OPINION: TESLA DRIVES INTO XINJIANG P.33 | FEATURES: COVID-19 CONTROL PLAYBOOK P.

36

VOL.65 NO.3 JANUARY 20, 2022 WWW.BJREVIEW.COM

THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT

Beijing 2022: faster, higher, stronger—together

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CONTENTS
EDITOR’S DESK 24 Will the Snub Matter? FEATURES
02 Spotlight on Beijing Different nationalities discuss the essence 36 Never Lowering the Guard
 of the Olympics COVID-19 control program must consider local
THIS WEEK  needs and livelihoods
COVER STORY OPINION 38 A Badge of Honor
26 The Free Trade Deal of a Lifetime Olympic plaques see culture and sportsmanship
12 The Fast and Furious
RCEP fuels pursuit of regional come full circle
Athletes get into the swing
economic integration 40 Hitting the Right Notes
of things
28 Stay Prepared for Global Supply The story of an American actress and singer in
16 Dancing on Ice
Twizzling to the Olympic Chain Reshaping China’s capital
rhythm, this skating duo is ready Technological revolution and pandemic
to rock impact fast-track restructuring CULTURE
18 Scorching the Ice 32 Righting the Ship 44 Styled After Culture
$KRW0H[LFDQWDOHQWLQÀJXUH As it restores order, Kazakhstan puts The Beijing 2022 visual identity bears palettes
skating GHYHORSPHQWÀUVW of the past
20 On the Home Stretch 33 The Face of Forced Labor: a 46 A Spring in Their Step
En route to Beijing, preparation Business Force Lost? Capital Museum exhibition channels
is prologue When geopolitical coercion meets seasonal connotations
22 All Systems Go commercial confusion
The Winter Games’ closed-loop 34 Missing the Plot EXPAT’S EYE
system proves state of the art It is the social duty of the worldwide 48 Nailing the Test of Time
press to convey objectivity The ancient imperial nails have it: glitz, glam
 and guards
Cover Photo: VCG

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EDITOR’S DESK
A News Weekly Magazine Spotlight on Beijing
Published Since 1958
President: Li Yafang
Following more than six years of prepa- using only clean energy such as wind
Editor in Chief: Li Jianguo rations, the Olympic and Paralympic and solar power to ensure that all venues
Associate President: Yan Ying
Associate Editor in Chief: Liu Yunyun Winter Games Beijing 2022 are ready will achieve 100-percent green energy
Executive Editor: Yan Wei for action. Scheduled to take place from supply.
Associate Executive Editor: Ding Ying
Production Director: Yao Bin
February 4 to 20, the Olympic Winter The Winter Olympic Village will
Executive Assistant: Li Fangfang Games will feature 109 events across start welcoming athletes on January 27.
Editors: Wang Hairong, Li Nan
Researcher: Lan Xinzhen seven categories: biathlon, bobsleigh, The village will be serving up 200 dishes
Editorial Consultant: Elsbeth van Paridon
Reporters: Ji Jing, Li Qing, Li Xiaoyang, Liang Xiao, Lu Yan, curling, ice hockey, luge, ice skating and every day, taking into account ethnic,
Ma Miaomiao, Pan Xiaoqiao, Tang Yuankai, Tao Xing, Tao Zihui, skiing.
Wang Jun, Wen Qing, Yuan Yuan, Zhang Shasha religious and dietary diversity.
Visual Director: Pamela Tobey To deliver a simple, safe and splendid The enduring COVID-19 pan-
Photo Editor: Wang Xiang
Photographer: Wei Yao edition with a green, inclusive, open and demic poses a major challenge to the
Art: Li Shigong
clean approach, the Olympic facilities
Design Director: Wang Yajuan Olympic safety. Upon arrival in Beijing,
Chief Designer: Cui Xiaodong employ numerous advanced technolo-
Designer: Zhao Boyu participants will enter a closed-loop man-
Proofreader: Ma Xin gies.
agement system so that precise epidemic
Editorial Administrator: Zeng Wenhui For instance, more than 700
Planning Director: Xu Bei prevention measures can guarantee the
Director of Digital Media: Yu Shujun hydrogen fuel cell buses will be deployed
Director of Strategic Research: Zan Jifang wellbeing and safety of all. This system
in Yanqing and Zhangjiakou to provide
Administration: Lu Ling covers all Olympic venues, including ar-
International Cooperation: Sun Xuan
transportation. Hydrogen, which emits
rival and departure areas, transportation,
Legal Counsel: Yue Cheng no carbon dioxide when burned,
North America Bureau (New York City) will also be used to fuel the torch for accommodation, catering, competitions
Chief: Yu Shujun as well as opening and closing ceremo-
Executive Assistant: Zhao Wei selected legs of the relay. Biodegradable
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tableware produced from renewable nies. People involved in the Games will
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Tel: 52-55-55127271 straw will replace plastic products during brought into a closed loop for training,
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E-mail: chinahoymx@gmail.com the Games. events and work.
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2 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022 http://www.bjreview.com

 THIS WEEK
XINHUA

TAKING CENTER STAGE

Chinese artists perform at the opening ceremony of the National Day of China Pavilion during the Expo 2020 Dubai in the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) on January 10.
7KHSDYLOLRQVKRZFDVHV&KLQD·VFXOWXUDOHOHPHQWVDQGFXWWLQJHGJHWHFKQRORJ\WRYLVLWRUVWRWKHÀUVW:RUOG([SRVHWLQWKH
Middle East, which runs from October 2021 to March 2022.
The UAE is China’s second largest trading partner in the Middle East. The pavilion is hailed as a platform to advance
bilateral ties. It also gives center stage to a futuristic vision for the better life of humanity.

http://www.bjreview.com JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 3

THIS WEEK SOCIETY
In Good Feather
$NCEMPGEMGFETCPGUHTQNKEQPC³GNFKP.JWP\JWD%QWPV[QH.JCUC6KDGV#WVQPQOQWU4GIKQPQP
January 8. The population of black-necked cranes is estimated to have reached nearly 10,000 in Tibet,
according to the regional Department of Ecology and Environment.
Aquatic Plant
Diversity
China has published an English
language edition of Aquatic
Plants of China , a book record-
ing 885 species of freshwater
and marine plants in China,
Xinhua News Agency reported
on January 10.
While China’s diversity of
aquatic plants is among the high-
est on earth, botanists around the
world know little about it, owing
largely to the language barrier.
This new edition, compiled by
the Wuhan Botanical Garden,
4 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
under the Chinese Academy of
Sciences, covers all 240 genera
of China’s freshwater and marine
plant species. The book records
the distribution and habitat of
each of the plants, as well as the
latest research results and new
ENCUUK³ECVKQPU+VCNUQEQPVCKPU
843 color pictures of the plants,
VJGKT´QYGTUCPFHTWKVUCUYGNN
as their habitats. The researchers
EQPFWEVGFGZVGPUKXG³GNFKPXGUVK-
gation, specimen collection and
KFGPVK³ECVKQPVJTQWIJQWVVJG
country in order to produce
the book, which is expected to
enhance the understanding of
XINHUA
China’s aquatic plant diversity at
home and abroad.
Police Day
China has released a list of 20
outstanding grassroots police
QH³EGTUCPFPQOKPCVGFQVJGTU
for awards as part of celebra-
tions to mark the second annual
Chinese People’s Police Day on
January 10.
6JGNKUVQHQH³EGTUCNQPI
with their stories was released
by the Publicity Department of
the Communist Party of China
Central Committee and the
Ministry of Public Security.
Some of the awardees work
in police stations, some serve as
criminal investigators and detec-
tives, cyber police, border police,
QTVTCH³ECPFTCKNYC[RQNKEGCPF
some have participated in United
Nations peacekeeping missions.
“They have maintained
the nation’s security and social
stability with hard work and
UCETK³EGCPFUQOGJCXGTKUMGF
or lost their lives while carrying
out their duties. They are the best
representatives of the Chinese
People’s Police,” said a statement
released by the authorities.
The Chinese People’s Police
Day was established in 2020 in
recognition of the extraordinary
YQTMQH%JKPC«URQNKEG+VUFCVG
was chosen to correspond with
China’s national emergency
hotline number 110.
Water Quality
The water quality of Baiyangdian
Lake, the biggest fresh water lake
KPPQTVJGTP%JKPCUKIPK³ECPVN[
improved in 2021, according to
the Department of Ecology and
Environment in Hebei Province,
where the lake is located.
Surface water quality in
%JKPCKUFKXKFGFKPVQ³XGENCUUGU
YKVJ%NCUU+DGKPIVJGJKIJGUV
SWCNKV[+PVJGQXGTCNNYCVGT
quality of Baiyangdian Lake was
WRITCFGFVQ%NCUU+++ IQQF
SWCNKV[ HTQO%NCUU+8
The lake’s water quality is
currently better than at any time
since testing began in 1988. The
lake had been completely dry
between 1983 and 1987.
Prior to 2019, the lake’s water
JCFNQPIDGGPITCFGFCU%NCUU8
for its poor water quality.
Last year, the lake’s major
pollutants showed a sharp de-
crease and its total phosphates
dropped 30.4 percent year on
year.
+P#RTKN%JKPCCP-
nounced the establishment of
http://www.bjreview.com

the Xiongan New Area, which
is about 100 km southwest of
Beijing and spans three counties
KP*GDGK2TQXKPEG+ORTQXGOGPV
of the lake’s ecology began to
accelerate after development of
the New Area began.
Life Expectancy
China’s average life expectancy
is expected to reach 78.3 years
in 2025, up from 77.3 years in
2019, according to the country’s
VJ(KXG;GCT2NCP  HQT
Public Service.
The total number of beds
in aged care facilities will reach
10 million in 2025, according to
the plan, which was issued on
January 10 by 21 government
departments, including the
National Development and
4GHQTO%QOOKUUKQP
+PRGTEGPVQH
newly built urban areas and
residential communities will
have supporting facilities for
the elderly and the coverage of
basic pension plans will reach 95
percent, the plan read. The area
covered by local sporting facili-
ties will also increase, reaching
2.6 square meters per capita in
2025.
According to a white paper
released in August 2021 by the
5VCVG%QWPEKN+PHQTOCVKQP1H³EG
China’s average life expectancy
http://www.bjreview.com
rose from 67.8 years in 1981 to
77.3 years in 2019.
Coal Mining Safety
Workplace safety in China’s
mining industry continued to
improve in 2021, with the number
of accidents and casualties
dropping from the previous year,
Xinhua News Agency reported
QP,CPWCT[EKVKPIQH³EKCNFCVC
The number of coal mining
accidents and casualties declined
15.8 percent and 13.9 percent
year on year, respectively, data
from the National Mine Safety
Administration showed.
The average death rate for
producing 1 million tons of coal
fell by 24 percent from 2020, and
no major gas explosions have
been reported in the last two years.
Noting the positive momen-
tum achieved in coal mine safety
last year, the administration
said that the country still faces
risks and challenges including
intensive mining, and called
for striking a balance between
development and safety.
Subsidized Housing
%JKPCYKNNDWKNFOQTGUWDUKFK\GF
rental homes and renovate old
residential communities in the
next few years to ensure housing
for those in need, according
to the Ministry of Housing and
XINHUA
THIS WEEK
XINHUA
Closer Connections
A singer from the Yi ethnic group performs on the D843 Fuxing
bullet train, in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province,
on January 10. The Fuxing high-speed Electric Multiple Unit train
YCUOCMKPIKVU³TUVLQWTPG[HTQO:KEJCPI%KV[KPVJGRTGHGEVWTGVQ
Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province. The remote Daliang Mountain,
where Xichang is located, is one of China’s most recent areas to have
shaken off extreme poverty.
7TDCP4WTCN&GXGNQROGPV end of 2000 in urban areas will
During the 14th Five- be renovated by 2025 to afford
;GCT2NCP  RGTKQF more comfort to residents, said
China plans to add 6.5 million Pan.
IQXGTPOGPVUWDUKFK\GFTGPVCN The ministry also announced
homes in 40 key cities to help plans to repair structurally un-
an estimated 13 million people in sound rural homes or upgrade
need of affordable housing, Pan those in earthquake-prone rural
9GKCPQH³EKCNYKVJVJGOKPKUVT[ areas, while the housing provi-
said at a press conference on dent fund, a compulsory savings
January 11. plan to help Chinese employees
Around 219,000 old residen- afford homes, is expected to cov-
tial communities built before the er more people in the workforce.
Warm Celebrations
#XQNWPVGGT ³TUVTKIJV OCMGUFWORNKPIUVQIGVJGTYKVJOKITCPV
YQTMGTUKP.KP«CP&KUVTKEV*CPI\JQWECRKVCNQH<JGLKCPI2TQXKPEG
on January 11. A series of activities for migrant workers took place
in the district as the Spring Festival draws near.
JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 5
THIS WEEK ECONOMY
Digital Progress
Core digital economy industries
are expected to account for 10
percent of China’s GDP in 2025,
up from 7.8 percent in 2020,
according to a plan unveiled by
the State Council on January 12.
By 2025, the country will
see the digital transformation
of industries reach a new level,
digital public services become
more inclusive, and the digital
economy governance system
improve noticeably, as per the
document.
+VFGVCKNUMG[VCUMUKPGKIJV
CTGCUKPENWFKPIQRVKOK\KPICPF
upgrading digital infrastructure,
pushing forward the digital shift
of enterprises, and expanding
international cooperation on the
digital economy.
China will strengthen its
support of 6G research and
development, enhance innova-
VKQPKPUVTCVGIKE³GNFUUWEJCU
KPVGITCVGFEKTEWKVUCPFCTVK³EKCN
intelligence, and facilitate the
NUMBERS
($1=6.37 yuan)
China’s Producer Price Index Growth
(%)
14
12
Year on year
10
8 6.8
6 1.0
4.4
4 0.4
1.7 1.6
2 1.1 1.0 0.9
0 0.8
0.3
-2 -0.4
Month on month
-4
DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
2020 2021
6 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
development of new business
modes, the plan said.
The country will also explore
the establishment of regulations
KPVJG³GNFUQHETQUUDQTFGT
FCVC´QYUOCTMGVCEEGUUCPVK
monopoly, the digital yuan and
privacy protection in the digital
era, drawing on international
rules and experience.
1HZ(QHUJ\ó&DUV
The number of new-energy cars
registered in China reached 7.84
million in 2021, up more than 59
percent year on year, according
to data from the Ministry of
2WDNKE5GEWTKV[ /25 TGNGCUGF
on January 11.
6JG³IWTGTGRTGUGPVU
percent of total car ownership
in the country, the ministry said,
adding that the number of newly
registered new-energy cars
increased rapidly over the past
³XG[GCTU
A total of 2.99 million new-
energy cars were sold last year,
13.5
12.9
10.7
9.0 8.8 9.0 9.5
10.3
2.5
1.6
1.2
0.3 0.5 0.7 0 0.2
-1.2
up 169.1 percent year on year, the
China Passenger Car Association
said.
Data from the MPS also
showed that 36.74 million motor
vehicles were registered nation-
wide last year, bringing the total
ownership to 395 million, includ-
ing 302 million cars.
The number of cities with
more than 1 million registered
cars had reached 79 by the
end of last year, with Beijing,
Chengdu and Chongqing having
crossed the 5-million threshold,
according to the ministry.
Steel Output
Nationwide steel output declined
in 2021 amid China’s endeavors
to achieve carbon peaking and
PGWVTCNKV[IQCNUVJG%JKPC+TQP
and Steel Association said on
January 10.
The country produced an
estimated 1.03 billion tons of
steel last year, down 35 million
tons from 2020.
China’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) Growth
(%)
4
3 Year on year
2 1.5
1.3
0.9
1 0.7 0.6
0
-0.3 -0.2 -0.5 -0.3 -0.2 -0.4
-1
Month on month
-2
DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
2020 2021
+PVJG³TUVOQPVJUQH
steel production reached 946 mil-
lion tons, decreasing 2.6 percent
year on year. The steel and iron in-
FWUVT[«UEQODKPGFRTQ³VUUWTIGF
86.46 percent year on year to
DKNNKQP[WCP DKNNKQP 
during the period as rising costs
and demand pushed up prices.
The industry has accelerated
green and low-carbon trans-
formation, with considerable
reduction in energy consump-
tion and sulfur dioxide emissions
per ton of steel produced, the
association said.
This year, as investment in
the real estate sector is expected
to slow down while infrastructure
investment picks up, total steel
FGOCPFKUNKMGN[VQTGOCKP´CV
from 2021, according to the
association.
Inclusive Loans
The outstanding inclusive
loans to small and micro busi-
nesses totaled 18.7 trillion yuan
2.3
1.5
1.1 1.0
0.8 0.7
0.7
0.3 0.4
0.1 0
-0.3
http://www.bjreview.com
http://www.bjreview.com

