A Truly International Chinese! A Truly International Chinese

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When Yang Lan was serving as a bidding ambassador for the Olympic Games, her main task was to introduce new Beijing and its culture. Now she focuses on promoting Olympic culture in China, producing and hosting Olympic programs on TV.


Beijing 2008: You participated in Beijings two bids in 1993 and 2001. How did you feel on the evening when everyone was celebrating the one-year countdown to the 2008 Games?

Yang Lan: How time flies! I feel quite lucky that I took part in the two bids. They were important experiences in my life. Now Im more confident in introducing Beijing to the whole world.



Beijing 2008: There were two completely different scenes in 1993 and 2001, when China lost and then won the bid. What are your unforgettable memories of the two bids?

Yang Lan: It was quite shocking to me when we lost the bid in 1993 for hosting the 2000 Games. There were many misunderstandings about China in foreign countries, and we knew too little about them. Many foreigners thought that Chinas bid was only a governmental move, instead of representing a wish of Chinese people. And the government then thought misunderstandings could be cleared if many people were mobilized to express our passion. However, our communication was not effective.

The successful bid in 2001 was a national honor, and I felt extremely excited and proud. People were jubilant and cheering: nobody noticed that I made a mistake in saying a persons name when hosting the celebration party.



Beijing 2008: When you took part in the second bid, your younger daughter was only three months old, and you had to leave her at home. Have you ever told her about this?

Yang Lan: She is in primary school now. Her grandmother and I told her about this, and she laughed, Oh, I had made contribution to the Beijing Olympic Games. But I still feel sorry for her.

Now she and my other children are all interested in sports. In my spare time, I like to play tennis with them and watch cartoons such as Tennis Prince with them. I really hope that I can I can take them to see next years Games.



Beijing 2008: You were responsible for the statement on Olympism and Culture, about how China promotes Olympic culture and how Chinese culture enriches Olympism. How did you make your presentation?

Yang Lan: My statement used ideas from many experts, including He Zhenliang and PR consultant from Australia. We discussed how to express our ideas in a way that would be more easily accepted by foreign judges.

At the beginning, I wanted to talk about The Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as the introduction, because tiger and dragon are powerful creatures in China. But Mr. He and the Australian consultants disagreed, saying the two creatures were sometimes considered evil in the West. Later we used the example of cuju, a football game in ancient China.

I fell that the biggest change comes from Chinas economic development. We feel more confident and have more effective ways to communicate with foreigners.



Beijing 2008: What do you think of Beijings preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games? What are your suggestions for improvement?

Yang Lan: Ive written in my blog that the 2008 Olympic Games have gained wide support from the government and the public. I believe there will be no problems in terms of hygiene, traffic and venue construction. I hope people will pay more attention to their manners and to cultural traditions. What weve done today is not just for the Olympic Games, but more for ourselves and descendants.



Beijing 2008: In your opinion, what kind of impression will the Beijing Olympic Games leave on athletes, officials, and spectators from around the world?

Yang Lan: I think the most important things to do to leave a good impression is to have professional organization of competition, good services, and a comfortable environment in terms of infrastructure and culture.

There will be tens of thousands of overseas athletes, officials and tourists. It will be a good opportunity to introduce China to the whole world, but there are possibilities that our shortcomings will be seen. I think there will be praise and criticism, both of which we should be happy to accept. We should exhibit the real China, which will be more helpful.



Beijing 2008: You are a woman with a successful career and happy family life. How do you plan your time?

Yang Lan: Its indeed a difficult question. Recently Ive read an American book Secret, in which psychologists and writers all believe that a strong desire can become a reality. I agree. As when people have the will, they make their best efforts to realize it. Often, one tells their family members or friends about this, and they get help from them.

When one has a strong desire to do something, the second important thing is to plan the time. I ask my secretary to help schedule different sections of time for different people. For example, every day I have special periods of time for my children. I try to dine with friends and customers at lunch time. Dinner time belongs to my children and me. If meetings have to be held late, I prefer them to take place after 9 p.m, as I can accompany my children to watch cartoons and make handcrafts. I try to limit my business travel time within one week every month. I find that if wont be so difficult to manage the time if one plans well. I believe there can be a balance between life and work.

FROM: http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

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What's this? An excerpt from an interview posted to gain credits? If this style is allowed, huh, I will scour the web for similar aim.