to intrude on the action. In this instance, Nike began to hand out “Just Do It” (their marketing slogan) t-shirts to spectators entering the stadiums, if they would put on the shirts before going in. The expected result was to be a sea of “Just Do It” shirts in the stands. Officials immediately turned the “Just Do It” wearers around saying that their tickets would not be honored unless they removed the shirts before coming into the venue. Frankly, this whole situation seemed ludicrous to me. Nike was having a tough time getting the shirts on people and the Games were having a somewhat tougher time getting them off. It was a disruption for everyone. Ultimately, the Games stopped screening the spectators and Nike stopped the campaign. The media barely covered the incident and I say let the outdoor boards and uniforms on the athletes speak for themselves. It’s a lot easier that way.
What encourages me most about this exercise is that all the parties are making a very conscious effort to have these Games be safe and fair for all the participants. At every Olympic Games, there is the discussion of world politics and commercialization playing key roles. In my mind, that can never be entirely avoided. China is making no bones about their effort to use these Games to elevate their position on the world stage. If they present their best face and play fairly both on and off the field then, I think, everyone wins. There are only a few days left in this spectacle and I trust that when it’s over, we all feel closer to and better about one another. I know the athletes will.
Until tomorrow,Dan Mc
Posted by Dan McConnell on August 21, 2008 9:06 AM Permalink

Bye Bye Beijing

As the last fireworks faded into the night and athletes hugged each other at the closing ceremonies, my mind began to recount the past five months of this unbelievable adventure that has been the Beijing Olympics for me. It was a winding road but every turn has brought new horizons. The roots of this trip were in China’s most famous autonomous region, Tibet, when the Dali Lama came to Seattle for five days in April to talk about compassion. My involvement there formed the link that became a highlight of the visit to Beijing. Then we were off to Uruguay in May to celebrate with friends who were on the Olympic Committee there and who we would connect with in Beijing while they got the favored nation treatment as VIPs. And finally, my Chinese friend and colleague opened the last door in June that made the whole visit a reality.
When we flew into Beijing from our Tokyo stopover, I spotted NBC’s Ann Curry on our flight. She had not forgotten the help we had given her to get an exclusive interview with the Dali Lama in Seattle and she was still very appreciative. After chatting about the situation in Tibet, she said if we were near the Today Show set during the Games to let her know and she would love to see us again. I tucked that in the back of mind and got down to business after our arrival.
The time in Beijing literally flew by. We were up at 6am every morning and the day’s activities were non-stop until midnight. We then spent the next 6 hours trying to tell ourselves that we should be sleeping. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn’t. But sleep deprivation was something worth dealing with for the experience we were having.
The international media center was on the north side of the Bird’s Nest and very near it was the outdoor set for NBC’s Today Show. NBC was America’s official broadcast partner for the Games. Unless you were watching Canadian television, NBC was your lifeline to Beijing. Much of their reporting was live in New York but most of the competitions were taped and edited before you saw them in the evenings. New York and Beijing are exactly 12 hours apart. So 7am in New York was 7pm in Beijing and essentially, the day was over. The Today Show did its broadcast live for New York from 7 to 10pm Beijing time each day throughout the Games.
If you’ve read any of my previous reports, you know something about the two weeks we had there. Almost every minute was spoken for but we hardly noticed because it was such an incredible experience. Near the end of last week as our time was winding down, we made an afternoon trip to the Hutongs with our guide and driver. These are the “old” Beijing neighborhoods where families live in very Spartan buildings around a courtyard. They eat together in one place; sleep in another and congregate and visit in the courtyard or “living room”. The Chinese people were very gracious to allow us into their homes for this experience.
When we came out, very near the Drum Tower, we had the opportunity to take a rickshaw ride around the neighborhood. It was fun but before we completed the tour, an horrendous thunderstorm came through that completely swamped the area in 8 to 10 inches of water. We were soaked to the skin so we decided to go back to the apartment and change into dry clothing. By that time, our choice was what to do for dinner. It was then we realized that if we were ever going to try to see Ann Curry and the Today Show, this was going to be our only shot before leaving for home.
