Another Beijing Blogger’s Point of View

One of the most unexpected and enjoyable things for me about the Beijing Olympics has been the opportunity to correspond and get to know several bloggers that are covering the Games from right there in Beijing. A few weeks ago, we talked with Mike about his blog, 08:08:08. Today, I had the chance to talk with Alexandra Stevenson, who writes for Asia Weekly and is blogging during the Games for About.com. She also has a permanent blog about living in China called Beijing Briefs. This is what she had to say:

Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you came to write about the Olympics for About.com? Are you a permanent resident of China? Do you speak Chinese?
I currently live in Beijing and work as a writer and researcher for Asia Weekly magazine. I graduated from McGill University in 2007 with an honors degree in Political Science and Minors in East Asian and North American Studies. After graduating, I spent a year studying Mandarin Chinese at Liaoning Normal University in Dalian, China on a Canadian scholarship (CCSEP). My interest in Asia began when I lived in Bangkok for six years as a child and spoke the language. I applied to work with About.com because I think there are some really great stories to be found in Beijing and I was hoping to help bring a more personal view to this Olympic city.

Have you been able to attend any of the sporting events so far? If so, what is the mood inside the venues? Are many Chinese able to attend or are tickets out of the budget for the average Chinese citizen?
I’ve been to see the women’s marathon which was at the Bird’s Nest. The stadium was filled mainly with Chinese volunteers, cheerleaders and performers who get free tickets. There weren’t very many foreigners, but it was 8 am on a Sunday morning. The general feeling here is that most of the events are filled mainly with Chinese and Asian guests. Tickets bought here in Beijing are really cheap and in fact a friend of mind was saying that she bought tickets on the Internet from London and paid close to four times as much. For example, my ticket to the marathon (which let me sit wherever I wanted) was about $8 USD(50 RMB).

Much has been made on NBC about the national pride of the Chinese in the Games. Is that something you are seeing and feeling there in Beijing?
Yes, there certainly is a lot of national pride here. Much of that pride is felt amongst the city’s hundreds of thousands of volunteers, performers and others involved and it’s a pride that is closely linked to a sense of honor at being able to serve one’s country at such a critical point in its history. Many of the Chinese spectators at events are in some way involved in the Olympic Games.

Is there anything going on there in Beijing during the Games that’s not making it into the Western press?
I would say there is a lot that isn’t making it into the foreign press. So many of these press guys come in here for three weeks to film and write but don’t dig deep enough. For example, the story that made foreign press and the controversy it caused over the fact that the ‘minority’ children in the opening ceremonies were not actually minorities but Han Chinese. There is a deeper story in there about how many of China’s Yunnan minorities lose their jobs to Han Chinese who come into tourist spots and dress and imitate their minority characteristics. I’ve covered several other of these stories in my About.com blog.

Have you noticed increased security around the city since the attack on American tourists at the Drum Tower on August 9?
I have not. Security was tight before and it’s the same now.