Jay Chou demonstrates his hoop skills, becoming the first person to shoot a basket at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium.
(BEIJING, January 21) -- Jay Chou and Emil Chau were among the lineup of singers here Monday evening at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium to take part in the 200-day countdown celebration for the Games. It was the first time the recently completed Olympic venue opened to the public.
Audience members enjoyed the debut release of music videos for more than a dozen Olympic songs, in addition to more than two hours of performances by some 20 singers. The evening ended with a chorus performance of the Chinese version of "Forever Friends" (music by Kong Xiangdong and Giorgio Moroder; lyrics by Huang Xiaomao).
Interior view of the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium
Also present at the celebration were Zhao Dongming, director of BOCOG's Cultural Activities Department and secretary-general of the Olympic song judging committee; Lu Ying, chief editor of Radio Beijing and deputy secretary-general of the Olympic song judging committee; Wang Peng, CEO of Zhengzhou Synear Food Co., Ltd; and Ma Li, deputy general manager of China Mobile Limited's data department.
Gao Mingjun
The music videos for the Olympics songs will air on various television stations nationwide in the coming days. China Mobile users can also elect to have an Olympic song set as their ring tone. In addition, during the Spring Festival holiday, consumers will have a chance to get a free VCD of the music videos courtesy of Zhengzhou Synear Food Co., Ltd, the Frozen Dumplings Exclusive Supplier of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
The celebration event is to air on CCTV2 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on February 5.
Sun Yue
Emil Chau performs "I Am A Star"
Jay Chou
Elva Hsiao
Zhang Liyin (Jang Ri)
Gu Liya
David Wong performs "Wishing Star"
Eva Huang
Huang Xiaoming
Huang Zheng
(BEIJING, January 20) -- On Sunday afternoon, the singing voices of Olympic volunteers were beefed up with the strong sound of the famous Chinese singer Emil Chau. Chau rushed to the home of two Olympic volunteers after flying into Beijing in order to invite the family to participate in a music video presentation of the Olympic volunteer song, "I am a Star."
At around 10 in the morning, Chau, with CD in hand, stormed through the capital's airport to speed over to the home of Mr. Dong, a dedicated Olympic volunteer. Mr. Dong's home overflows with Olympic spirit; he has been approved to help out with the volunteer work for the Olympics, his daughter, Dong Yang, is employed with the BOCOG, and his daughter's boyfriend is currently a volunteer in the Olympic program.
Needless to say, the hot topic around the conversation table between Mr. Dong's family and the famous singer surrounded Olympic volunteerism. An excited Chau showed the family the "I am a Star" music video, and helped them quickly learn the performance piece.
Dong Yang noted that Olympic volunteers are looking forward to the Olympics with a sense of utmost pride. She especially likes the lyrics to the "I am a Star" song, explaining that to her, the language in the music expresses that volunteers are little stars themselves, throwing small points of light individually, but as a whole, reflecting the intense brilliance of teamwork that can illuminate the world.
On the 200 day countdown to the Olympic Games, the presentation of this song to ordinary Beijing volunteers portrays the deeply planted familial spirit of the Games. Chau expressed that every Beijing family is an example of Olympic success, as every citizen is an unsung hero, regardless of whether or not anyone in the household officially became a volunteer. He believes that the volunteer spirit is embodied in the soul of every Beijinger, and as such, would like to pay tribute to all of these special people.
Chau accompanied the three people in the Dong family to the China Millennium Monument, where, in front of 300 Olympic volunteers and reporters, the quartet was joined by BOCOG representatives and Volkswagen public relations representative Lu Minjie. The group then unveiled the "I am a Star" music video, after which Chau told a happy audience about his excitement over volunteer work and responsibilities. The music video depicts a sweaty, but smiley, image of Olympic volunteers.
Director Zhao Dongming of the BOCOG Cultural Activities Department believes that the "I am a Star" song will bring each volunteer a sense of honor and pride, inspiring them to understand both themselves and their work. At the same time, he hopes that this will enable the public to more warmly welcome Olympic volunteers, encouraging the masses to help the Olympic spirit flourish.
The lyrics to "I am a Star" were written by the famous poet Lin Yi, while the music itself was composed and sung by Emil Chau. After the song's debut in Tiananmen Square on the one year countdown to the Olympics, its popularity grew rapidly, especially among Olympic volunteers. The music video to accompany the song was completed by September of last year; starting from the Spring Festival holiday, "I am a Star" will be played on national television and may be seen and heard through various other channels for the public to enjoy.