VTKNNKQP CVVJGGPFQH
November 2021, up 24.1 percent
year on year, according to the
%JKPC$CPMKPICPF+PUWTCPEG
4GIWNCVQT[%QOOKUUKQP
1XGTVJG,CPWCT[0QXGODGT
span last year, new loans hit 19.2
VTKNNKQP[WCP VTKNNKQP YKVJC
focus on manufacturing and
infrastructure construction.
China will take market-ori-
ented approaches to strengthen
³PCPEKCNUWRRQTVHQTOKETQUOCNN
CPFOGFKWOUK\GFGPVGTRTKUGU
according to a State Council
executive meeting in December
2021.
PPP Railway
%JKPC«U³TUVJKIJURGGFTCKNYC[
controlled by private capital
YGPVKPVQQRGTCVKQPKP<JGLKCPI
Province on January 8.
6JG*CPI\JQW5JCQZKPI
6CK\JQWKPVGTEKV[NKPGKUCOQPI
%JKPC«U³TUVITQWRQHJKIJURGGF
railway projects funded by a
RWDNKERTKXCVGRCTVPGTUJKR 222 
-0.1
Clothes
Housing
Articles and services of daily use
Transport and telecommunication
Education, culture
and entertainment
Healthcare
-0.5
-1.0
http://www.bjreview.com
with the private sector having a
holding status.
With a total investment of
PGCTN[DKNNKQP[WCP DKN-
lion), the 266.9-km railroad was
designed with eight stops and to
facilitate speeds of up to 350 km
per hour.
+VUEQPUVTWEVKQPDGICPKP
2017, with track-laying work
completed in June 2021.
Beijing Consumption
Beijing’s retail sales of consumer
goods in 2021 rebounded to pre-
%18+&NGXGNUCNQECNQH³EKCN
said on January 7.
1XGTCNNXQNWOGYCUGZRGEVGF
VQTGCEJVTKNNKQP[WCP 
billion), according to Guo Wenjie,
Deputy Director of the Beijing
Municipal Commerce Bureau.
From January to November
last year, total consumption and
services-related spending in the
city increased 13.1 percent and 15.5
percent year on year, respectively.
Beijing aims to transform itself
China’s CPI Growth by Type
December, 2021 (% y.o.y.)
Food
0.6
1.6
0.8
0.7
Others
0 1.0 2.0
into an international consumption
JWDYKVJINQDCNKP´WGPEGCPF
competitiveness, and a global
reputation by 2025, Guo said.
Bank Health
Chinese commercial banks
posted a declining bad loan ratio
at the end of November 2021,
QH³EKCNFCVCUJQYGF
The non-performing loan
TCVKQQH³PCPEKCNKPUVKVWVKQPUKP
the banking sector stood at 1.89
percent, down 0.04 percent-
age point from the beginning
of last year, according to the
%JKPC$CPMKPICPF+PUWTCPEG
4GIWNCVQT[%QOOKUUKQP %$+4% 
Their provision coverage in-
creased 10 percentage points to
192.9 percent.
Key risk indicators of the
banking sector remained within
VJGTGCUQPCDNGTCPIGVJG%$+4%
said.
Domestic assets of Chinese
banks totaled 335.2 trillion
[WCP VTKNNKQP D[NCUV
3.1
3.0 4.0
THIS WEEK
November, up 7.6 percent year
on year, while their liabilities
increased 7.4 percent to 306.2
VTKNNKQP[WCP VTKNNKQP 
The risk in the insurance
sector was under control as the
average comprehensive solvency
ratio of 179 insurers came in at
240 percent at the end of the
third quarter of 2021, according
VQVJG%$+4%FCVC
Tesla Output
Deliveries at Tesla’s Shanghai
Gigafactory stood at 484,130
vehicles in 2021, an increase
of 235 percent from 2020, the
U.S. electric carmaker said on
January 11.
Last year, over 160,000 of
made-in-China Tesla cars were
exported to over 10 countries
and regions in Europe and Asia.
6JGNQECNK\CVKQPTCVGKPVJG
Shanghai plant reached 90 per-
cent, with 92 percent of battery
metal parts capable of being
recycled.
5.0
5.0 6.0
(Source: National Bureau of Statistics)
JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 7
THIS WEEK WORLD
XINHUA
BELGIUM
A child looks at a lantern
installation at an activity inside
the Antwerp Zoo on January 12.
There are 130 exhibits jointly
created by Chinese and
international artists on display
XINHUA
8 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
BRITAIN
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (center)
is seen on a screen as he attended the
weekly parliamentary question-and-answer
session in London on January 12, where he
apologized for attending a Downing Street
JDUGHQSDUW\GXULQJWKHFRXQWU\oVĶUVW
lockdown in 2020
XINHUA
NICARAGUA
President Daniel Ortega waves to the crowd at
the swearing-in ceremony in Managua
on January 10
http://www.bjreview.com
 THIS WEEK

¼
UNITED STATES
A woman inside a shopping center in New Orleans,
Louisiana, on January 11. The city reinstated its indoor
mask mandate starting on January 12, in response to
mounting COVID-19 infections
XINHUA

XINHUA

XINHUA

¼
PAKISTAN
Soldiers carry out rescue work
in the northwestern resort
of Murree on January 8, after
heavy snowfall hit the area.
Thirty-two people died in the
freezing temperatures

GREECE
Staff arrange a fragment
from the marble frieze
of the Parthenon at the Acropolis
Museum in Athens
on January 10, after it was
returned by Italy following
an eight-year loan

http://www.bjreview.com JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 9

THIS WEEK PEOPLE & POINTS
¾ NEW TIBET REGIONAL CHAIRMAN ELECTED
Yan Jinhai, former acting chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Government, was
appointed the region’s chairman at the Fifth Session of the region’s 11th people’s congress
on January 7.
An ethnic Tibetan, Yan was born in 1962 in Qinghai Province. Following his gradu-
ation from Qinghai Minzu University with a bachelor’s degree in Chinese language and
literature in 1982, he has been working in Qinghai for almost four decades, in schools, edu-
cational institutions, government departments, and as deputy head of
Qinghai.
In January 2021, he was appointed secretary of the Communist
Party of China Lhasa Municipal Committee. In October that same
year, during a conference of the standing committee of the region’s
11th people’s congress in Lhasa, Yan was chosen to become the
region’s vice-chairman and acting chairman.

A Career Calling The past two decades have seen a surge in

Yancheng Evening News
January 10
A recent survey on average college graduate
income by Peking University shows that the
higher the college degree, the higher the start-
ing salary. A vocational degree brings in about
2,000 yuan ($314) less than an undergraduate
degree and 6,000 yuan ($943) less than a mas-
ter’s. Income divergencies may help explain
why vocational education remains unpopular,
despite its promising employment outlook.
The income gap reflects how employers
generally still overemphasize higher degrees.
college graduate numbers, providing a much
bigger talent pool for companies to tap into.
As a result, many keep raising the threshold
for staff recruitment: Jobs perfectly suited for
junior undergraduates often require a post-
graduate level.
Transforming China into a big manu-
Happiest Cities in China
facturing power cannot be done without the
Oriental Outlook
benefits of vocational education. It’s important January 6
to moderate the desire for high gradations by The newly announced list of China’s
weakening the link between degree and salary Happiest Cities reveals a common denomi-
and strengthening that between personal capa- nator: resident happiness closely links to the
bility and income. quality of urban development. Cities are not

ó´$PLGóWKHóSURORQJHGó&29,'ó “I encourage the Greater Bay Area to

pandemic and tortuous process of take an interest in the fair
economic recovery, we need to transition for China, because
cooperate more closely Guangdong [Province] for sure will
than ever before.” benefit fantastically from
Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, the green shift.”
GXULQJóKLVóYLVLWóWRó&RORPERó6ULó/DQNDóRQó-DQXDU\ó Erik Solheim, former executive director of the United
Nations Environment Program, at the Greater Bay Area
Development Forum (Guangzhou) & Vision China
RQó-DQXDU\ó

10 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022 http://www.bjreview.com


mere concrete constructions or mechanic
combinations made up of social re-
sources, but an organic and complicated
ecological system.
Though economic growth is indeed a
precondition for a happy urban existence,
material wealth will not necessarily sat-
isfy residential demands across the board.
The listed cities offer up some successful
examples for others to follow.
These cities, big and small alike, all
focus on different industries and enjoy
different statuses on the country’s eco-
nomic map; all are trying their best to
make their surroundings more sustainable
and comfortable to live in. They harbor
good working and business environments
so that people dare dream of an even bet-
ter life in the future, supported by a strong
social safety net. Another pro is that their
ever-improving public services make life
more convenient with every step along the
way.
Prospects hold that everyone enjoys
good health and steady income. Of course,
this bright picture does require every urban
dweller to make their own contribution to
their city’s construction.
“Domestic consumption is expected
to maintain sustained growth in
óZLWKóDó\HDURQ\HDUóQRPLQDOó
growth rate of 5.4 percent to 7
percent, which will still be the main
driving force for economic growth.”
Bao Qin, Assistant Director of the Center for Forecasting
Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, at a recent
news conference in Beijing
http://www.bjreview.com
THIS WEEK
All in The Family from depression. Family education makes
Guangming Daily up the foundation of the modern education
January 9 system. If parents, for whatever reason, are
To urge parents to take due responsibility unable to provide emotional support and a
for their children, a law to promote family harmonious environment for their offspring’s
education recently went into effect. The law development, this will entail a series of nega-
stipulates that parents, or appointed guardians, tive consequences. They are thus obligated to
of minors should organize their kids’ schedules learn how to properly nurture their children.
so that they incorporate study, recreation and Another positive aspect of the new law is
physical exercise. that families mired in difficulty will start re-
The longstanding neglect of family edu- ceiving regular support from the government,
cation has come at a high cost, such as an school and society by large. This in turn will
increasing drop in the age of minor offenders help them create a better atmosphere for their
and a rising proportion of children suffering children’s healthy progress.
¾ MOTHER OF STUDENT KILLED IN JAPAN WINS LAWSUIT
Jiang Qiulian, the mother of a Chinese student named Jiang Ge murdered in Japan in
November 2016, won a lawsuit against her daughter’s former roommate Liu Xin on
January 10, as the court ruled that Liu should bear all responsibility for intentionally locking
the victim outside the apartment, leaving the latter to be stabbed to death by Liu’s stalker ex-
boyfriend .
The roommate, who changed her name to Liu Nuanxi after the tragedy, was ordered
by a court in Qingdao, Shandong Province, “to compensate the plaintiff
Jiang Qiulian a total of 696,000 yuan ($109,341), for financial losses
and emotional suffering.”
The court said that Liu should bear the corresponding civil liability
of compensation for her obvious fault of failing to inform Jiang Ge of
the danger her ex-boyfriend posed and locking her outside of the apart-
ment when facing the threat of death.
“We need to show the past relations
between the two countries to the new
generation to deepen bilateral relations
so that both countries can use their
potentials in different fields.”
Ramezanali Sobhanifar, Iran’s Deputy Minister of
&RPPXQLFDWLRQóDQGó,QIRUPDWLRQó7HFKQRORJ\óRQóWKHó&KLQD,UDQó
UHODWLRQVKLSóRQó-DQXDU\ó
JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 11
 COVER STORY

THE FAST AND

FURIOUS
Chinese athletes ready to give it their all at the Beijing 2022 Games
By Wang Hairong
12 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022 http://www.bjreview.com
 Olympic gold medalist Wu Dajing
FRPSHWHVGXULQJWKHĶQDORIPHQoV
500-meter race at the International
Skating Union World Cup Short Track
Speed Skating series in Dordrecht, the
Netherlands, on November 27, 2021

in the final leg in the Dutch city of

Dordrecht last November. “There
are a lot of tough competitors for
VXUHEXWWKHRQH,QHHGWREHDWÀUVW
is myself,” he said, while talking to
the media about the Beijing 2022
Games. “I will approach training at
my own pace in the final month to
bring out the best in me.”

