Speaking of the Olympics....

Now that the much hyped event is drawing nearer... I was wondering if any of my forum members plan to attend and have any of you been able to obtain concession liscenses to sell any of the memorabilia or anything else. How hard is that to do in China?

I don't know if  I will try to attend.  It would be nice but Beijing is croweded enough without the Olympics and I'm not really fond of the vibe I got from people there.  I'm more interested in the 2010 world Expo in Shanghai.

I joke with my Chinese friends by saying that I want to see the Olympics so I can see America beat China...it's great for a starting debate. 

I don't know if  I will try to attend.  It would be nice but Beijing is croweded enough without the Olympics and I'm not really fond of the vibe I got from people there.  I'm more interested in the 2010 world Expo in Shanghai.

I joke with my Chinese friends by saying that I want to see the Olympics so I can see America beat China...it's great for a starting debate. 

Tee Hee. Yes Beijing is crowded and I wonder if spitting will be an Olympic event. I would like to see the opening ceremony live though. It would be a once in a lifetime experience.

For the Shanghai 2010 expo I am thinking about applying for a stand to sell Togolese products (gifts, crafts etc.). I had the chance to attend the Aichi expo (Nagoya, Japan) back in 2005 and the African pavillon were one of the hottest ones in terms of gift selling. Togo didn't have a stand there so it gave me the idea if I am in China until then to be part of it. I had the chance to talk with several Africans at the exhibition in Japan, most of them were based in Europe, and planned to come to China too.
But I won't be surprised considering the legal regulations here if the organizers require foreign participants to make a kind of joint venture with a local firm before being able to offer whatever product during the expo...

I don't know if  I will try to attend.  It would be nice but Beijing is croweded enough without the Olympics and I'm not really fond of the vibe I got from people there.  I'm more interested in the 2010 world Expo in Shanghai.

I joke with my Chinese friends by saying that I want to see the Olympics so I can see America beat China...it's great for a starting debate. 

 
I concur.  I was in Beijing last weekend, and I can't imagine it being more crowded than it already is.  When the Olympics were in Atlanta, it was packed.  So I will be watching it at home on my sofa.

For the Shanghai 2010 expo I am thinking about applying for a stand to sell Togolese products (gifts, crafts etc.). I had the chance to attend the Aichi expo (Nagoya, Japan) back in 2005 and the African pavillon were one of the hottest ones in terms of gift selling. Togo didn't have a stand there so it gave me the idea if I am in China until then to be part of it. I had the chance to talk with several Africans at the exhibition in Japan, most of them were based in Europe, and planned to come to China too.
But I won't be surprised considering the legal regulations here if the organizers require foreign participants to make a kind of joint venture with a local firm before being able to offer whatever product during the expo...

GOOD INFO.. I hope I'll still be in Shanghai by 2010,  but then I can always come back cos this seems like a good idea..

and regarding the Olympics.. honestly it would have be fun, but I can hardly stand the crowd in a concert, talk less of that of the Olympics, so I would just be watching it from my local TV station

If Sabrina would go, I might decide to be adventurous..

If Sabrina would go, I might decide to be adventurous..

OMG of course I'm going! I want to watch at least one basketball match if I can get a ticket that is! (bring a camcorder...and those guys better be as hot as they are on TV) and I want to watch a swimming event too.

@pat_togo : What a great idea and good info you have.
@at all : I have learned so much from all of you in the short time I've been on this board. Thanks all. Sabrina!!! you adventuress! We'll go together. I like track and field. So, we may get crushed to death - but we'll die happy, full of good memories.

They're going to start this 'fine for spitting' thing for the Olympics...

Shanghai is my hometown, but I'm a bigger fan of 2008 Beijing Olympics than 2010 Shanghai World Expo.  I moved to Beijing two years ago for work, then just half a year later I specifically bought a condo near the Olympic Village and the main stadium - I can even watch the tennis game from my balcony (assisted by a telescope of course).  The added benefit is the boosted value of my condo - nearly 50% up in just one year, and it seems to continue rising 

I even have an idea of opening up a club right next to the Olympic Village.  As long as it operates right (right ambience, right DJ/music), I bet it will be packed by athletes and their admirers during the 2008 Olympics.  Right now, it's just an idea and everything else is up in the air (investment, club operation expertise, etc.).  If anyone is seriously interested, we can discuss more about it.

