From the Mouth of Babes
It seemed almost too good to be true that the beautiful little girl who sang during the Olympic Opening Ceremonies could be blessed with an equally beautiful voice. Now it would appear there were actually two beauties involved in that performance.The NYT was quick to report the last-minute switch which had Lin Miaoke lip-syncing to Yang Peiyi’s voice during “A Hymn to My Country,” otherwise known as “Ode to the Motherland.”
Apparently little 7-year-old Yang had won the equivalent of a National Idol contest to be allowed to sing during the ceremony. But during the dress rehearsal, a Chinese official decided she was not cute enough and demanded a replacement girl who would better represent China’s image.
Lip-syncing is a commonly used practice for a variety of reasons, but to improve the cuteness index? C’mon. Don’t you think Yang is perfectly cute enough, with her little teeth still growing in?
I’ll bet the Chinese are somewhat embarrassed after a French journalist called them on this deception. But I’m sure they would do it all over again if given the chance. This is a country where world image looms high above thought for the individual. The good of the state is always foremost.
I hope Yang Peiyi has a successful career in the recording industry, if that’s what she’s allowed to pursue. I’m glad the world now knows whose voice they really heard!
posted by Barbara at 8:57 AM
10 Comments:
It's so silly, isn't it? I agree -- I'm glad we know who really sang.
That is so unbelievably LAME! The actual singer is adorable.
Its so...AMERICAN!
I thought we were the only country so shallow, so vain so capable of misrepresenting ourselves.
I feel better knowing there are 6 Billion Red Chinese that can't be wrong!
With a little luck, we can sell short on thwe indians too.
Its our only hope.
Bulletholes -- If we in fact did something like this in the US, I seriously doubt it would be initiated by someone in the White House! That's at least one difference.
Check out Global Chameleon's post about this from a couple of days ago. As I indicated in my comment there, in addition to the fake singer scandal, the Chinese have now admitted that they also faked the footage of their fireworks (how's that for alliteration), by digitally inserting extra fireworks that weren't there, and sending this aerial footage to news organizations around the world. That's fitting for the world's piracy capital.
And speaking of little Chinese girls, remember how you wrote yesterday that the Chinese gymnastics team seems to look so young compared to the Americans due to their sheltered upbringing? Surprise surprise, reports are out today that, as many suspected all along, one or more of the girls on the team is below the required age, and may be as young as 13.
Keep those news reports coming from bloody Tiananmen Square.
Chinese government, you suck!
MC -- I heard about the fake fireworks earlier today. Will they stop at nothing to make sure we get the RIGHT image, however far from the truth it is? I already knew about the underage gymnasts and so did everyone else, but no one had the balls to call them on it officially, relying instead on those passports that were issued in February 2008.
I heard a very interesting interview with a British journalist who had been arrested for trying to cover a pro-Tibet rally. They are determined to squelch that sort of thing. The Chinese have a long way to go when it comes to human rights and personal freedom, but their public image is as cute as can be!
The announcers reported that the footprints across Beijing was an animation at the opening ceremonies which is why I was surprised that people got so upset.
Lip synching has been used all over the U.S. in so many ways to improve the cuteness factor. Pop stars, movie stars have used the technology here from the moment sound became part of film.
So they did it in China. Who cares? Honestly I don't understand why it's such a big deal.
Reya -- It's not a big deal that lip-syncing was done. Their reason for doing it at the last minute is what is hard to understand.
My heart goes out to the adorable little girl who will forever think she is not pretty (as if that even matters) and also to the adorable little girl who will forever think she's pretty (as if that even matters).
From what I read both little girls were duped. I am one of the few people who did not watch the opening ceremony but I did catch this bit of deceit on the news. My only concern here is for the children who got the message that she is not good enough/cute enough. That's an ugly adult message for a child to suffer.
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