Excellence must be
pursued
In recent months, Chinese athletes
have competed fiercely, either in-
ternationally or with their fellow
teammates, for places in the 2022
Games, which will feature 109
medal events across 15 disciplines of
seven sports. According to Olympic
TXDOLÀFDWLRQFULWHULD7HDP&KLQDLV
automatically eligible to compete in
HYHQWVZKHUHDVWKHTXDOLÀFDWLRQ
for the remaining 48 is determined
by points or rankings earned in in-
ternational competitions. Even in
events for which China has automat-
XINHUA

ic qualification, the participants are

W
ith only weeks to go till the
opening of the Olympic
and Paralympic Winter
Games Beijing 2022 on
February 4, short track speed
skating veteran Wu Dajing is getting ready to defend
his title in the men’s 500-meter event. Four years
ago in Pyeongchang, the Republic of Korea, Wu
not only took home gold in the event, but also re-
wrote the world record twice in the process. He is the
first Chinese man to win an Olympic speed skating
championship.
http://www.bjreview.com
In short track competitions, skat-
ers jockey for position at speeds up
to 50 km per hour. A split second
can make a big difference to the
outcome, placing athletes under
intense pressure. Wu’s perfor-
mance wavered during this season’s
International Skating Union (ISU)
World Cup short track speed skating
series. Nevertheless, after suffer-
ing setbacks in the first three legs,
KHFRQTXHUHGWKHÀHOGWRÀQLVKÀUVW
selected through grueling processes.
“Currently, 480 Chinese athletes
are training hard for the upcom-
ing Games,” Li Yingchuan, deputy
head of the General Administration
of Sport of China (GASC), said at
a press conference on October 27,
2021. At the time Beijing won the
bid to host the Games in 2015, China
had no experience at all in a third of
the 109 Winter Olympic events. Li
said it has been only through very
hard work that China has managed ʈʈ
JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 13
to make up for the shortfall in ath-
letes, coaches and training facilities
in order to build teams and train par-
ticipants for every event.
While competing on the
international stage for Olympic qual-
LÀFDWLRQVRPH&KLQHVHDWKOHWHVKDYH
delivered dazzling performances.
Wu’s teammate, 24-year-old
Ren Ziwei, has emerged as a strong
gold medal hopeful. During the four
legs of this season’s ISU World Cup
series, he claimed three gold med-
als, one in the 1,000-meter event and
Winter sports enthusiasts at a skiing resort in Qujing, Yunnan Province,
on January 11
14 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
two in the 1,500-meter competition.
China is particularly strong in
short track speed skating, with the
discipline contributing 10 of the 13
Winter Olympic gold medals the
country had won. The Chinese team
has clinched at least one gold medal
in this discipline at every Olympics
since the 2002 Games in Salt Lake
City, the U.S. China’s other three
Winter Olympic golds were earned
in freestyle skiing (2006), figure
skating (2010) and speed skating
(2014).
XINHUA
At both the Olympic Winter Games and in ISU
competitions, long track speed skating is simply
referred to as speed skating. Differing from the
short track discipline, it features a much larger ice rink
and has fewer athletes in each race. Additionally, a
long track event offers separate lanes for every skater,
whereas in a short track race, skaters jostle with each
other to get ahead. Chinese athletes Ning Zhongyan
and Gao Tingyu both performed well in the recent ISU
speed skating World Cup series, with Ning bringing
home two gold and two silver medals from the men’s
1,000-meter and 1,500-meter events, and Gao one
gold and one silver in the men’s 500-meter sprint.
Other stars expected to shine at the 2022 Games
include freestyle skier Gu Ailing (Eileen Gu), snow-
ERDUGELJDLUULGHU6X<LPLQJDVZHOODVÀJXUHVNDWLQJ
pair Sui Wenjing and Han Cong. During last year’s
International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup com-
petitions, Gu not only won titles in the freeski big air
events, but also grabbed the top spot in all four of the
season’s halfpipe competitions.
Start to sprint
China has a relatively short history in Olympic winter
sports. After resuming its seat on the International
2O\PSLF&RPPLWWHHLQ&KLQDIRUWKHÀUVWWLPH
sent a delegation to participate in the 1980 Olympic
Winter Games at Lake Placid, New York, the U.S.
But it was not until 1992 that the country won its
ÀUVWPHGDO7KHÀUVWJROGFDPHLQLQ6DOW/DNH
City, claimed by short track skater Yang Yang. China
has since participated in 11 Winter Olympic Games,
winning 62 medals. The highest position it has so far
attained on any medal tally of these Games is seventh,
UHDFKHGZLWKWKHKHOSRIÀYHJROGWZRVLOYHUDQGIRXU
bronze medals in Vancouver, Canada, in 2010. At the
most recent Pyeongchang Games, Team China ranked
16th with one gold, six silvers and two bronzes.
With the exception of northeastern provinces and
some northern areas, most regions of China are ei-
ther too warm or too arid for ice and snow activities.
Their embrace of winter sports started just in recent
\HDUVZLWKPRUHDQGPRUHDUWLÀFLDOWUDLQLQJIDFLOLWLHV
popping up.
Currently, most Chinese Winter Olympians hail
from Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces in the northeast.
In particular, six of China’s 13 Winter Olympic gold
medals have been won by athletes from Qitaihe in east
+HLORQJMLDQJLQFOXGLQJÀUVWJROGPHGDOLVW<DQJDQG
four-time champion Wang Meng. Their stories have
been widely reported, bringing the otherwise obscure
http://www.bjreview.com

city the recognition of winter sports enthusiasts.
After a large coal mine was opened there in 1958,
Qitaihe grew quickly, becoming a city about a decade
later, and now is home to approximately 680,000 resi-
dents.
One of those who flocked there to work in the
mine was Meng Qingyu. In 1968, Meng moved to
Qitaihe from the provincial capital of Harbin, bringing
with him a pair of skates. Each winter, he volunteered
to maintain the outdoor ice rink of a middle school in
order to have the chance to skate on it.
In 1972, Meng, then 21, won several titles in a lo-
cal skating competition, and was thereafter recruited
as a coach by the municipal sports authority, tasked
with selecting and training junior skaters. Dozens of
children were chosen from the sons and daughters of
miners and farmers. Meng trained them on natural ice
in winter but, in warmer seasons, as there was no in-
door rink in the city, he took them to train at a gym in
the provincial capital, where they squeezed into rented
apartments.
In the late 1980s, he learned about short track
speed skating and began training team members to
compete in it. Many of the skaters later made it onto
the podium at domestic and international competi-
tions, including Yang and Wang. Meng passed away
in 2006. Nevertheless, some of his students have be-
come coaches with a large following.
Now, known as the cradle of Winter Olympic
champions, Qitaihe has indoor ice rinks and schools
specializing in training speed skaters. Short track
speed skater Fan Kexin, runner-up in the women’s
1,000-meter at the Sochi Games in Russia in 2014,
and other Team China members from the city are
gearing up for the Beijing 2022 Games.
New frontiers
Since Beijing’s Winter Olympic bid win, China has
rolled out a number of measures to build its strength
in winter sports. GASC Minister Gou Zhongwen said
through large-scale recruitment activities, some 4,000
people from approximately 20,000 candidates were
selected for the Team China training camp. They
included not only winter sports athletes, but also hope-
fuls in other sports, students from schools of martial
arts and dance, and even acrobats—all of whom dis-
played an aptitude for their chosen winter sport.
Additionally, whereas winter sports athletes had
previously been based predominantly in the north-
eastern provinces, the GASC has helped other regions
create their own teams, including Guangdong Province
http://www.bjreview.com
Winter Olympic
ympic champions Yang Yang, Wang Meng, Han Xiaopeng and Wu
Dajing (right to left) in a parade celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding
of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing on October 1, 2019
and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous
Region in the tropical south.
Learning from other countries
has also played a part in China’s
efforts to fortify its winter sports
capacity. According to Gou, China
is cooperating with 15 coun-
tries, including Norway, Austria,
Switzerland, Sweden and Finland,
on training and coaching programs.
“Chinese athletes receive training
in those countries, and they also
have coaches coming to China,”
Gou said in March 2019. “There are
more than 80 foreign winter sports
coaches teaching in China, which
has never before been seen.”
Other measures include the use
of cutting-edge equipment to simu-
late training on real ice and snow
ZKHQQRQHLVDYDLODEOHDQGEHHÀQJ
up policies that support the wide-
spread development of winter sports.
Such policies aim to engage 300
million people across the country
in winter sports, and the goal was
reached in 2021.
In 2016, the GASC released a
plan to increase nationwide ice and
snow sports facilities in the lead-
up to 2022. Since then, the number
XINHUA
has grown from approximately 200
ice sport venues and 500 snow sport
venues at the end of 2015, to 1,187
and 701 at the end of 2020, respec-
tively, according to the GASC.
Through these efforts, nascent
winter sports teams are making
steady progress. The national Nordic
biathlon team, established in 2018,
comprises six members. Zhao
Jiawen from Shanxi Province is one
of them. The 20-year-old had been
trained in cross-country skiing from
the age of 12 before switching to
Nordic biathlon, which combines
cross-country skiing and shooting.
In November 2021, Zhao finished
22nd at the FIS Nordic Combined
Continental Cup in Nizhny Tagil,
5XVVLDWKXVEHFRPLQJWKHÀUVWDWK-
lete from China to qualify for the
Beijing 2022 Games.
Zhao ushered in 2022 at a train-
ing base in Hebei Province. “I look
forward to demonstrating my best at
the upcoming Games,” he told visit-
ing reporters. BR
Copyedited by G.P. Wilson
Comments to wanghairong@cicgamericas.com
JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 15

DANCING ON ICE
The time to shine is coming for athletes chasing their Olympic dreams
By Yuan Yuan
B
ridge Over Troubled Water
is clearly the favorite
song of Sui Wenjing and
Han Cong, China’s leading figure
skating duo. The first time they
used it in competition was during
the 2017 World Figure Skating
Championships in Helsinki,
Finland. Even with a flawed land-
ing by Sui, the pair still won gold
there, thanks to their standout over-
all performance.
“We chose this music in 2017 as
we love the theme; it described our
situation at that moment,” Sui said.
They chose the song again during
WKHTXDOLÀFDWLRQHYHQWVIRUWKH%HLMLQJ
Olympic Winter Games. These events
began in October last year and were
held successively in Beijing, Canada
and Italy. With the same song but a
new choreography, the pair came in
ÀUVWLQDOOTXDOLI\LQJHYHQWVDQGJDLQHG
qualification for the Beijing 2022
Games on December 11 last year.
Ups and downs
The pair missed the Sochi Games
in 2014 due to injury and received
a silver medal at the 2018 Games in
Pyeongchang. Now there are fewer
than 20 days left to the Games.
In 2016, Sui underwent major sur-
gery on both ankles and had to pause
training for five months. “I couldn’t
even walk after the surgery. I sank
into a deep depression and thought I’d
never return to the ice.”
It was Han who encouraged her
and offered all the support he could.
16 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
COVER STORY
“He was like a bridge that held me up
on the path to chasing our dreams,” Sui
said.
Formed in 2007, the pair made
the World Junior Championships in
2010, and was regarded as the new
rising stars in China’s figure skating.
They climbed to the top of the Four
Continents Championships in 2014
DQGKDYHEHHQUHJXODUSRGLXPÀQLVKHUV
at major competitions ever since.
The serious injuries, though, have
made their ride to the top a bumpy one.
They missed quite a few major inter-
national competitions prior to 2017 in
Helsinki. Before that, China had not
won a gold medal at the World Figure
Skating Championships in seven years.
The pair won World Championships
in both 2019 and 2021 and became six-
time winners of the Four Continents
Championships.
The duo is now undergoing final
training for the Beijing Games. “We’ve
received a lot of help over the past sev-
eral years, ” Sui said, adding the help
is like a bridge over troubled waters
for them. “We will strive to show the
best of ourselves during the upcoming
Games and hope the Beijing Olympics
will also act as the bridge between
China and the rest of the world.”
Passing the torch
Their duo, Zhao Hongbo, has wit-
nessed their ups and downs. Zhao won
&KLQD·VÀUVWHYHU:LQWHU2O\PSLFJROG
medal at Vancouver in 2010 with his
partner Shen Xue, after the pair won
bronze at the 2002 and 2006 Winter
Olympics. Zhao retired from competition in 2010 and be-
came the national pair skating coach in 2013. Later, when
head coach Yao Bin retired in 2017, Zhao took over the
WRSMRELQ&KLQHVHÀJXUHVNDWLQJ
At the request of the Winter Sports Management
Center of the General Administration of Sport of China,
Yao returned to the team in late May 2021 to coach along-
side Zhao in preparation for the Beijing Games.
Yao, born in 1957, coached Zhao and other Chinese
WRSVNDWHUVLQWKHLUHDUO\\HDUV(YHQWKRXJKÀJXUHVNDWLQJ
has been an Olympic sport since early last century, the
sport did not begin to develop in China until the 1950s.
7KHÀUVWWLPHÀJXUHVNDWLQJDSSHDUHGDVDVSRUWLQJHYHQW
in China was in February 1953, at the First National Ice
Sport Meeting held in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang
Province in northeast China.
China’s national figure skating team was formed
decades later, in 1986. Yao, who had competed in
LQWHUQDWLRQDOÀJXUHVNDWLQJHYHQWVLQFOXGLQJZRUOGFKDP-
pionships and the 1984 Olympic Winter Games, became
WKHWHDP·VÀUVWFRDFK
“We lagged far behind experienced skaters from other
countries,” Yao said. “China was still struggling with pov-
erty in those years and couldn’t afford to employ foreign
coaches. We didn’t have any guidance in training and had
to study by ourselves, bit by bit from scratch.”
After becoming head coach of the national team, Yao
learned everything from how to train athletes to how to
create costumes and even skates, which he designed and
crafted.
In 1995, Chen Lu won a gold medal in the women’s
single event at the World Figure Skating Championships
LQ%LUPLQJKDPWKH8.&KLQD·VÀUVWHYHUÀJXUHVNDWLQJ
gold medal at this event. In 2002, Shen Xue and Zhao
+RQJERZRQWKHLUÀUVW:RUOG&KDPSLRQVKLSJROGLQWKH
pairs event in Nagano, Japan.
Figure skating ranks third on the list of Winter
Olympic disciplines in which China has won the most
medals, right behind short track speed skating and free-
style skiing.
http://www.bjreview.com

Chinese duo Sui Wenjing and Han Cong perform their free program routine during the pairs competition at the International Skating
Union Italian Grand Prix on November 6, 2021
Currently, Yao is mainly responsible for coaching
the men’s and women’s singles skaters, as well as the ice
dance groups. He has been tasked with improving the
RYHUDOOVWUHQJWKRIWKHÀJXUHVNDWHUV
,FHGDQFLQJLVVLPLODUWRÀJXUHVNDWLQJEXWKDVVRPH
distinctive features.
“Ice dancers compete only in pairs, not as individu-
als,” Yao said. “Ice dancing doesn’t feature acrobatic
movements such as the jumps, twists, or lifts seen in pairs
ÀJXUHVNDWLQJ,QVWHDGLW·VPRUHIRFXVHGRQ UK\WKPPX-
sical interpretation, timing and the precision of steps.”
An Olympic sport since 1976, ice dancing is young
compared with figure skating, which has been part of
2O\PSLFFRPSHWLWLRQVLQFHWKHÀUVW:LQWHU*DPHVLQ
http://www.bjreview.com
China is not as strong in ice danc-
ing as it is in figure skating. The best
result at a World Championship,
achieved by Wang Shiyue and Liu
Xinyu, was 13th at a competition held
in Stockholm, Sweden, last year. As
China’s top ice dancers, Wang and
Liu will be representing China at next
month’s Games.
Jin Boyang, who will compete in
WKHPHQ·VVLQJOHÀJXUHVNDWLQJHYHQWDW
the upcoming Games, is a star skater.
He won two bronze medals, in 2016
and 2017, in the World Figure Skating
XINHUA
&KDPSLRQVKLSVDQGLVWKHÀUVW&KLQHVH
skater to win a medal in the men’s
single event. At the Pyeongchang
Olympic Winter Games, he ranked
fourth, but he hopes to return to the po-
dium next month in Beijing.
According to Zhao, the athletes are
currently training three times a day.
´7KH\KDYHDVSHFLÀFWUDLQLQJSODQWKDW
includes general physical training and
targeted explosive training,” Zhao said.
“They are trying their best.” BR
Copyedited by G.P. Wilson
Comments yuanyuan@cicgamericas.com
JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 17

