When Beijing won the race to host the 2008 Olympic Games it caused a great sense of excitement and jubilation in China's capital. Beijing won out over Toronto, Paris, Osaka and Istanbul to become the first city in China to host an Olympic Games.
When the announcement was made by outgoing Olympic president Juan Antonio Samaranch, it was greeted with wild scenes of jubilation from the Chinese delegation in Moscow, and with fireworks in Beijing itself. More than 200,000 people packed into Tiananmen Square to celebrate the news - the largest spontaneous demonstrations since the democracy movement of 1989. From officially staged firework displays to spontaneous cheering and hooting of car horns from the massive crowds who brought the streets of Beijing to a near standstill, there was no doubting the genuine delight in China at the International Olympic Committee's decision. "Smiles everywhere, joy ignites," read the headline in the Beijing Morning Post. Even top political leaders, including President Jiang Zemin, joined the crowds, grinning broadly and hugging ecstatic revellers.
"Comrades, we express our deep thanks to all our friends around the world and to the IOC for helping to make Beijing successful in its Olympic bid," said the President.
China's nationalist rival Taiwan welcomed the Olympic decision, with many believing that it could reduce the military and political tensions between the two countries.
As the capital of the People's Republic of China, Beijing is the nation's center of government, economy, culture, and international activities, as well as serving as a transportation hub to the entire country. With a population of 11 million people, Beijing contains 18 districts and counties covering an area of 10,450 square miles. The suburbs contain: Dongcheng, Xicheng, Xuanwu, Chongwen, Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai, and Shijingshan. An outer suburban area consists of: Fangshan, Mengtougou, Changping, Tongxian, Shunyi, Daxing, Huairou, Miyun, Pinggu, and Yianqing.
UN chief praises China for fast, effective relief efforts People's Daily Un Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised on Friday the Chinese government for its fast and effective efforts to save earthquake victims. &The secretary-general commended Beijing authorities for...
46 injured need evacuation as lake burst imminent at China quake zone People's Daily Forty-six seriously injured people need to be evacuated immediately in Beichuan county at the epicenter of the Sichuan quake, where the water level of a lake is rising rapidly and the lake may burst...
Thousands evacuated for fear of flooding in quake-hit China Beijing News.Net Chengdu (China), (Xinhua) Thousands of people living near a lake and a river in China's quake-hit southwestern province of Sichuan are being evacuated for fear of flooding, disaster relief officials said Saturday.
Quake-hit China to probe collapsed schools Beijing News.Net Beijing, : China's Ministry for Housing and Urban and Rural Construction has reportedly decided to probe the construction quality of the schools which collapsed in Monday's earthquake, of 7.8 magnitude, killing a large number of school kids.
China quake rescue effort intensifies SBS With survivors still emerging from the rubble, rescue teams waged an increasingly desperate battle to find victims of China's earthquake which has claimed an estimated 50,000 lives.With towns and...
Trapped China quake survivor ate cigarettes, paper tissues, drunk urine Beijing News.Net Beijing, : A 46-year-old survivor of the Monday's earthquake of 7.8 magnitude ate cigarettes, paper napkins and drunk his urine to keep himself alive before being rescued after 100 hours of ordeal.
When trapped Chinese school kids sang "Let Beijing News.Net Beijing, : Teenagers trapped under the debris of their school building after the earthquake of 7.8 magnitude hit southwest China on Monday afternoon, sang pop song &Let's write our ending together&, which gave them strength enough to help getting though the ordeal.
Scientists identified geological faults in quake-hit region in China a year back Beijing News.Net Washington, : A research carried out by earth scientists last summer had determined that geological faults in the Sichuan Basin, China, are sufficiently long to sustain a strong ground-shaking earthquake, an estimate which proved to be right when a massive quake struck the region on May 12.
Pope pens prayer for Chinese Catholics Beijing News.Net Pope Benedict XVI has composed a prayer for Catholics in China through which, among other things, they would seek inspiration to remain faithful to Rome.
China fights to stave off disease, amid miracle quake rescues Yahoo! News ... ramped up efforts on Saturday to stave off disease for millions of earthquake victims, as more miracle rescues amid the rubble offered hope in an increasingly desperate battle to save lives.
China bus explodes after crash, 14 dead ABC Australia A bus in east China has exploded after crashing into a tractor, killing at least 14 people, the official Xinhua news agency said. &The bus blew up and 13 people died at the scene and another in...
69-year-old man saved 119 hrs after China quake People's Daily Zhao Fugui, a villager from the Beichuan county of Sichuan, was saved after being buried for 119 hours following the catastrophic earthquake. The 69-year-old man from Dazhu village of Beichuan was...
China activates N-contingency plan NDTV China has activated its contingency plans for nuclear and radiation pollution as a precautionary step in the earthquake-ravaged Chinas Sichuan province.The local Environmental Protection Bureaus have...
U.S. Congressmen offer condolences, help to China over quake People's Daily More than 40 members of the U.S.House of Representatives on Thursday expressed condolences to the families of the victims of a devastating earthquake in China, saying that the U.S. Congress stands...
China leader spurs rescue effort BBC Life in tent city It says all affected areas have been reached by troops, but their task remains huge. The first foreign rescuers arrived in the devastated region from Japan on Friday and...
Panic in China as lake threatens quake-hit county Euro News Thousands of people have fled to higher ground in a quake-hit Chinese county amid fears a lake could burst its banks. An alert was issued in Beichuan, where officials had already voiced concern about...
China quake epicentre evacuated Al Jazeera Xinhua did not give details but Hong Kong cable television said some 1.2 million people were being evacuated in Qingchuan, about 90km northeast of Beichuan. A witness said by telephone the military...
Double amputee could run at Beijing Yahoo Double amputee Oscar Pistorius can try to qualify for the Beijing Olympics after winning his appeal against a ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the South African said on Friday. ...
Nearly 5 mn homeless NDTV Chinese officials now say that nearly five million people have been left homeless after the quake which left over 22,000 dead. But fears are that that figure could rise to 50,000. In fact the extent...
1-child norm deepens pain Times of India After their daughter was born, Bi Kaiwei and his wife Meilin decided to adhere to China's one-child policy and its slogan, ``Have fewer kids, live better lives.'' For them and other...
Soldiers dig out survivor buried in ruins for 117 hrs People's Daily Chinese soldiers dug out a 52-year old man from the ruins in Beichuan county, Sichuan Province, at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, 117 hours after he was buried underneath collapsed buildings by the...
China urges quake rescuers not to give up hope KeralaNext Chinese President Hu Jintao urged rescuers in the southwestern province of Sichuan to race time to save lives, days after the most destructive earthquake to hit modern China...
Chinas quake zone survivors KeralaNext Local residents have a simple answer for why the four-storey Juyuan Middle School collapsed during the China quake -- killing hundreds of children -- while nearby buildings remained...
After quake, migrant worker searches for home KeralaNext With eyes red from sleeplessness and worry, migrant worker Li Angui has only one thought in mind -- to return to his town devastated by China's earthquake.
28,881 confirmed dead in China earthquake News.com.au The confirmed earthquake death toll in China has risen to 28,881, a central government official said today. Another 198,347 people have been injured as of 2pm local time, Guo Weimin, a spokesman...
Floods new fear for China quake victims SBS Thousands of Chinese earthquake victims fled areas near the epicentre, fearful of potential flooding from Haizi Lake where water levels were reported to be rising dangerously.The lake in Beichuan...
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