August 24-25, 2008

 

 

Beijing Olympics Closing Ceremony

 

After experiencing seventeen days of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, we’ve finally come to the last day and the closing ceremony.

 

Today I didn’t wear my track suit that I’d especially designed for the Games. Instead, I wore the uniform of an Olympic Games volunteer. I felt very proud to be wearing this uniform because the smile on the face of a volunteer worker is the greatest representative expression, like a business card for Beijing!

 

I think that during the Olympic Games, everyone’s attention has been focused on the athletes from different countries around the world. However, the merits and achievements of these volunteer workers who have been quietly providing their services for the Beijing Olympic Games shouldn’t go unnoticed. Volunteer workers are the foundation of modern day Olympics; they are the image ambassadors of the Olympic Games. These troops of outstanding volunteer workers provide a very high standard of voluntary services and they reveal the style and features of people in China and Beijing. They’ve also contributed quite a bit of strength and effort into making these Games a special event. I’d like to take this opportunity to pay my tributes and salute all the volunteers.

 

Entertainers performing in the closing ceremony included A-list artists from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Korea, and everyone participated at the rehearsal for the show. The rehearsal for the closing ceremony was actually very simple. The director told us that he will turn the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony into a big, happy and crazy party for all of humankind, making the performances at the closing ceremony even more novel, imaginative, and exciting.

 

Unfortunately, the only things that weren’t so simple were the security procedures. The closing ceremony was scheduled to start at 8:00 PM but because of the security measures that were in place, we had to be at a location by ten o’clock in the morning to undergo security checks. After clearing security, all the artists and performing guests were in high spirits and we headed towards the Bird’s Nest in three large buses. Beckham was also one of the passengers.

 

After arriving at the Bird’s Nest, we were taken into a very large makeup room. We just stayed in here and didn’t go outside. At around five o’clock, we had a ten minute rehearsal and then we didn’t have much else planned to do so everyone started taking photos as souvenirs of the occasion. Apart from taking big group photographs, I also took some photos with Emil Chow and a few by myself as well. Furthermore, I also saw the public security officers who were in charge of security checks doing a careful inspection of the area. Take a look at this photo. We weren’t allowed to go to any of the places that had already been checked, I could only walk past in front of them. It was really interesting!

 

These soldiers are guarding the area of the stadium which had already had a security check.

 

After taking some photographs, we all went backstage and waited for the closing ceremony to officially start at eight o’clock sharp. While we were waiting, director Zhang Yimou came to visit us and we greeted each other.

 

While I was backstage, I saw everyone doing their own thing. Some people were chatting, some people were watching movies, a few people were taking a nap, and there was even someone giving other people haircuts. The person responsible for cutting the hair wasn’t a hairdresser, it was Stephanie Sun Yanzi! I never imagined that she knew how to cut hair!

As for who swept up the hair that was left on the floor, just take a look at this photo and you will know:

 

Having to wait backstage in the makeup room meant that I had no idea with what was going on outside and waiting around for such a long time was actually quite boring. I wanted to go out to the VIP area in the stadium and take a look around since I had a ticket to the corporate box. However, this decision actually caused a big disturbance in the crowd because just at that moment, the athletes were entering the center of the stadium and there wasn’t much for the audience to watch so I think they felt a little puzzled and surprised when they saw me. They turned their attention and focused it all on me. I didn’t want to disturb other people so I only sat down for a little while and then returned backstage.

 

 

We started discussing whether or not the closing ceremony would be as spectacular as the opening ceremony, and we all thought that it wouldn’t be. But if you didn’t see the opening ceremony, then this closing ceremony would be considered very spectacular. Take a look at these photos of the fireworks and performances at the closing ceremony - it’s a magnificent sight.

 

 

After waiting for ten hours, it was finally time for us to go out and perform. Artists from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan including myself, Karen Mok, Andy Lau, Joey Yung, Nicholas Tse, Emil Chow, Stephanie Sun, and Liu Yuanyuan were all entrusted with the important responsibility as the performing guests for the finale of the Beijing Olympic Games closing ceremony. United with 56 singers from different ethnic minorities, we made our entrance into the stadium singing a song called Yuǎnfāng de Kèrén Qǐng Nǐ Liúxiàlái (Visitors from Afar Please Stay). We all had a very enjoyable evening and the Beijing Olympics finally came to an end.

 

Even after the ceremony finished, I couldn’t move around because I had to let the athletes leave before I could leave the center stage. But the scene at the time was very chaotic and I was forced by the crowd to take temporary shelter on the frame structure of the stage. People were asking for my autograph and requesting to take photos with me. At the time I thought to myself, how am I going to take photos and sign autographs with thousands of people? I stood on top of the metal frame, and in the end, the military police who performed on the metal frame during the ceremony escorted me away from the scene.

 

After a tough and difficult struggle getting through the crowd, I returned backstage and waited until everyone had left the stadium before I left as well. When I arrived backstage I saw Karen with an icepack on her leg. I guess when there are crowds of people, there is bound to be some pushing and shoving and she injured her leg trying to get through this. Stephanie saw what happened to poor Karen and she immediately thanked me for safely taking her out of the crowd and into the makeup room.

 

I’ve stayed in Beijing for nearly a month, turned down two commercials, and pushed back my plans for making a film. To me, these are a few sacrifices that I had to make but I think these sacrifices are definitely worth it.

 

 

Visiting British Headquarters

 

After I left the Bird’s Nest, I went to another location and changed vehicles before driving directly to the British headquarters where I met British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. I also took some photos with a few people from England including Jimmy Paige, rock and roll legend and band member of Led Zeppelin, and Leona Lewis, England’s extraordinary female vocalist. Initially they wanted me to wait around until three or four o’clock in the morning to do a live broadcast of a program with them but because I had a friend waiting for me at another location, I honestly couldn’t stay any longer so I only managed to do an interview with BBC.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson

Rock and roll legend Jimmy Paige (Led Zeppelin guitarist)

British singing sensation Leona Lewis.

Interview with the BBC.

 

During the interview, I told them that the Beijing Olympic Games has successfully come to an end and four years from now this worldwide party will be relocated to London. If someone says that the Olympic Games in Beijing were successful, I believe that the next Olympic Games in London will also be successful because of the support from everybody around the world. I told them that apart from having our support, everyone around the globe will also be very supportive because the Olympic Games belong to the world. It’s only through the Olympics that we can bring out the qualities of friendship, peace, and unity, and it also brings out the spirit of One World, One Dream. I also said that I will be the first person to sign up as a volunteer worker for the next Olympic Games and if there is anything I can do that needs to be done, I will definitely give it all my best. Hopefully I can see everyone again in 2012. After the interview finished, I left the headquarters.

 

 

Life After the Olympics

 

I went to bed and had a very good night’s sleep. The next day in the morning, I packed my luggage and caught a flight back to Hong Kong.

 

Now that the Olympic Games have finished, I’m just like a lot of other people and I feel very downhearted because there are not more Games to watch. The drama series broadcast on television don’t seem grab my attention anymore because during the Olympic Games, I mainly focused on watching the different events of Olympic competition and I didn’t have time to watch any drama series, so of course I didn’t keep up with the storylines. And now that I’ve lost interest, I just don’t want to watch them anymore. Also, whatever news or current events that have happened recently are being drowned out by the coverage of the Olympic Games. I suddenly feel that I’ve been cut off from the news. I hope these Olympic Games aftereffects will disappear soon! Ha ha!

© 2008 The JC Group. All Rights Reserved.

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