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China's Torchbearer Heroine
Jin Jing, a torchbearer who was attacked by a "Tibet independence" activist during the Paris leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay in early April, has received a late official greeting from the French Government.
During a visit to Shanghai on April 21, Christian Poncelet, President of the French Senate, met with Jin to hand over a letter from French President Nicholas Sarkozy. In the letter, Sarkozy expressed strong condemnation of the despicable action on the 27-year-old Paralympic fencer.
On April 7, when Jin was to begin her part of the Olympic torch run in Paris along the Seine River at 12:30 p.m. local time, several people charged her and her two companions. A man tried to snatch the torch from Jin before he was dragged away by French police. During the attack, Jin shielded the torch with her body determined not to let go of it.
"I don't think I did anything great," she said after the torch relay. "Any Chinese and Olympic torchbearers would protect the torch under such circumstances."
Jin's braveness won her fame as the "most beautiful torchbearer" among the Chinese public almost immediately.
What happened in Paris has engendered a feeling of bitterness in China, Sarkozy said in the letter. "I want to assure you that the incidents that were brought about by a few people on that sad day don't reflect the feelings of my fellow countrymen for the Chinese people," he said. The president invited Jin to visit France again in the near future.
In a telephone interview with The Beijing News after the meeting, Jin said she felt the sincerity of French leaders but said it was a pity that they did not apologize for the much-disrupted torch relay in the French capital.
Known as a "smiling angel in a wheelchair," Jin had her right leg amputated at the age of 10 after a malignant tumor was found on her ankle. She became a fencer in July 2001.
Ace Architect Says Bird's Nest Is Ready
To Li Xinggang, chief Chinese designer of China's National Stadium, the main Olympic venue in Beijing, the completion of the structure will always be his proudest moment.
On April 18 and 20, the stadium hosted its first two competitive events, a walking race and a marathon, as test runs.
The 91,000-seat stadium, which will be fully put into use by May, is architecturally sound despite some originally unexpected changes to its layout, according to Li.
The 39-year-old designer has led his colleagues from the China Architecture Design Institute to create the immense "Bird's Nest," in cooperation with the Swiss architect firm of Herzog & de Meuron Architekten. Construction of the stadium began in 2003 but was halted in July 2004 for a revamp on safety and financial concerns. Finally, a sliding roof was omitted.
"The adjustments are in fact part of the whole designing process," Li said, when asked if the late changes damaged the architectural integrity of the National Stadium.
He explained that the realization of huge construction projects depends on social, political, economic and cultural conditions, and designers are obliged to optimize their works with ingenuity.
In recognition of his contribution to the Beijing Olympic Games, Li was invited to participate as a torchbearer in the Greek leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay in March.
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