Had you watched the Opening of Beijing Olymics 2008? And seen the girl who sang the Ode to the Motherland? The girl was not the actual singer. Yes indeed, China faked it! (;一一)

The real singer was considered not photogenic enough to put on stage so a cuter girl was picked to mime the words. Poor little darling, that would hurt. Chen Qigang, general music designer of the ceremony said:

"The reason was for the national interest. The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings, and expression,"

Organizers therefore picked pigtailed Lin Miaoke to appear instead of Yang Peiyi, whose chubby face and uneven teeth were considered unbecoming. And they said that she was not cute enough for tv. While Lin Miaoke was becoming a rising star, with photographs of her appearance published all over the world.

The switch may reflect underlying cultural preferences as well as the incredible attention paid to Olympic preparations. The "beauty premium" in parts of China is far more pronounced than in other contries, Daniel Hamermesh, an economist at the University of Texas, has suggested.

Dr Hamermesh's work shows that ugly people earn below the average income while beautiful people earn more. In Britain, attractive women enjoy a +1% premium. But in Shanghai, the figure was +10%, way more than that. (ノ_・、)

1 Comments

Anonymous said…
Yes, how terrible they have done to the kids. Lin would not realize yet the shame she has indulged into, but when she grows up she will and even perhaps lose her self-confidence. Poor Yang, she is only a child to be deprived of her own right as a singer. Huhuhu!