SCORCHING
THE ICE
Donovan Carrillo, the figure skating ace representing
Mexico at the 2022 Olympics By Carmen González
J
ust getting close to the rink
is enough to send icy shivers
down many a spine. Yet it
doesn’t seem to bother the skat-
ers in the least; what’s more, they
enjoy it. They move through the
white space with agility and mas-
tery, spinning through the air as if
Mother Nature never intended for
them to walk the actual ground.
Figure skating is the old-
est sport on the Olympic Winter
Games program since the first
Winter Olympics in 1924. It was
previously contested, however, at
the 1908 London Summer Games
and again in 1920 in Antwerp,
Belgium. Among the sport’s cur-
rent young talents, there is one
who stands out for his ability and
smile: He is no other than Donovan
&DUULOORWKH0H[LFDQÀJXUHVNDWHU
qualified to participate in the up-
coming Olympic Winter Games
Beijing 2022, which will launch on
February 4.
On the up and up
November 17, 2021, not only
marked the semi-finals of the
35th National Figure Ice Skating
Tournament of Mexico in which
this young athlete was participat-
18 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
COVER STORY
ing, but also denoted a very special day for Carrillo:
his 22nd birthday. Of those 22 years, he has spent 14
practicing on the ice. Born in the Mexican state of
-DOLVFR&DUULOORWRRNXSÀJXUHVNDWLQJZKHQKHZDV
8; prior to that, he had already become well-versed
in other sports such as gymnastics, diving and
soccer.
“What made me fall in love with skating is that
I can express my feelings through the movement.
It’s not just about the technical complexity, as is the
case with diving, but out here you can actually ex-
press yourself and let your body feel the music, feel
the movement.”
True. This competitor stands out because of the
music he chooses to accompany his appearances.
In 2016, he became famous for his performance in
Japan to the song Hasta que te conocí (Until I Met
You) by well-known Mexican singer Juan Gabriel. including the Junior Grand Prix.
Since then, Carrillo’s popularity has only gone up, “I have had the opportunity to
and not just among those who hold the sport in af- compete in Germany, the Czech
fection. Republic, the United States,
This twentysomething has participated in hun- Canada, Japan, and many other
dreds of national and international tournaments.
countries, and, honestly, I think it
“A lot of people ask me if I still get nervous
is amazing to be able to learn from
before stepping onto the ice, and the truth is that I
other cultures and skaters. I think
do. I feel very nervous. For example, tonight, in my
that has helped me a lot to enrich
ÀUVWMXPS,ZDVDOLWWOHQHUYRXV,GLGDTXDGUXSOH
6DOFKRZDQGRQFH,MXPSHGWKDWÀUVWKXUGOH,VWDUWHG my skills.”
to enjoy myself and feel more relaxed,” he said after
WKHVHPLÀQDOV
Visualization to
In 2013, Carrillo and his family moved to León, manifestation
a city in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. At that In 2010, the Winter Olympics
time, he started participating in global tournaments, took place in the Canadian city of
http://www.bjreview.com

9DQFRXYHU7KHEXGGLQJÀJXUHVNDW-
er who had been honing his skills for
a mere two years at that point, found
himself glued to the TV screen back
in Mexico.
“At that very moment, my
dreams and hopes of one day partici-
pating in the Olympics were born,
and what started out as a vision, later
on became an actual goal—one I’ve
been working toward with the unre-
lenting support and guidance of my
coach,” Carrillo said.
As the years and competitions
rolled on, Carrillo obtained vic-
tory upon victory in international
http://www.bjreview.com
Donovan Carrillo in training
The sportsman knows that the
competition will be very young, but
that doesn’t faze him in the least.
“I think that every skater gets
to experience their own moment in
time; to start out very young is not a
guarantee that you will get very far.
I am currently in my athletic prime
and I want to make the most of it.”
Carrillo understands all too well
how the world is still reeling from
the COVID-19 pandemic, and re-
alizes that going to Beijing as an
Olympic participant at this time does
not come with any touristic perks.
“I would love to visit the Great
Wall and some other famous Beijing
landmarks, but we have certain pro-
tocols to adhere to. But I do know
that, even if this time around I won’t
be able to visit many places, the
future will hold more opportunities
COURTESY PHOTO
for me to enjoy a spot of Chinese
culture.”
November 17 saw many a
tournaments and in 2017, during the World Junior
Carrillo fan venture out to the
Figure Skating Championships in Taipei, Taiwan,
Interlomas ice rink, not just to come
China, he decided to visit Beijing and get acquainted
to see his famous moves, but to ser-
with the city that would be hosting the next Winter
enade him with Las Mañanitas (Little
Olympics.
Mornings or Early Morning), a tra-
“I went there to visualize things for myself, to see
ditional Mexican birthday song. The
PHJHWTXDOLÀHGDQGSDUWLFLSDWHLQWKH2O\PSLF:LQWHU
young man knows he has become a
Games Beijing 2022. I got the chance to find out a
role model for many teenagers and
little bit more about Chinese culture, the food and the
his message to them is both simple
traditions, and I was utterly fascinated,” the young
and positive:
skater added.
“Pursue your dreams; no matter the
And it seems that his 2017 visualization eventually
hardships you may face along the way,
led to manifestation. During the 2021 World Figure work hard and never give up.” BR
Skating Championships in Stockholm, Sweden,
Carrillo qualified among the first 24, giving him the Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
Comments to yanwei@cicgamericas.com
chance to try his “luck” in Beijing in February 2022.
JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 19
 COVER STORY
ON THE HOME
STRETCH
O
ver many months of training,
test events and qualification
matches, athletes have been
thoroughly preparing themselves, both
mentally and physically, for the Olympic
20 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing
2022. BR
Photos by VCG
Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
Comments to wanghairong@cicgamericas.com
http://www.bjreview.com
  

1. A French athlete participates in the boardercross event during

the Snowboard World Cup 2022 in Chongli, Zhangjiakou City of
Hebei Province, on November 26, 2021
2. A Ukrainian skeleton racer during the Luge World Cup 2021/2022
in Yanqing District of Beijing on November 21, 2021

3. The Chinese and U.S. teams go head-to-head in the World Wheelchair

&XUOLQJ&KDPSLRQVKLSVHPLĶQDOVLQ%HLMLQJRQ2FWREHU

4. Ice skaters race during the 2022 U.S. speedskating Olympic trials
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the U.S., on January 9

$QLFHKRFNH\2O\PSLFTXDOLĶFDWLRQPDWFKEHWZHHQ*HUPDQ\DQG
Denmark in Füssen, Germany, on November 14, 2021
http://www.bjreview.com JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 21

ALL SYSTEMS GO
The curtain is ready to rise on the Beijing 2022 sporting spectacular By Lu Yan
T
his winter will be a memo-
rable one for 20-year-old ski
DÀFLRQDGR:DQ$LOLQ$IWHU
several rounds of interviews, she
was selected as a volunteer in the
awards ceremony etiquette team for
the Olympic and Paralympic team
Winter Games Beijing 2022.
Soon, the junior student major-
ing in broadcasting and hosting
in Beijing will enter the Games’
closed-loop system and start work-
ing at the Wukesong Sports Center,
the Olympic ice hockey venue.
“This has been a special expe-
rience for me; I feel excited and
obligated at the same time. I’m also
proud that our country is able to ap-
peal to the world through the Games
and I’m honored to witness it in per-
son,” Wan told Beijing Review.
A safe bubble
On January 4, the closed-loop sys-
tem went into trial operation. The
special structure has been designed
to keep Olympic participants as well
as Chinese residents safe by reduc-
ing unnecessary interactions, while
still allowing partakers to carry on
day-to-day activities essential to their
role during the Games, according to
the Beijing 2022 Playbook released
in late 2021, featuring COVID-19
countermeasures.
The loop restricts all Games-
related personnel to certain zones in
and around the Olympic venues to
avoid any physical contact so as to
reduce risk of transmission. Overseas
SDUWLFLSDQWVZLOOÁ\GLUHFWO\LQWRDQG
out of the bubble.
Inside the loop, all Games
22 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
COVER STORY
participants are subject to daily health monitoring “The Chinese made the right
and testing and will be permitted to move between decision to apply restrictions and
venues, accommodation facilities and other official thanks to that I will feel safe dur-
destinations via the dedicated Games transport system, ing the competition in Beijing,”
including high speed rail. This is to ensure there is no Polish Ski Association President
contact with anyone from the outside. Apoloniusz Tajner told Xinhua
According to the organizers, non-fully vaccinated News Agency.
participants will have to undergo a 21-day quarantine
upon their arrival in Beijing. All vaccines recog- At your service
nized by the World Health Organization or related Technology is a vital part of this year’s
LQWHUQDWLRQDORUJDQL]DWLRQVRUDSSURYHGRIÀFLDOO\E\ Olympics, from broadcasting to venue
countries or regions concerned, will be accepted. operation and athlete training.
Anyone who tests positive during the Olympics *ULQGLQJFRIIHHSRZGHUÀOOLQJXS
will need to go into isolation, according to the the water and brewing… A cup of
Playbook.
Over 2,000 international participants will join the
Beijing 2022 test events, and the closed-loop system
plays a vital role in protecting their health and safety,
said Zhao Weidong, spokesperson of the Beijing
Organizing Committee.
The closed loop, covering all Games-related ar-
eas, including arrival and departure, transportation,
accommodation, catering, competitions, and the
opening and closing ceremonies, applies to all three
zones located in Beijing’s downtown, its northwestern
Yanqing District and co-host city of Zhangjiakou in
Hebei Province, from January 23, until the end of the
Paralympics on March 13.
/DUJHPRELOHDLUSXULÀHUVZLOOVXSSRUWWKH%HLMLQJ
2022 Games throughout. “The machine can actively
capture and eliminate bacteria in the air by releas-
ing hydroxyl free radicals, ensuring that large closed
venues have clean air all the time,” said Geng Liang,
a strategic account manager of Shenzhen Kangfeng
$LU3XULÀFDWLRQ7HFKQRORJ\&R/WGVXSSOLHURIWKH
product.
7KHSXULÀHUVKDYHDOUHDG\EHHQHPSOR\HGGXULQJ
the 130th China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou,
Guangdong Province, in October 2021, the event’s
ÀUVWRQVLWHVHVVLRQVLQFHWKHSDQGHPLFRXWEUHDN7KH
event wrapped up with more than 600,000 in-person
visits, with no new COVID-19 cases reported and zero
contamination.
http://www.bjreview.com
 pour-over coffee can be served up within four minutes,
courtesy of a robot barista at the Olympic venues.
This robot has two six-axis cooperative arms, mas-
tering a variety of coffee-brewing methods, according
to Wei Qing, technical manager at the Wukesong
Sports Center, which will host the women’s and sev-
eral of the men’s ice hockey events during the Beijing
2022 Games.
“The most important thing is that it comes with
excellent stability and can ensure that the quality and
taste of each cup of coffee are exactly the same,” Wei
explained while saying that during the test event,
everyone enjoyed the artificial barista’s professional
services—from venue to media center.
The logistics robot, then, can carry up to 300 kg
of goods and carry out contactless distribution at
the venues, sending a text message when the deliv-
ery has arrived. The intelligent path-finding robot
can move freely, avoid obstacles, and automatically
9ROXQWHHUVWDNHDJURXSVHOĶHGXULQJWKHLUWUDLQLQJVHVVLRQDWWKH:XNHVRQJ6SRUWV&HQWHURQ'HFHPEHU
http://www.bjreview.com
recharge itself, while serving its pur-
pose of reducing any direct contact
between people.
Robots will also be used for
urgent deliveries; for non-urgent
deliveries, venues will feature intel-
ligent logistics cabinets. Standing
tall at over 2 meters, the cabinet
has one side facing the inside of the
closed loop and the other side facing
out. Recipients will get a text mes-
sage when their packages are inside
the cabinet and can go pick them up
whenever they want.
My 2022 is a bilingual mo-
bile service application integrating
Games-related information to
provide customized services for differ-
ent user groups to enjoy an all-round
XINHUA
Games experience with one app.
All Olympic venues and sur-
roundings have achieved full 5G
coverage, as have the high-speed
rails. As tickets will only be sold to
spectators from the Chinese main-
land due to the ongoing pandemic,
the 5G signal will allow for high-
definition broadcasting on virtual
reality devices so that overseas au-
diences can not only attend events
online, but get as close to the physi-
cal experience as possible.
In terms of food, aside from wide-
ranging Chinese and Western cuisines,
the organizing committee has also
prepared to serve up a number of tra-
ditional festive dishes. For example,
spring rolls—a thin sheet of dough,
rolled up, stuffed with mashed beans
or vegetables, and then fried—will
be offered around Spring Festival, on
February 1 this year, three days before
the opening of the Games. Yuanxiao,
sweet dumplings made of glutinous
rice flour, will cater to the traditional
appetite during the Lantern Festival,
which is celebrated two weeks after
Spring Festival.
Across the Olympic villages,
convenience stores, beauty salons,
newsstands, travel agencies, flower
shops, printing shops, and dry clean-
ers have already entered operation,
ready to meet the inclusive needs of
all Olympic family and other staff
members.
Featured stores such as the
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Experience Center and the Chinese
Culture Center are also set to
welcome visitors, adding another tra-
ditional zest to the highly advanced
Olympic mix. BR
Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
Comments to luyan@cicgamericas.com
JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 23

