Politics | 08/13/2008 11:25 am
Faking at the Olympics: Cute Chinese Girl Lip-Synced; Hidden Talented Girl Sang

China has been obsessed with presenting a flawless Olympics to the world.
As part of their all-out pursuit for an idyllic Games, China has in the past reportedly shooed grieving petitioners away from their central government and have continuously silenced any signs of protest. The government also spent a whopping $16 billion in a clean-air campaign, relocating factories and planting millions of trees — amid concerns that all the athletes and visitors would have to wear face masks to breathe and embarrass their country.
Now, the country’s quest for perfection apparently includes the image of their children. Officials have just admitted that the tiny, pigtailed girl in the red dress who wowed the world as she appeared to sing the "Ode to the Motherhood" during the Olympics opening ceremony was actually lip-syncing to a recorded version sung by another girl who was deemed less physically attractive.
Nine-year-old Lin Miaoke was the girl on stage Friday night but the real voice belonged to seven-year-old Yang Peiyi, whose voice was perfectly in sync with China’s all-out mission for an idyllic Games. But Yang’s chubby face and crooked teeth was not the perfect image, according to Beijing Olympic officials.
"We decided to let Lin Miaoke sing on the stage, and to use Yang Peiyi’s voice, because Yang Peiyi has the best voice, while Lin Miaoke is the best actress," said Sun Weide, a spokesman for Beijing’s Olympic organizing committee, to the Wall Street Journal.
Apparently, this wasn’t China’s only fake-out. Games organizers also confirmed on Tuesday that parts of one fireworks display was digitally enhanced for TV and included prerecorded footage. The Olympic committee decided that to follow the real trail of fireworks was too dangerous for a helicopter camera. Instead, a team spent almost a year crafting the glamorous segment, paying attention to get even the smog lighting effects correct.























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