China Olympic ceremony star mimed
By Michael Bristow
BBC News, Beijing

A pretty girl who won national fame after singing at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was only miming.

Wearing a red dress and pigtails, Lin Miaoke charmed a worldwide audience with a rendition of "Ode to the Motherland".
But the singer was Yang Peiyi, who was not allowed to appear because she is not as "flawless" as nine-year-old Lin.
The show's musical director said Lin was used because it was in the best interests of the country.
The revelation follows news that a fireworks display used during the opening ceremony was apparently faked.

'Smiling angel'

Speaking on Beijing Radio station, musical director Chen Qigang said the organisers needed a girl with both a good image and a good voice.

Lin Miaoke performs at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games
They faced a dilemma because although Lin was prettier, seven-year-old Yang had the better voice, Mr Chen said.
"After several tests, we decided to put Lin Miaoke on the live picture, while using Yang Peiyi's voice," he told the radio station.
"The reason for this is that we must put our country's interest first," he added.
"The girl appearing on the picture must be flawless in terms of her facial expression and the great feeling she can give to people."
Singer Lin, who is being called the "smiling angel", has already become a media celebrity because of her performance.
She told state-run China Daily that she felt "beautiful" in the red dress she wore during the performance.
Her dad told the newspaper that she already had fans all over the country.
According to Chinese news reports, Yang said she did not regret the decision, saying she was satisfied to have had her voice featured in the opening ceremony.
This is the second "fake" story about the opening ceremony
Viewers around the world saw a display in which 29 firework "footprints" travelled across Beijing from south to north.
But a senior official from the Beijing organising committee (Bocog) confirmed on Tuesday that footage of the display had been produced before the big night.
This was provided to broadcasters for "convenience and theatrical effects", according to Wang Wei, Bocog's executive vice-president.
"Because of poor visibility, some previously recorded footage may have been used," he told a daily press conference.


Story from BBC NEWS:
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | China Olympic ceremony star mimed

Olympic ceremonies.

Attached Images

	girls.jpg (21.7 KB, 7 views)
	miming girl.jpg (23.0 KB, 9 views)

foto

Attached Images

real girl.jpg (20.7 KB, 6 views)

Olympic girl seen but not heard

• Story Highlights
• Opening ceremony's darling was lip-syncing, officials confirm
  
• Real singer was deemed lacking in beauty and stage presence
  
• Decision came down from Politburo, musical director says

From John Vause
CNN


BEIJING, China (CNN) -- A little girl and her song captivated millions of viewers during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. But what they saw was not what they heard.
Games organizers confirm that Lin Miaoke, who performed "Ode to the Motherland" as China's flag was paraded Friday into Beijing's National Stadium, was not singing at all.
Lin was lip-syncing to the sound of another girl, 7-year-old Yang Peiyi, who was heard but not seen, apparently because she was deemed not cute enough.
"The reason was for the national interest," said Chen Qigang, the ceremony's musical director, in a state radio interview. "The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feeling and expression. ... Lin Miaoke is excellent in those aspects."
The decision was made at the highest levels, Chen said.
"We had to do it," he said. "We'd been through several inspections. They're all very strict. When we rehearsed at the spot, there were several spectators from various divisions, especially leaders from the Politburo, who gave the opinion it must change." Watch how far Olympic pride can go »
Few who watched the Olympic ceremony realized the deception. "Tiny singer wins heart of nation," read the headline in Tuesday's China Daily newspaper.
"Lin Miaoke might be only 9 years old but she is well on her way to becoming a star, thanks to her heartwarming performance," the article gushed -- without mentioning she never sang a note.
But as word has gotten out on the Internet, some Chinese bloggers are outraged.
"If you're not good-looking, no matter how well you sing, you'll not be onstage. Do you know you're twisting a whole generation?" read one comment.
Another said, "If foreigners found out, they'd think we can't even find a girl who is good at both."
As for Yang Peiyi, she's been quoted as saying she was honored to have had a role in the opening ceremony, even though few realized just how big her part really was.

Wow, this is ridiculous! I was reading about this on the net. Sends the message no matter how good you are in the performing arts (in china) if you're not good looking, talent means nothing. I feel sad for the little girl who really sang. She's not ugly; she's like most kids at age 7. I have no doubt the politburo told her and her family to say nothing other than PC stuff like representing the country and other bs.

.........

how sad

I can only imagine the message this send to the younger children....

__________________


I'd rather be out in the summer rain
Getting soaked yeah I wouldn't complain
But I think too much and I'm left to blame
Feeling strangely the same
I'm drawing pictures around your name
Conversation slowly sketched away
With the words I could not say
Couldn't find anyway

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

Faking it at the Olympics 2:06
Chinese officials apparently dumped a girl from singing at the opening ceremony based on looks. CNN's John Vause reports.

Pavarotti's lip synching performance from the 2006 Torino Winter Olympic Games in Italy. He does a great job and at least the pre-recorded voice was his own and not someone else's. But Pavarotti was never a good looking guy.. would he be replaced if he lived in china?? lol.

fake or not still a good show.. zhang yimou still the creative man in china.. and its effing free so who really cares in the long run. like dude, anything spielberg does aint real either..