WILL THE SNUB MATTER?
The U.S., New Zealand, UK, Canadian and Australian governments in December of last year
successively announced their “diplomatic boycott” of the Olympic and Paralympic
Winter Games Beijing 2022 under the pretext of the so-called human rights issue in
China. How does this move undermine the Olympic Spirit and affect participating athletes?
Beijing Review reporters brought the topic to people from different countries. Edited excerpts
follow:
George N. Tzogopoulos
Director of the EU-China Program
at the Centre International de
Formation Européenne from Greece
The true Olympic Spirit goes hand in
hand with fair competition, peace and
respect. Although the modern era differs
from ancient times, the original values
remain unchanged.
The Beijing 2022 Games have
already taken on a political dimension.
Notwithstanding the obstacles, what
really matters is the successful organiza-
tion of the Games. This certainly lies in
the hands of the Chinese Government
and the Chinese people (including
volunteers) who have been working
very hard. China has the capacity to
impress the international community
in both events, create excellent condi-
tions for participating sportspersons and
follow strict pandemic protocols—for
competitors and officials alike. I prefer
to look at the very substance of the
Olympics and expect great athletes from
all over the world to set new records in
Beijing.
Jorah Kai Wood
English teacher at Chongqing
Foreign Language School from
Canada
Historically speaking, the Olympics
would have been an outstanding op-
portunity for countries around the world
to compete, an unbiased fair display of
sports and athleticism. I think especially
24 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
COVER STORY
during the ongoing pandemic, this is an
opportunity to remind the world it still
needs to get up every day, to take peo-
ple’s minds off the lockdowns that are
happening in so many Western coun-
tries still, and to do something healthy,
something interesting.
The politicization of sports is unac-
ceptable. The world is a very large and
complex place, but I do believe the idea
of coming together in the spirit of sports
is very positive.
David Ferguson
Recipient of China’s Friendship
Award
Editor & writer with the Foreign
Languages Press from the UK
The Olympic Spirit is one of intense, but
friendly, international competition con-
ducted among individuals representing
their countries.
I think the impact of the boycott on
the actual Olympians will be very lim-
ited. Let’s be honest: Elite sportspeople
are primarily concerned with achieve-
ments. I think, for the most part,
Olympians will not notice or hear much
about the boycott. Their primary moti-
vation is not political, but I do hope that
those who do come to China and those
who do participate and those who do see
what China is actually like will realize
this politicization.
There is no doubt the “Xinjiang
genocide story” has served to provide
some better-fitting context for the
boycott of the Beijing 2022 Games. This deep need to cre-
ate hostility, to create confrontation, and to create enmity on
the part of the people against China is something that irks
me.
Tomokazu Ueno
Japanese reporter with People’s China magazine
I think the Olympic Spirit can be seen in all those who
compete in the Games. Of course, results matter. But by
competing, participants sharpen their skills and communi-
cate with people from different countries, which is all that
matters.
Our world today faces many problems, such as division.
However, the Olympic Games can bridge national borders.
They bring harmony to the world. I think this is also part of
the Olympic Spirit.
Lizeth Arauz
Documentary photographer from Mexico
The boycott that the U.S. has orchestrated against the
Beijing 2022 Games reveals the character of this nation in
its entirety—a character that has time and time again led
to its intervention in the policies and affairs of other coun-
tries.
There is no coherent reasoning that supports the boy-
cott. The excuses put forward by the U.S. are unable to
completely veil the central cause of its actions, namely its
dissatisfaction with the growing economic leadership of
an Asian giant.
What is clear is that while they can boycott as many
events as they want, they will not be able to detract from
the Olympic spirit. For the time being, the Games will
take place according to schedule and will surely be a great
success.
Time will prove the Chinese people right. BR
Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon & G.P. Wilson
Comments to yanwei@cicgamericas.com
http://www.bjreview.com
OPINION RCEP
The Free Trade
Deal of a Lifetime
T
he biggest ever global free trade
deal—the Regional Comprehensive
Economic Partnership (RCEP)—
came into force on January 1 after 11
VLJQDWRU\VWDWHVKDGFRPSOHWHGWKHUDWLÀFDWLRQ
procedures. They included six of the 10 mem-
ber states of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) and all five non-
ASEAN participants. The RCEP will take
effect 60 days after ratification by at least
six ASEAN countries and at least three non-
ASEAN nations, according to the agreement.
Meanwhile, ASEAN member states
that have yet to do so, namely Malaysia,
Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines, are
set to seek respective amendments to their
relevant domestic legislations to make them
RCEP-consistent prior to their formal parlia-
PHQWDU\UDWLÀFDWLRQ
Driven by ASEAN
This ASEAN-driven mega pact manifests
the bloc’s strong resolve in pursuing an in-
clusive regional economic integration that
encompasses its member states of varying
levels of development. Through the augmen-
tation of its respective free trade agreements
)7$ ZLWKWKHÀYHGLDORJXHSDUWQHUVLQ(DVW
Asia and Oceania, namely China, Japan, the
Republic of Korea (ROK), Australia and New
Zealand, the 15-member RCEP accounts for
an estimated GDP of $25.8 trillion, equivalent
to about 30 percent of the global total. In key
areas, such as global trade in goods and ser-
YLFHVDQGIRUHLJQGLUHFWLQYHVWPHQWLQÁRZV
it contributes over 25 percent to the former
($12.7 trillion), and 31 percent to the latter.
The centrality of ASEAN in the RCEP
lies not in its role as the initiator, but more
LQLWVVXFFHVVLQEURNHULQJWKHÀUVWHYHU)7$
26 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
By Ong Tee Keat
for China, Japan and the ROK—
the three leading economies in
East Asia—through the RCEP.
Geopolitically, ASEAN is tread-
ing the delicate balance between
China and U.S. allies within the
RCEP, such as Japan, the ROK,
Australia and New Zealand. This
is particularly challenging amid
the escalating China-U.S. power
ULYDOU\LQWKH,QGR3DFLÀFUHJLRQ
To the 10 ASEAN member
states, the oneness accrued from
the ASEAN community prior to
the inception of the RCEP has
proven a boon for the least devel-
oped countries (LDC) within the
bloc, namely Cambodia, Laos and
Myanmar. In reality, the inclu-
sion of individual LDCs in any
economic groupings has always
been a tall order. But with the
inclusive oneness of ASEAN, the
admission of said LDCs alongside
other developing ASEAN member
states will turn out to be a useful
tool to bridge the gap of economic
development among the 15 RCEP
countries.
The least developed members,
aided by massive tariff reductions
or exemptions on a gamut of goods
and services, as well as the har-
monization of the rules of origin,
are henceforth granted a golden
opportunity to enhance their
respective competitiveness in woo-
ing potential investors. So long as
they remain amenable to needs for
domestic economic reforms so as to
make them RCEP-consistent, the transforma-
tion of these economic backwaters into new
destinations for investors is not at all a distant
dream.
A case in point, Laos is scheduled to
graduate from the LDC category, alongside
Bangladesh and Nepal, in 2026. Though
destined to lose its exclusive access to certain
international support measures, in particular
in the areas of development assistance and
trade, the benefits it accrued as a member
of the RCEP are believed to be sufficient
to outweigh what it is likely to lose upon
“graduation.” On the other hand, the “post-
graduation” Nepal and Bangladesh are
anticipated to face a much more challenging
economic situation bereft of the RCEP ben-
HÀWVDVFRPSDUHGWR/DRV
Furthermore, the inauguration of a cross-
border railway with China in December 2021
has transformed Laos from a landlocked
to a land-linked country. The economic
dividends to be accrued from Laos’ market
access to neighboring countries via rail link
will serve as an impetus to both Cambodia
and Myanmar, which have yet to complete
their respective rail links in the Pan-Asian
Railway Network, spanning between China’s
Kunming and Singapore.
China’s part
China, the biggest economy in the 15-mem-
ber economic partnership remains the bright
spot of the unified market. In 2020, while
the world was bearing the full brunt of the
ravaging COVID-19, the other 14 RCEP na-
tions accounted for 31.7 percent of China’s
IRUHLJQWUDGHYROXPH,QWKHÀUVWKDOIRI
China’s imports and exports to those coun-
tries combined made a remarkable leap of
http://www.bjreview.com

Visitors select goods at the 18th China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on September 11, 2021
22.7 percent year on year, paving the way for
a good start of the RCEP.
However, this is portrayed as a mani-
festation of Chinese dominance by some.
Centrality of ASEAN in the RCEP has time
and again been called in question. Having
been obsessed with the paranoia against
&KLQD·VJURZLQJJHRSROLWLFDOLQÁXHQFHWKH
sceptics and naysayers were quick to vilify
the deal as an outgrowth of ASEAN and a
hegemonic tool for ushering in the so-called
Pax Sinica era, binding the region into a
China led global order. The coming into
fruition of the RCEP was greeted cynically
with such taglines as Might-Is-Right Global
Trading Era, visibly revealing how perturbed
the Western pundits could be in the face of
a significant Chinese role in the ASEAN-
driven initiative.
Bearing in mind such prejudice in mind,
the relentless critics went further to raise
the bar in scrutinizing the multilateral rules-
based free trade pact that is consistent with
the international benchmark. This compliance
http://www.bjreview.com
is discounted as mere adherence
to traditional rules, but is deemed
lacking in depth and breadth of
free trade required to meet the
criteria of establishing a high-
level free trade area. From this
perspective, comparative bench-
marking against the 11-member
Comprehensive and Progressive
Trans-Pacific Partnership agree-
ment is deliberately made to
belittle the RCEP. The exclusion
of such new concerns as state-
owned enterprises, labor standards,
government procurement and envi-
ronmental protection in the RCEP
was made the convenient rationale
to justify the sceptics’ criticisms
against the mega trade deal in the
$VLD3DFLÀFUHJLRQ
Little had they been cognizant
of the necessity of being inclusive
to accommodate the varying levels
of economic development among
3,1,21
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the RCEP countries. The insistence on includ-
LQJWKHQHZFULWHULDDVWKHHQWU\TXDOLÀFDWLRQV
to any FTA, the RCEP included, would only
perpetually alienate the less developed econo-
mies from the bloc in the name of pursuing
high-level rules reform for free trade.
By so doing, economic groupings are
virtually nothing more than exclusive clubs
for the developed economies. Obviously, this
has not been the choice of the RCEP since the
LGHDOZDVÀUVWPRRWHGE\$6($1
In the collective pursuit of a shared future
in the region, ASEAN, the cornerstone of the
RCEP, will continue to steadfastly embrace
inclusiveness in their common interests. This
would shape the trajectory of the unified
market in years to come. Developing mem-
ber economies have no reason whatsoever to
placate the West by forsaking what is deemed
crucial to them and the region. BR
The author is chairman of the Center for New Inclusive Asia
in Malaysia
Copyedited by G.P. Wilson
Comments to liuyunyun@cicgamericas.com
JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 27
OPINION SUPPLY CHAIN
A subway train with railcars assembled by a Chinese company in the U.S. during a test run in Chicago in May 2021
Stay Prepared for Global
Supply Chain Reshaping
C A central role
hina has been integrating into the
global supply chain since its acces-
sion to the World Trade Organization
in 2001. In 2010, its manufacturing added
value exceeded that of the United States to
top the world. Nine years later, this figure
reached those of the U.S., Japan and Germany
combined, accounting for 28.1 percent of the
world’s total.
Among the 500 major industrial products,
China ranks first in the output of more than
220. Not only is the nation the largest source
of major industrial products in the internation-
al supply chain, it’s also the largest market.
28 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
By Nie Pingxiang
China overtook Germany and be-
came the world’s largest exporter
in 2009; in 2013, it replaced the
U.S. as the world’s largest trader
of goods. Today, it is the largest
trading partner for more than 120
countries and regions across the
world. According to a report issued
by the UN in March 2020, around
20 percent of the global trade in
manufacturing intermediate prod-
ucts stems from China. If overseas
sales of their Chinese manufacturers
XINHUA
dropped by 2 percent, exports of 45 major
economies of the world would decrease by $46
billion.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s
status has remained unchanged; on the con-
trary, it has been further enhanced. It managed
to take the lead in resuming economic growth,
LQFUHDVLQJWKHFRQÀGHQFHRIPXOWLQDWLRQDOFRU-
porations operating within its borders.
In 2020, China was the only major world
economy that achieved positive growth, and
according to the October 2021 International
Monetary Fund forecast, the nation’s economic
growth was set to hit 8 percent that year, rank-
http://www.bjreview.com