We grabbed a taxi and the adventure began. The accepted means of directions for a taxi were to go to one of the many local volunteers who would write your destination in Chinese on a small card which you would give to the driver. (Seattle sportswriter Art Thiel evidently tried to do this at the media center before leaving for a restaurant but, from his article, it seems he wanted to make it as hard as possible, and he did! We never had a problem.) The key to reaching the Today Show set was to break through the layers of security that surrounded the Olympic Green and the Bird’s Nest.
Fortunately, our driver was tenacious. The city is laid out with ring roads that emanate from the Forbidden City. The second ring road is the closest to the downtown and therefore almost always the most crowded. Our apartment was between the 3rd and 4th ring roads and therefore not quite as busy. The Bird’s Nest is just outside the 6th ring road and security begins to get real tight after the 5th. We did circles for awhile until our driver stopped to find a security guard who could help us. Without a formal credential, my only piece of related communication was the email on my iPhone that Ann Curry had sent me after we arrived. Both the driver and I kept saying “NBC” and “Today Show” but we were getting little response.
We did finally make it through the 5th ring but now getting to the International Broadcast Center was the problem. We tried the bus lane that takes journalists to the venues. We made it into a couple of the media parking lots but weren’t allowed to get out of the car. Finally, in sight of the Bird’s Nest, we encountered a volunteer who had been educated in the US and he recognized all the pieces of the puzzle. He walked us into the Media Guest Center where I promptly showed my iPhone email and was directed to a young man holding a sign that said “Today Show”. After I told him my story, the doors began to open. We were given credentials and soon two runners showed up with a golf cart to drive us to the set. This was the “internship” of a lifetime for these two young women who were just out of college. And when they found out where we were from, their faces lit up and they told us that the other person they were working with was a brand new graduate of the University of Washington. A little bit of luck goes a long way in these situations.
After getting acquainted with the backstage folks, we were left near the stage in a place where we could see the set with the Bird’s Nest and the flame burning brightly in the background. It's fascinating to watch an experienced group of professionals do what they do best when they're 7000 miles from home in a strange country. They pull it off with such elan.
We stayed there, feeling very special, until Ann Curry spotted me at the break and came over to talk to us. She said she wanted to spend more time after the show but she would like us to come up and sit on the set. Two director’s chairs appeared and we were introduced to the whole gang. Many of their interviews were conducted about 4 feet from where we were sitting. Mary Lou Retton was on the show talking about gymnastics, as well as a young man who made the swimming team and then found out he had cancer. He still came and competed. It was a very inspiring story. As the camera pulled away from his segment, if you look very closely, you can see Jane and me perched on our director’s chair in the extreme left corner of the photo. Our two seconds of fame…still pretty cool!
Ann introduced us around after the show and we were offered a couple of the bugs from the Night Market that Al had sampled on the show. We spent as much time as she had talking about Tibet which is obviously a subject very near and dear to her, and about our individual hopes for the effect of these Games on our world. She is such a gentle and genuine person. It is easy to see how comfortable she can make the people around her as she does her job. We walked her to her car and said our goodbyes. Suddenly, there we were in front of the Bird’s Nest, the flame aglow and the full moon looking down on us. It was just before midnight and we were flying high as a kite! Could anything be much better than that? Certainly nothing we could think of right then.
The memory of the Today Show now joins the other remarkable experiences that were the Beijing Olympics for us. I am too close to China now to be completely objective but I think that the 2008 Olympics were an astounding achievement. There was so much to overcome for the hosts but they did it…and they did it in style. It was safe and the Games introduced the rest of the world to a China we had no idea existed. It ultimately comes down to the people and they could not have been more welcoming or inviting. I was so deeply touched by this experience that it is hard to express. I can only say that the world is different now for me and I hope that feeling rubs off on all of us.
My hat is in the ring for London in 2012. Our reservations are already made. Couple that with Vancouver and the Winter Games in 2010 where the agency has a committed piece of the action and the future continues to hold very exciting prospects. But there will never be another Beijing 2008. You’ve now heard what this experience has meant to my life. I wish you the same kind of adventures in yours.
It's good to be home,Dan Mc
“Ten thousand miles this autumn. I will always be a traveler.” Du Fu, Tang Dynasty, 618-907 A.D.
Posted by Dan McConnell on August 25, 2008 12:23 PM Permalink