BTW, I don't mind the crowd  And I bet the traffic in Beijing during the Olympic Games might be even better than usual, because the government is planning to let most Beijing residents off from work and encourage them to get out of Beijing.  Believe it or not, the Sino-Africa Summit last year was a rehearsal of the traffic control for Olympics - during the summit, 400,000 government vehicles were not allowed to get on the street, and non-Beijing vehicles were not allowed to enter the 5th ring road of the Beijing city.  So Beijing residents finally enjoyed a few days of light traffic everywhere they go. 

-Tiger

For the Shanghai 2010 expo I am thinking about applying for a stand to sell Togolese products (gifts, crafts etc.). I had the chance to attend the Aichi expo (Nagoya, Japan) back in 2005 and the African pavillon were one of the hottest ones in terms of gift selling. Togo didn't have a stand there so it gave me the idea if I am in China until then to be part of it. I had the chance to talk with several Africans at the exhibition in Japan, most of them were based in Europe, and planned to come to China too.
But I won't be surprised considering the legal regulations here if the organizers require foreign participants to make a kind of joint venture with a local firm before being able to offer whatever product during the expo...

GOOD INFO.. I hope I'll still be in Shanghai by 2010,  but then I can always come back cos this seems like a good idea..

and regarding the Olympics.. honestly it would have be fun, but I can hardly stand the crowd in a concert, talk less of that of the Olympics, so I would just be watching it from my local TV station

If Sabrina would go, I might decide to be adventurous..

The added benefit is the boosted value of my condo - nearly 50% up in just one year, and it seems to continue rising 

Tiger, that is awesome. But tell me something, how do you breathe in Beijing. You must have lungs of iron. When I was there last winter, the smog was so bad, you could hardly see daylight. But the club thing seems like a good idea.


They're going to start this 'fine for spitting' thing for the Olympics... It should bring in LOTS of revenue.  , I still say they should just make it an Olympic event. Participants could be judged on such things as the loudness of the hawk, the distance the spit travels and whether the strength of it was strong enough to knock a bird out of a tree.

Seriously though, I considered carrying an umbrella for fear that I'd get hit with it. Nasty. Nasty. Nasty. AND WHY - Does anyone know?

They're going to start this 'fine for spitting' thing for the Olympics...

Halleluyah!!!!!! Finally a way to eradicate such dirty manner..I hope they implement it and the fine is 5kuai per spit!!!!! or even 10!!!! 

Hey Sabz.. do you swim?

I read this article in the Shanghai Daily, that spitting thing has actually decreased the last year.  They have been monitering places around Shanghai.  So actually the problem has gotten better.

@Tiger
That is awesome about your property value.  The club idea is great as well.  In Atlanta we are still seeing the benefits of our property from the 1996 Olympics.

The added benefit is the boosted value of my condo - nearly 50% up in just one year, and it seems to continue rising 

Tiger, that is awesome. But tell me something, how do you breathe in Beijing. You must have lungs of iron. When I was there last winter, the smog was so bad, you could hardly see daylight. But the club thing seems like a good idea.


They're going to start this 'fine for spitting' thing for the Olympics... It should bring in LOTS of revenue.  , I still say they should just make it an Olympic event. Participants could be judged on such things as the loudness of the hawk, the distance the spit travels and whether the strength of it was strong enough to knock a bird out of a tree.

Seriously though, I considered carrying an umbrella for fear that I'd get hit with it. Nasty. Nasty. Nasty. AND WHY - Does anyone know?

 

U guys are just too much
Anyway,Beijing esp and all the other olympic cities will undergo drastic changes but what abt the non-olympic cultural cities?Most of them will still suffer from "severe coughing and spitting"

Tiger, that is awesome. But tell me something, how do you breathe in Beijing. You must have lungs of iron. When I was there last winter, the smog was so bad, you could hardly see daylight. But the club thing seems like a good idea.

Purplepens, I hate the smog and sandy storms in Beijing like everybody else, but I'm pretty sure it happened to be in one of the worst smoggy days when you were in Beijing last winter.  They government has spent billions of dollars working on the environment in Beijing in the past few years, and the number of days with blue sky are gradually increasing year by year.  I don't anticipate miracle would happen in just a year to make Beijing as clean as Shanghai, not to mention as most of the cities in the US, but fortunately the air in Beijing summers aren't so bad.  Last summer we had a good number of really clean days in Beijing and from my window I can see crystal clear hill-lines in the distance and beautiful sunset - reminding me of the amazing views at New England where I spent my college life.

Attached are three photos I shot from my window using a point-and-shot digital camera.