ing among the top of major world economies.
The strong resilience and huge potential of the
Chinese economy continue to beckon multina-
tional corporations. In the context of a drastic
decline of investment across the world, paid-
in foreign direct investment in China rose by
6 percent year on year in 2020 and recorded
a 14.9-percent growth in 2021, according to
ÀJXUHVUHOHDVHGE\WKH0LQLVWU\RI&RPPHUFH
on January 13.
As the only country in the world that cov-
ers all the categories included in the UN’s
LQGXVWULDOFODVVLÀFDWLRQ&KLQDKDVRQHRIWKH
most efficient supply chains in the world.
Since early 2020, Chinese manufacturing
firms swiftly switched to the production of
epidemic control materials, driving the exports
of textiles, medical devices and pharmaceuti-
cal products to increase by 31 percent year
on year. From January to June 2021, China’s
exports of intermediate goods surged by 34
percent year on year, providing much-needed
support for the economic recovery of other
countries.
External uncertainties
Currently, China stands at the center of the
global supply chain. This position helps it gain
easier access to overseas markets, reduce pro-
duction costs and improve people’s wellbeing,
rendering the country an important power-
house facilitating world economic growth and
recovery.
But in the long run, the new round of
technology revolution and the COVID-19
pandemic have accelerated the chain’s overall
restructuring. The U.S. in particular defines
China as a major strategic competitor, which
will have a huge impact on the latter’s role in
the global manufacturing landscape.
Since 2008, with the rise of many emerg-
ing economies and developing countries, and
especially the rapid development of China, the
dominant position of developed countries led
by the U.S. in the global supply chain has been
on the decline. In response, former President
Barack Obama signed the National Strategy
for Global Supply Chain Security in January
2012, confirming the guarantee of global
supply chain security as a national strategy
for the U.S. The Obama administration also
http://www.bjreview.com
attempted to raise the threshold for
China to integrate further into the
global economy out of concerns
over assumed economic security
threats, encouraging the relocation
of manufacturing activities back
to the U.S. and promoting higher
standards of global trade rules to
create a U.S.-dominated regional
manufacturing system.
The Donald Trump adminis-
tration then pursued an “America
First” policy, provoking trade
frictions around the world, with
China as a primary target. The U.S.
and its allies introduced various
measures to speed up the reshoring
trend or transfer manufactur-
ing operations to their “friendly”
countries, focusing on reducing
dependence on Chinese production
and supplies.
The Joe Biden administration
has continued the main line of
Trump’s policy. In February 2021,
Biden signed a presidential order
to review the U.S. global supply
chain. The Strategic Competition
Act introduced in April 2021
framed China as a strategic com-
petitor to the U.S. and authorized
to assist U.S. companies with
JOREDOVXSSO\FKDLQGLYHUVLÀFDWLRQ
During the Group of 20 Summit in
November 2021, Biden convened
the Global Summit on Supply
Chain Resilience.
Given China’s
manufacturing
prowess, huge
domestic market and
persistent efforts to
relax market access
restrictions, an
exodus of key players
is unlikely
OPINION
The U.S. has sought restructuring the
global supply chain through tax incentives,
investment subsidies and other stimulus mea-
sures. Its protectionist moves go against the
trend of globalization and economic laws and
will disrupt the safe and stable operation of
the entire system. Restricted by factors such
as cost, quality, stability and industrial ecosys-
tem, multinational corporations will now face
high risks for reshaping their supply chains.
The American attempt to “decouple” from
China will thus immediately harm U.S. busi-
ness interests.
Rising to challenges
China needs to execute a national strategy for
global supply chain security to strengthen its
competitiveness. It should further open up to
the outside world and make itself more at-
tractive to foreign investors. Given China’s
manufacturing prowess, huge domestic
market and persistent efforts to relax market
access restrictions, an exodus of key players is
unlikely.
The digital economy, a pivotal area in the
new round of international competition, is
expected to chart the course of global supply
chain restructuring. Relying on its advantages
in data processing and application, China
should focus on making breakthroughs in core
technologies and accelerating the integration
of the economy’s digital and real segments.
China highly relies on developed countries
in the supplying of microchips. However, in
the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and
Western attempts to dominate the global sup-
ply chain, chip supply falls short, taking a toll
on a large number of Chinese industrial enter-
prises, automakers in particular.
Against this backdrop, it is imperative to
enhance innovation. Businesses in China need
to strengthen their research and development
to break through technological bottlenecks.
Also, to counter risks from supply chain dis-
ruption, Chinese companies should become
more capable of mobilizing their resources
globally. BR
The author is a researcher with the Chinese Academy of
International Trade and Economic Cooperation
Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
Comments to yanwei@cicgamericas.com
JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 29
OPINION KAZAKHSTAN
Righting the Ship
S
parked by a fuel price hike on
New Year’s Day, violent protests
against the government erupted in
Kazakhstan on January 2. The protests soon
spread throughout the Central Asian nation.
Facing the worst unrest in the country’s his-
tory since gaining independence in 1991,
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called
for assistance under the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Eurasian
military alliance between six former Soviet
republics, Kazakhstan included. Other mem-
bers, namely Russia, Belarus, Armenia,
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, responded quick-
ly by sending peacekeeping troops to help
protect the country’s key facilities.
After stability was restored, Tokayev
announced that the CSTO forces would
withdraw starting from January 13.
Kazakhstan featured a successful econ-
omy, relative to the other former Soviet
republics. Its total economic volume is
six times what it was when it first gained
independence, and its goal of entering the
world’s top 50 economies was achieved
ahead of schedule. It is also rich in re-
sources, has a vast territory and possesses
the potential to approach the threshold of a
moderately developed country. However,
it failed to resolve its deep-rooted prob-
lems, such as the polarization between rich
and poor, corruption and slow progress in
law-based governance. The COVID-19 pan-
demic has worsened the situation, triggering
public dissatisfaction with the government.
Kazakh political opposition forces and
non-governmental organizations played
an organizing and mobilizing role in the
early stages of the riots, and there were
signs they were garnering external support.
A large number of well-trained terrorists
32 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
By Sun Zhuangzhi
were found to be partaking in the
violence, but their identities and
nationalities remain unknown to
authorities as of yet. Kazakhstan
has allowed political organiza-
tions with foreign influence to
operate openly.
Notably, the CSTO re-
jected assistance requests from
Kyrgyzstan, which faced unrest
in 2010, and Armenia, during its
military conflict with Azerbaijan
over the disputed Nagorno-
Karabakh region in 2020. This
time, instead of sending anti-
terror special police units, Russia
deployed combat troops with
heavy equipment, showing it has
a long-term strategic design.
Kazakhstan and Ukraine differ
in many ways. However, the two
countries also have something in
common. Considering their geo-
graphical location and resource
reserves, they both have the po-
tential to develop into influential
economies, but face domestic in-
stability resulting from big power
Cooperation with
China will help the
country address its
most pressing
development
challenges
rivalry. The journey to realizing social and
economic modernization and true indepen-
dence will never be a smooth process with
guaranteed success. Domestic solidarity,
society-wide harmony, hard work, the
efforts of elite groups, as well as widespread
public support, are all indispensable.
The recent turmoil in Kazakhstan is
unlikely to have an impact on its relation-
ship with China. This year marks the 30th
anniversary of the establishment of their
diplomatic relations. The two have estab-
lished a permanent comprehensive strategic
partnership featuring high-level political and
security cooperation, as well as extensive
economic, trade and cultural exchanges. It
was also in Kazakhstan in 2013 that Chinese
3UHVLGHQW;L-LQSLQJÀUVWSURSRVHGWKH6LON
Road Economic Belt, which together with
the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road consti-
tute the Belt and Road Initiative.
With the restoring of order in Kazakhstan,
economic issues and its people’s livelihood
will become the government’s top priority.
Cooperation with China will help the coun-
try address its most pressing development
challenges.
In his message to President Tokayev,
Xi said China is ready to provide the neces-
sary support to help Kazakhstan overcome
its difficulties. No matter what risks and
challenges may get in the way, China will
always remain a trustworthy friend and
reliable partner of Kazakhstan’s, and the
Chinese people will forever stand with their
Kazakh peers, Xi added. BR
The article was first published in the Russian language
magazine China. The author is director of the Institute
of Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies,
with the ChineseAcademy of Social Sciences
Copyedited by G.P. Wilson
Comments to liuyunyun@cicgamericas.com
http://www.bjreview.com

The Face of Forced Labor:
A Business Force Lost?
‘E
lon Musk” and “Xinjiang” to-
gether grabbed global headlines
in early January, as his electric
car company Tesla opened its newest show-
room in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region—much to the dismay
of Washington and human rights activists
alike.
The company’s notice came less than
two weeks after U.S. President Joe Biden
had signed into law the Uygur Forced
Labor Prevention Act, the climax of un-
founded U.S. accusations of human rights
abuses in Xinjiang.
Following up on former President
Donald Trump’s measures targeting
Xinjiang cotton and tomato products, ban-
ning these from entering the American
market in early 2021, Biden effectively ex-
panded that category to include all Xinjiang-
related goods, tantamount to forbidding any
American companies to do business with or
use products from the region.
Many American companies with busi-
QHVVLQ&KLQDRU;LQMLDQJVSHFLÀFDOO\WHQG
to get caught between their Chinese market
and U.S. political stance. Yet Tesla’s drive
into Xinjiang at this time may provide them
with some fresh, helpful insights.
Tesla boasts to be a champion in the
green drive, while Xinjiang has been a pio-
neer in China’s new energy ambitions. The
region’s wind and solar power generation
hit 2.2 trillion kWh in 2020, accounting for
29.5 percent of the country’s total electric-
ity consumption, according to Xinhua News
Agency, giving steam to the country’s com-
mitment of peaking its carbon emissions
before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality
before 2060.
http://www.bjreview.com
PACIFIC DIALOGUE OPINION
By Li Fangfang
Yet Tesla’s drive into
Xinjiang at this time
may provide them
with some fresh,
helpful insights
The region, like many an
American state geographically, is
vast in its territory, with driving
the main choice of local trans-
portation. What’s more, as a top
tourist destination, Xinjiang’s
visitor arrivals reached more than
300 million in 2019. Despite the
pandemic impact, this number
still topped 150 million and 190
million in 2020 and 2021, respec-
tively. Many visitors opt for the
road trip experience, given the
extensive drives between pictur-
esque places and the breathtaking
scenery along the way.
As consumers today are be-
coming more aware of pressing
climate issues and more accept-
ing of cost-effective new-energy
vehicles (NEVs), lifted by the
advancements in technology
and infrastructure construction,
Xinjiang’s NEV sales saw a
250-percent year-on-year growth
in 2021. In Urumqi alone, NEV
registrations jumped 4.5 times last year—
to 3,800 from 2020’s 846, Xinjiang Uygur
Autonomous Region Tax Service, State
Taxation Administration reported. Ahead of
its showroom’s grand opening, Tesla had al-
ready established two supercharging stations
and 14 supercharging piles across the city.
This number stands at seven and 36, respec-
tively, across the entire region.
Compared to several Chinese NEV mak-
ers, Tesla is a latecomer to Xinjiang. The
country’s NEV champ BYD has three retail
outlets in Urumqi; the Youhao business
district downtown features Tesla in competi-
tion with Li Auto, XPENG and NIO, three
emerging but fashionable brands. XPENG
sold nearly 100,000 cars in 2021 nationwide,
for example.
During an Urumqi auto fair from
December 30, 2021, to January 3, NEVs
proved a visitor highlight, with most hailing
from domestic companies. Mercedes didn’t
have any of these cars on display; BMW
only showcased one hybrid SUV. These are
just two examples of foreign brands with a
longstanding business history in China who
seem to have fallen behind the times—those
of Xinjiang’s swiftly moving NEV market,
in particular; but local consumer expecta-
tions remain high.
Right now, Tesla has stores in 60 cities
across the Chinese mainland. The Urumqi
location marks the westernmost Tesla pres-
ence on the Chinese mainland.
When geopolitical coercion causes entre-
preneurial confusion… One man’s loss can
become another man’s gain. BR
Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
Comments to ffli@cicgamericas.com
JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 33
OPINION FACT CHECK
Missing the Plot
W
hen devastating floods struck
Zhengzhou in central China in
August 2021, BBC journalists
reporting on the disaster claimed that they
encountered a lot of verbal abuse, both online
and in real life. Chinese netizens accused
BBC journalist Robin Brant of factual distor-
WLRQDQGUXPRUPRQJHULQJDWÀUVWEXWWKLQJV
got slightly more out of hand as they resulted
in a standoff between the BBC team and a
group of angry locals. A statement issued by
the BBC after the happenings claimed that
their reporters were attacked by the “mob.”
This was probably the most “hands-on”
bout of hostility to occur between locals and
foreign journalists reporting in China. Western
PHGLDGHÀQHGWKHLQFLGHQWDV\HWPRUHSURRI
that China was crushing freedom of speech,
while Zhengzhou locals said they merely at-
tempted to remind BBC journalists to deliver
objective reports. This was not the first time
for Chinese people to express their dissatisfac-
tion with false reports on China circulated by
Western media outlets, but this time around, in
Zhengzhou, locals took matters into their own
hands.
In this day and age, China has become an
easy target for international media reports. It’s
ÀQHWKDWWKH\DUHLQWHUHVWHGLQ&KLQDEXWSHU-
haps they should take a few minutes to ponder
the Chinese public’s skepticism toward them.
Their unpopularity among Chinese readers
stems from many a Western media outlet’s
prejudiced China reports. “One million
Public trust is won by the media’s accurate, all-round and
objective broadcasting of news. Objectivity is the iron
law of the press
34 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
By Lan Xinzhen
Uygurs locked up in concentration
camps” or “mass sterilization pro-
grams,” to large extent, their stories
are spinning a yarn, rather than re-
ÁHFWLQJREMHFWLYHIDFWVDQGGDWD,W
is this media hostility toward China
that has offended the Chinese
public, but this sense of opposition
stretches well beyond the China
topic; it targets other countries
as well. For example, American
media like to portray Mexicans as
“criminals” and Russians as op-
pressors, to create a sense of their
own supremacy.
A deeper analysis will find
that such prejudice originates from
the lack of social responsibility.
The standing of Western media
is based on the capital that backs
them. Professional press ethics
are to report the information of a
certain event, but not to mislead
readers. This is also the basic social respon-
sibility the media should take on. However,
this ingredient is intentionally missing among
some media outlets when talking about se-
lected topics happening within or outside their
own borders. As a result, it’s natural for the
Chinese public to automatically link some
Western media that had lost their credibility
with fake news, a connotation which probably
also holds up among other readers.
The media are obligated to deliver main-
stream values and depict events via objective
wording, helping the public better understand
what’s going on in a bid to push forward so-
cial progress on the whole. However, some
Western media seemingly prefer to deliver
disarrayed values under the “freedom of
press” cloak.
Moreover, many outlets appear to be
extremely interested in channeling the more
QHJDWLYHQHZVQDUUDWLYHVXFKDVFRQÁLFWDQG
turmoil, believing that only these topics will
attract more readers. Guided by this attitude,
WKH\EHJLQWRIDEULFDWHFRQÁLFWLQVSLUHGVWRULHV
and forge negativity when there is none to be
found, deliberately turning a blind eye to any
positive headlines. By doing so, their accounts
are not only presenting a lack of moral and
social responsibility, but might even border on
the illegal.
No media should spread fake news just to
increase readership or just because of preju-
dice. They’re missing the point. The media
are a key driver, pushing society forward,
and thus are supposed to abide by the bottom
line of the profession. Public trust is won by
the media’s accurate, all-round and objective
broadcasting of news. Objectivity is the iron
law of the press. BR
Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
Comments to lanxinzhen@cicgamericas.com
http://www.bjreview.com
FEATURES &29,'

Never Lowering the Guard

Sporadic cases test urban epidemic control capabilities By Tao Xing

A
t eight months pregnant, a woman from
Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province in
northwest China, lost her baby after be-
ing left waiting outside a local hospital for two
hours due to expired nucleic acid test results, on
January 1. Her heartbreaking experience occurred
when the city was under closed-off management,
introduced nine days earlier aiming to curb increas-
ing COVID-19 cases.
Public outcry quickly triggered an official
response. Liu Shunzhi, head of the Xi’an Health
Commission, apologized at a press conference. The
hospital was ordered to offer compensation, with
those accountable suspended from duty or removed
IURPRIÀFH
As Xi’an put the spread, the largest in a big city
since the lockdown of Wuhan in January 2020,
under control in just about a month, issues that
cropped up during that period have sparked debate
on how to improve urban epidemic prevention.

Lockdown governance
From December 9, 2021, to January 8, 2022, the
city registered 1,989 locally transmitted cases. By
late December, 10 of the 11 districts in Xi’an saw
infections and a spreading trend. Stringent contain-
ment measures such as a city-level lockdown and
numerous rounds of mass nucleic acid testing have Daily necessities ordered by
proved effective. residents under home quarantine
While imposing these measures, local authori- are delivered in Xi’an, Shaanxi
ties should take residents’ needs and livelihoods Province, on January 12
into consideration, Yin Zhi, a professor of urban
planning at Tsinghua University, told Beijing
Review. “I consider it of great importance to peo-
ple’s wellbeing,” Yin said, underlining the need to
guarantee supplies and medical services.
The case of the pregnant woman, as well as
other treatment delays, was unacceptable, Yin said.
During a press briefing in January, Xi’an au- The lack of sufficient food supply
thorities stressed no hospital should deny patients became yet another problem in the
treatment. In addition, “green passages,” or easy first few days after the lockdown was
access, should be made available to critically ill pa- announced.
tients demanding immediate care and women who Ren, a Xi’an resident who asked A COVID-19 testing site
are pregnant or in labor. WREHLGHQWLÀHGRQO\ZLWKKHUVXUQDPH in Xi’an on January 2
36 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022 http://www.bjreview.com

XINHUA
told Beijing Review, “In the very beginning, all the
food I had at home were the snacks I had already
purchased. It seemed the sudden increase of cases
had caught the city off guard.”
The government encourages residents to store a
proper quantity of emergency necessities, but many
urban dwellers, especially young people who are
used to ordering in their meals, tend not to keep
VXIÀFLHQWIRRGVXSSO\LQWKHLUDSDUWPHQWV
During a lockdown, the government should
ensure logistics companies continue operations to
deliver food and other necessities on condition that
workers are screened and test negative, Yin said.
Xi’an, known worldwide for its Terracotta
Warriors, hosted the 14th National Games, the
first major multi-sport event in China since
the COVID-19 outbreak, in September 2021.
Organizers adopted a string of anti-virus mea-
sures including vaccinations, nucleic acid testing,
and health monitoring to ensure the safety of all
participants.
COVID-19 prevention in Xi’an was successful
during that high-stake period and the city should
make the best possible practices a daily routine, Yin
said.
A practical strategy
The Xi’an lockdown is by no means a nega-
XINHUA
tive example of China’s COVID-19 response
playbook. One common misconception of the
country’s strategy is that it intends to achieve zero
infections.
“Currently, we are not capable of ensuring
there will be no more new domestically transmit-
WHGLQIHFWLRQVEXWZHDUHFDSDEOHRIDQGFRQÀGHQW
in stamping out local infection clusters as quickly
as possible,” Liang Wannian, head of the National
Health Commission’s COVID-19 leading task
force, said during an interview with China Central
Television.
China’s policy means whenever local infec-
tions occur, prompt measures will ensue to stem
the spread of the virus and avoid new cases, Liang
said.
http://www.bjreview.com
FEATURES
Yin echoed the official, saying this strategy
minimizes the impacts of possible resurgences.
If they are not curbed as soon as possible but are
allowed to spread, the social and economic conse-
quences will be even graver, he said.
While the number of daily infections in China
is far lower than that in many other countries,
preventing cross-border virus transmission in port
cities is the top priority, Yin said.
The recent locally transmitted COVID-19
cases were mostly first detected in cities with
international airports or seaports. For example,
the viral genome sequencing of the new cases in
;L·DQKDVLGHQWLÀHGWKHPDVVWUDLQVRIWKHKLJKO\
contagious Delta variant, which are highly ho-
mologous with cases from an inbound flight on
December 4, 2021. The Omicron variant that ap-
peared in Tianjin, a coastal city in north China,
in January, too, came from overseas as the latest
global strain hadn’t occurred in the nation prior to
LWVFRQÀUPDWLRQWKHUH
China has set great store by port of entry
management, practicing caution when it comes to
LQWHUQDWLRQDOÁLJKWVDQGIRFXVLQJRQWKRVHZLWKWKH
highest risk of viral contamination, such as cold
chain workers and airport staff, Yin said.
“Cities need to prepare a science-based tool
kit to tackle the virus, including the ability to trace
close contacts, offer treatments, mobilize local
communities, and ensure normal transportation,”
Yin explained.
Many cities do well in regular prevention, he
said. Shanghai, for example, does a good job at
data-based tracing; it can swiftly and precisely lo-
cate any close contacts and seal off a smaller area
to prevent a bigger spread, Yin said.
The upcoming Spring Festival and the Olympic
and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 are
likely to intensify pressures on COVID-19 preven-
tion and control measures. China therefore should
keep its guard up, he concluded. BR
Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
Comments to taoxing@cicgamericas.com
JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 37
FEATURES DESIGN
A Badge of Honor
Beijing 2022 medal design draws on Chinese culture while
echoing Olympic Spirit By Ji Jing
T
he medals for the Olympic and
Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022
passed the quality test and were accepted
by the Games’ organizing committee at the
Shanghai Minting Corp. (SMC), the medals’ pro-
ducer, on January 7.
The medals, inspired by bi, a circular jade ceremo-
QLDOGLVNGDWLQJEDFN\HDUVDUHRIÀFLDOO\QDPHG
Tongxin, meaning together as one.
According to Liu Ke, Chairman of the SMC, each
medal has undergone 18 production processes and 20
quality inspections before its acceptance.
Meticulous design
The medals were unveiled on October 26, 2021,
100 days ahead of the opening of Beijing 2022.
Hang Hai, an associate professor of design from
the Central Academy of Fine Arts, headed the design
38 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
of the medals. He was also the main designer of the medals for the Olympic and
Paralympic Summer Games Beijing 2008, making him the only designer in the world
to have created medals for both the Winter and Summer Games.
In May 2020, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and
Paralympic Winter Games (BOCOG) solicited medal designs from around the world.
Hang formed a team comprising several colleagues and students and set about prepar-
ing designs to submit to the BOCOG.
0HGDOVUHÁHFWWKHFXOWXUHDQGFUHDWLYLW\RIWKHKRVWFRXQWU\DQGWKHFRPPLWWHH
set two basic principles for their design: First, it should continue to adopt the jade cul-
ture incorporated into the design of the Beijing 2008 medals to show continuity and
KLJKOLJKW%HLMLQJ·VVWDWXVDVWKHZRUOG·VÀUVWFLW\WRKRVWERWKWKH6XPPHUDQG:LQWHU
Games; second, it should embrace innovation in its design.
“The Beijing 2008 medals were inlaid with jade, breaking the convention that
Olympic medals be made of a single material: gold, silver or bronze, and marking an
innovation in the design of Olympic medals,” Hang told People’s Daily.
“The medals of both the Beijing 2008 and 2022 Games are intended to honor
the athletes and the Olympic spirit with traditional jade culture,” Hang said. Jade was
chosen because it has been treasured in China for thousands of years, and symbolizes
http://www.bjreview.com

XINHUA
good virtue in Chinese culture. “The difference is that
the 2008 medals used the jade as a material, while the
2022 medals embody the spirit of China’s jade cul-
ture,” he added.
In the process of designing the medals, one team
member, Lin Fan, conducted extensive research into
China’s ancient bi. Lin finally chose a five-ring one
associated with Fu Hao—a Shang Dynasty (c. 16th
century-11th century B.C.) queen and wartime hero-
ine—as the prototype for the medals.
,QWKHÀQDOGHVLJQWKHREYHUVHVLGHRIWKHPHGDOV
has the Olympic rings engraved in the center, sur-
URXQGHGE\ÀYHELJFRQFHQWULFULQJV
The five circles stand for harmony between
Heaven and Earth, and unity of mankind, which are
common concepts in Chinese culture that also echo the
Olympic values of solidarity, inclusiveness and peace.
The words “XXIV Olympic Winter Games
Beijing 2022” are also inscribed on the obverse.
Auspicious cloud patterns, an element used on the
WRUFKRIWKH*DPHVDVZHOODVVQRZÁDNHVDQGLFH
patterns are engraved between the circles.
“The cloud patterns are intended to maintain a
cultural connection with the 2008 Games, while the
The reverse of VQRZÁDNHVDQGLFHSDWWHUQVVSHDNWRWKHFKDUDFWHULVWLFV
the medals of of the Winter Olympics.”
the Olympic
On the reverse of each medal is the engraved
Winter Games
Beijing 2022 emblem of the Beijing Winter Olympics, which is
surrounded by the Chinese characters for the XXIV
Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
There are 24 dots on the concentric circles en-
graved on that side, like stars in orbit. Inspired by an
ancient Chinese celestial map, this pattern symbolizes
the expectations for the Beijing 2022 athletes to shine
like stars at the Games. Also inscribed on the reverse is
the sporting event in which the medal is won.
The medal ribbons are made of silk woven with
a traditional technique and their red color symbolizes
good fortune in Chinese culture and is a popular color
during the Spring Festival, also known as Chinese
New Year. The color is also chosen to express festi-
val greetings to athletes as the Games will begin on
February 4, during the Spring Festival holiday which
runs from January 31 to February 6 this year.
The cases holding the medals are made of bam-
boo, which is a renewable material. “The International
Olympic Committee enquired about the growth
and processing of the bamboo to ensure it meets the
requirements of a green Olympics and follows the con-
cept of sustainable development,” Hang said.
http://www.bjreview.com
FEATURES
The Paralympic medals employ similar designs.
The logo of the International Paralympic Committee
is engraved at the center of the obverse of the medals,
surrounded by inscriptions of Beijing 2022 Paralympic
Winter Games in English and Braille.
The emblem of the Paralympic Winter Games
2022 is engraved at the center of the reverse, sur-
rounded by the Chinese characters for Beijing 2022
Paralympic Winter Games. There are 13 dots on the
circles on the reverse to represent the 13th Paralympic
Winter Games.
Spiritual to physical
The design was first submitted to the BOCOG
in June 2020 and, after more than two months,
the team was informed that their work had been
shortlisted.
In October 2020, the design was sent off to the
SMC to make prototypes. The corporation also pro-
duced the medals for Beijing 2008, and Xie Xinrui,
the engineer responsible for the 2008 medal prototypes
once again worked his magic.
Xie made many trips between Shanghai and
Beijing, taking prototypes back and forth to gain feed-
back from the design team, before returning to the mint
to make the necessary adjustments.
Creating prototypes from the designs was not an
easy task. Winter Olympic medals are designed to be
larger than their Summer Olympic counterparts so
that they appear more prominently—despite athletes’
thicker clothes. After multiple tests, the design team
finally set the diameter of the medal at 8.7 cm, and
the length of the ribbon was also adjusted many times
accordingly.
7KHGHVLJQWHDPSODFHGVRPHGLIÀFXOWUHTXLUH-
ments on Xie. For instance, the medals needed to
be handpolished using traditional techniques to
JLYHWKHPDVSHFLDOVKHHQRQZKLFKQRÀQJHUSULQWV
could be left.
After more than one year of research, design,
HYDOXDWLRQDQGUHGHVLJQWKH%2&2*VHWWOHGRQDÀQDO
prototype for the medals on July 13 last year.
“The medals are the result of many people’s ef-
forts. However, the smile on the athletes’ faces as they
wear them makes it all worthwhile,” Hang said. “The
athletes might pass down the medal to their children in
the future and I wish, as time goes by, people will still
be able to see their beauty.” BR
Copyedited by G. P. Wilson
Comments to jijing@cicgamericas.com
JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 39
FEATURES THROUGH THEIR EYES
Hitting
The Right Notes
One American singer explores China’s entertainment industry
By Li Nan
A
nnie Kathryn Lowdermilk, an American
singer and actress living in Beijing, has a
beautiful face yet a very masculine Chinese
name—Tang Bohu, named after a Casanova poet and
painter who lived during China’s Ming Dynasty (1368-
1644). “He’s a crazy genius and I like a little bit of
crazy, I think that’s important in art,” Lowdermilk told
Beijing Review.
The 31-year-old has done many outside-the-box
things during her time in China: fusing Chinese tradi-
tional music, such as Peking Opera, with Western pop
music; competing in Chinese music shows; acting in
Chinese comedies; and hosting TV galas—in Chinese.
Accidental yet fundamental
Lowdermilk ended up in China’s showbiz pretty much
by accident. In early 2008, she found out a company
ZDVORRNLQJIRUDVLQJHUWRÀOODYDFDQF\LQD%HLMLQJ
based international band. She sent in a demo and got
the gig.
That same year, her family moved back to the U.S.
The then 18-year-old decided to stay in China, alone.
That marked one of her loneliest moments. “I wasn’t
able to spend as much time with my family or my
mother. So I tried to dedicate myself to work as much
as possible. I still make sure that every day I’m doing
something that’s worth being separated from my fam-
ily for,” she explained.
One year later, she became the lead singer of
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SHRSOHIURPÀYHFRQWLQHQWV7KH\ZHUHRIWHQLQYLWHG
to perform on TV shows around the country. Life was
busy.
She tried out different styles, such as folk, rock, or
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whatever is needed in that moment,” she added.
40 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
In 2011, she left the band. Being jobless in a for-
eign country, by herself, posed a great challenge to
Lowdermilk. The cost of living in Beijing was getting
higher, and every day she had to weight reality against
her dreams. After more than one year of hibernation,
she stepped back into the spotlight by taking part in a
singing talent show staged by China Central Television
(CCTV) in 2013 and came in fourth. She also started
writing her own songs. Her first original work, I Am
What I Am, was released in 2015.
Life was back on track and Lowdermilk found a
new professional direction: fusing Chinese traditional
music and various forms of Western music. Elements
of Chinese poems, local operas, pop and rock music all
hide in her musical notes.
Mastering the Chinese local operas was no easy
feat. “It’s almost impossible for us to imitate the timbre
their singing requires. The hardest thing is to make sure
people can tell it is in fact Chinese opera and not R&B
(rhythm and blues) because it’s very easy to mix up I had achieved
the two,” Lowdermilk said. She held herself to a crazy what I’d set out
standard and tried her utmost to copy exactly what her
vocal instructors had taught her. to do, which was
Her efforts paid off. One of her songs, What Bohu to be able to be
Said, went viral on Chinese social media in 2021, and
very few people knew, or realized, it was sung by a a singer,
foreigner. For Lowdermilk, it was a proud moment. “I to create
had achieved what I’d set out to do, which was to be
able to be a singer, to create music and me being for- music and me
eign not making any difference. The song in itself, my being foreign
voice in itself, resonated with people and made people
feel we were all the same,” she said. not making any
In Lowdermilk’s opinion, there’s still a bit of a mis- difference.
understanding as to what exactly Chinese traditional
music styles, or art styles, are. “It’s still stereotypical,” —Annie Kathryn
she said, adding that when talking about Chinese music Lowdermilk, singer
http://www.bjreview.com
 FEATURES

Annie Kathryn Lowdermilk (left), an

American singer and actress living
in China, performs in a TV talent show
on January 7

China is where she has spent two thirds of her life

so far. So she never uses the word “back” when talking
DERXWWKH86´$OORIWKHLPSRUWDQWÀUVWVLQOLIHKDS-
pened when I was in China. So for me, this is more my
home than anywhere else. I became attached to it and
it gave me the sense of belonging,” she said.
In the past two decades, Lowdermilk has witnessed
DKXJHFKDQJHLQWKH&KLQHVHPHQWDOLW\´:KHQ,ÀUVW
[got] here, there was so much support for the West and
its cultures and values and music,” she said. But today
she is happy to see that most young people are starting
to get back in touch with their own culture and his-
tory and the beautiful things about Chinese traditions.
One example is the popularization of hanfu, traditional
Chinese dress, among the younger generations.
She spends most of her time trying to understand
why young people today think the way they do and
why they understand traditional values the way they
do. She believes that young people are falling in love
COURTESY PHOTO

with traditional Chinese culture again because it con-

tains more value. “They enjoy the idea that in modern
times love or emotions or life can be pure,” she said.
most Westerners are still expecting music played with traditional instruments such as The pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to the
the pipa, a four-stringed lute. But for her, Chinese music represents much more than global entertainment industry. How has it impacted
that. Lowdermilk’s life? At least, it gave her a lot of time
“As a foreigner, I’d like to be able to bring some stuff to the table that can be to spend at home where she learned how to program
popular, that can be liked by the younger generations there and can really [channel a music and created her channel on Douyin, the Chinese
better] understanding of Chinese culture to the West,” she said. version of TikTok, and really worked on not just per-
forming, but on actually being a musician. “I think
Home is where the music is that’s a good thing in the sense that a lot of artists need
In her spare time, Lowdermilk loves to visit the Temple of Heaven in downtown some time to take a step back from the whole crazy
Beijing to appreciate the centuries-old trees there. “Being around them, I feel at peace, TV [biz] and really get back to their roots,” she said.
safe, as if they were old warriors never fallen, always protecting,” she said. Like most artists, Lowdermilk
Though she holds an American passport, Lowdermilk was actually born in hopes her creations can be remem-
Denmark. Before the age of 10, she had already lived in many different countries, bered and valued long after she’s
including Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Russia and the U.S., because of her par- gone, and “become a part of this
ents’ career moves. Chinese generation, its memories
Moving around a lot is a double-edged sword for a child. “It helps you accept dif- and culture.” BR
ferent cultures and gives you a much more open-minded mentality toward new things.
&RS\HGLWHGE\(OVEHWKYDQ3DULGRQ
%XWLW·VDOVRGLIÀFXOW,I\RXPRYHDURXQGDORWZKHQ\RXDUH\RXQJ\RXGRQ·WUHDOO\ Comments to linan@cicgamericas.com
have a sense of home,” she told Beijing Review.
http://www.bjreview.com JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 41
CULTURE
Styled After Culture
Even in athletics, appearance does matter By Li Xiaoyang
A
lmost seven years after win-
ning its bid to host the Olympic
Winter Games in Beijing, China
ZLOOÀQDOO\SUHVHQWLWVORQJSUHSDUHGFRP-
petition venues to the world next month.
In addition to the architectural design
of the venues, the visual identity of the
Games is also expected to be a highlight.
The emblems, pictograms, mascots and
core graphics all contribute to the appear-
ance of each venue and of the Games as a
whole.
The design team led by Lin Cunzhen,
Deputy Dean of the Design School with
the China Central Academy of Fine Arts
(CAFA), has been working on creations
that have been used as reference works
for all graphic designs appearing at the
Games. These include those on stadiums,
uniforms, tickets and merchandise. During
the design phase of these works, traditional
Chinese culture has been a major source of
inspiration.
Traditional art
The emblem, pictograms and backdrops
for the Beijing Games aim to underline
the passion and vitality of winter sports.
Design works integrating the painting of Bingxi and A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains with core graphics
44 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
Chinese characters, the ancient scripts
used on Chinese ink seals and traditional
paintings have all served as inspirations.
The emblem for the Games uses the
ÀJXUHRIDQLFHVNDWHURQWRSDQGDVNLHU
underneath to form the Chinese character
dong (winter). “The flowing, ribbon-like
motif between the two figures symbol-
izes rolling mountains, Olympic venues,
ski runs and skating rinks,” Lin, who
is in charge of the overall visual iden-
tity of the Olympics under the Culture
and Ceremonies Department of the
Beijing Organizing Committee for the
2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games
(BOCOG), said in an interview with
China Central Television.
The Beijing 2008 Olympics emblem
“Chinese Seal, Dancing Beijing” was in-
spired by Chinese calligraphy. Similarly,
the 24 pictograms of the Winter Olympic
Games are inspired by traditional
Chinese pictographs and the art of seal
cutting, Dai Yisha, a project manager in
the BOCOG Culture and Ceremonies
Department, told Beijing Review. Dai is
also an assistant professor at the Beijing
Institute of Fashion Technology.
According to Dai, the department
was tasked with creating the pictograms
in May 2020, at which time they visited
the Chinese Academy of History for
consultation. During the visit, they were
inspired by ancient Chinese pictograms
and calligraphy. Based on photos of ath-
letes provided by the sports authorities,
they captured the most characteristic mo-
ments of each sport’s athletes in action.
After comparison and selection, they
chose running script, known as xingshu,
as the script in which to depict each pic-
togram. The pictograms of sports such as
figure skating and cross-country skiing
were revised several times by changing
the direction and size of the sketches to
fully convey the speed and power of the
sports and make international audiences
identify each sport easily.
After the designs were created
digitally, the team then turned to Zhang
Mingguan, a professor at the CAFA.
Zhang carved each of the pictograms
onto stone seals to test the designs, and
the team then revised the digital image
based on Zhang’s results. Finally released
in 2021, the pictograms will be widely COURTESY PHOTO
http://www.bjreview.com

applied in areas such as event signpost-
ing, advertising, communications, TV
broadcasting and souvenir design.
Traditional Chinese painting is yet
another source of inspiration for the
Olympic designers. According to Dai,
a painting titled Bingxi, which means
ice games, produced during the Qing
Dynasty (1644-1911), depicts ice skat-
ers performing for the imperial audience
in the 18th century. The scene depicted
in the painting demonstrates that winter
sports have a long history in China. The
painting is now in the collection of the
Palace Museum in Beijing. In the design
of banners, the team merged the Bingxi
with mountain shapes taken from tradi-
tional Chinese paintings. Some of the
mountainous silhouettes are also based
on pictures of the Taihang Mountains,
which envelop some of the competition
zones.
Other paintings, such as A Thousand
Miles of Rivers and Mountains created
in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and
ink paintings of plum blossoms, which
represent nobility, strength and mod-
esty in Chinese culture, have also been
incorporated into the Olympic designs.
The designs have been presented in halls
for athletes, guests and reporters at the
BOCOG.
Palettes of the past
Since the Games will coincide with the
Chinese New Year this year, red, which
is an auspicious color in traditional
Chinese culture, has been widely adopted
in all the designs. Shuey Rhon Rhon,
the mascot of the Paralympics 2022, is
a cartoon red lantern, which also carries
connotations of auspiciousness and best
wishes for the festival. Red lanterns will
also be hung across indoor venues during
the Games.
Red is only one of the major tones
used in the designs. Since the 2004
Olympics in Athens, every Olympic
organizing committee has developed a
unique system of colors and core graph-
ics. According to Dai, Chinese traditional
http://www.bjreview.com
Pictograms of the Beijing 2022 Games
architecture, paintings and porcelains are
major sources of inspiration for the color
system developed by China. Dai’s team
also collected tones of the urban and
natural winter landscapes from all three
competition zones—downtown Beijing,
Zhangjiakou and Yanqing—to create the
color schemes.
The designers developed a system
that uses 13 colors. The five major ones
are glowing red, spring yellow, sapphire
sky, Great Wall gray and snow white. The
team revised the colors multiple times
in order to use them to their best effect
during broadcasts. According to Dai, the
color gray, previously used in the Beijing
2008 Olympics, is derived not only from
the color of the Great Wall, but also from
Beijing’s traditional courtyard housing,
known as a siheyuan.
Many of the colors stem from miner-
als used by traditional Chinese painters.
Mineral pigments were widely applied in
ancient Chinese artworks. These primitive
mineral pigments are chemically stable
and do not fade easily over time. Through
the use of such pigments, ancient artworks
such as cave paintings and glazed ceram-
ics have retained their stunning colors,
even after thousands of years.
CULTURE
COURTESY PHOTO
Dai also explained that the color
known as sapphire sky is based on the
color of the blue glaze used on traditional
Chinese blue and white ceramics. The
main material used to produce blue glaze
was brought into China along the ancient
Silk Road hundreds of years ago. Sapphire
sky is the major color used in the construc-
tion of Big Air Shougang, also known
as the “Crystal Shoe,” a steep ski ramp
located in Beijing’s Shougang Industrial
Park, one of the Olympic venues.
Connecting past and present, all ele-
ments of the Olympic visual identity are
expected to impress the audience during
the Games. Even though many of them
PD\RQO\DSSHDULQÁDVKHV'DLKRSHVWKH
designs will garner global attention and
that viewers will spot the Chinese ele-
ments in each one.
“Our designs feature typical Chinese
styles. Through the
Olympics, Chinese
culture will once
again be introduced
to the world,” she
concluded. BR
Copyedited by G.P. Wilson
Comments to lixiaoyang@cicgamericas.com
JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 45
CULTURE
A Spring in
Their Step
A
ccording to the Chinese lunar calendar, the first
three months of the new year, which starts on
February 1 this year, mark the whole of spring-
time at different stages. Spring season commences in the
second month, allowing people to venture outside once
again after the cold deep of winter to enjoy a beautiful
brisk walk.
Introducing the customs and cultural activities of each
solar term, the Beijing-based Capital Museum plans to
host several exhibitions themed on the four seasons. The
spring edition opened to the public on December 31, 2021.
Through over 120 groups of cultural relics, the exposition
46 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022

introduces a variety of the city’s Spring Festival traditions
and activities dating to the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-
1911). Special occasions such as the Flower Festival,
FHOHEUDWLQJWKHELUWKGD\RIWKHÁRZHUJRGGHVVRQWKHWK
day of the second lunar month, are also covered.
By showcasing the different characteristics and
connotations of seasonal culture, the displays, a true dem-
onstration of time travel, see visitors relive the beauty of
ancient springtime. BR
(Text and photos by Wei Yao)
Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon
Comments to dingying@cicgamericas.com
http://www.bjreview.com
 CULTURE
 3

1. Traditional furniture incorporating

various spring elements is on display
inside a hall featuring red lanterns

2. Elements like kites related to springtime

decorate the exhibition

3. A visitor looks at a painting on the

multimedia screen, describing imperial court
events surrounding Spring Festival by Xu Yang,
a court painter to the Qianlong Emperor of
the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Xu created
the work based on 20 spring-themed poems
composed by Qianlong

$JROGDSULFRWEORVVRPZLWKEXWWHUß\
shaped hairpin themed on the Flower
5 Festival dates to the Qing Dynasty

5. Replicas of New Year woodblock prints

FUHDWHGLQWKH4LQJ'\QDVW\UHßHFWWKH
folk customs and traditions in the Beijing-
Tianjin-Hebei region of the Lantern Festival,
FHOHEUDWHGRQWKHWKGD\RIWKHĶUVWOXQDU
month

http://www.bjreview.com JANUARY 20, 2022 BEIJING REVIEW 47

EXPAT’S EYE
Nailing the Test of Time
By Elsbeth van Paridon
very so often, a Chinese fashion
LFRQXQZLWWLQJO\ÁLSSHGWKHIDVK-
ion slash beauty landscape upside
down. This time, we unearth the imperial
tomb of China’s Empress Dowager Cixi
(1835-1908). And her spiking passion for
swanky nails.
They say you’re not rich until you
have something money can’t buy. The
upper-class ladies of ancient China would
concur: long nails weren’t for sale. The
natural outcome was to stretch the canvas.
And so nails grew. Colors were spilled,
sparkles were deployed. The confines of
a nail couldn’t deter the Chinese people’s
raging creativity and desire for social
display.
Ancient Chinese nobles started grow-
ing long nails during the Warring States
Period (475-221 B.C.) to show that they
weren’t manual laborers, but it wasn’t until
the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) that long
nails and nail guards became a prominent
symbol of material prosperity. Given
long nails could easily cause harm and
get harmed, the longer the nails, the more
“impaired” the wearer, the more servants
required, and the more fortune drained.
2KWKHFRVWLWWDNHVWRÁDXQWZHDOWK
The long nail trend reached its peak in
the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), with Cixi
as its poster woman. The Marie Antoinette
of the East, her beauty hacks and fashion
choices were to be revered and replicated
where possible. Cixi nurtured a nail length
of roughly 20 cm on her ring and pinky
ÀQJHUVDQGFRFRRQHGWKHPLQJHPODGHQ
colorful nail guards.
During the day, Cixi usually wore nail
guards made of gold or silver. According
to the memoirs of her maid, before bed,
she would switch them into nail pockets
made of bright yellow (the color reserved
for Chinese emperors and empresses) sat-
in, presumably in a motherly manner akin
48 BEIJING REVIEW JANUARY 20, 2022
The author takes a
ELSBETH VAN PARIDON
VHOĶHDOOGHFNHGRXWLQ
Qing Dynasty (1644-
1911) empress style,
nail guards included
to tucking her nail babies
into their sleeping bags.
Arguably one of the
most iconic accessories
of the Qing royals, the
nail guard had purposes
beyond accessorizing.
The humble origins
of nail guards began in
the Han Dynasty (202
B.C.-A.D. 220), more
than a millennium prior
to their mainstream glory. At that time, kingfisher feathers. Their ends could be
they weren’t particularly decorative. It rounded or sharp.
wasn’t until the Qing Dynasty that they Long nails may no longer be front and
became as delicate and flamboyant as center on the vogue stage. Yet the icon sta-
people today know them to have been. tus of period drama series like Empresses
Since nail guards were a social signal, in the Palace (2011), Ruyi’s Royal Love
the more complex their design, the higher in the Palace (2018), and Story of Yanxi
up the concubine wearing them was on Palace (2018) ushered in the dominance
the royal ladder. Common design patterns of the Morandi color palette in China’s
included plants, flowers, and calligraphy nail art circle. Inspired by Italian painter
art. Cixi, on the other hand, had exclusive Giorgio Morandi, the manicure industry
rights to dragon and phoenix carvings on today also adopts a more subdued color
her nail guards. Needless to say, she didn’t scheme that gives off a feeling of balance
skimp on exercising these rights. and elegance.
Nail guards had very diverse looks. 1RERG\LVSXWWLQJWKHQDLOLQWKHFRIÀQ
They could be made of gold, silver, anytime soon. BR
bronze, jade, gilded metal, vitreous enam-
el, hawksbill sea turtle shells, or cloisonné, The author is an editorial consultant with Beijing Review
Comments to dingying@cicgamericas.com
usually inlayed with gemstones, glass, and
http://www.bjreview.com
In addition to Beijing Review,
Review, CICG Americas
publishes China Hoy,
Hoy, a monthly general
information magazine launched in 1960.
It aims to build a bridge between China and
the Spanish-speaking world,
especially Latin American countries.

Websites: http://www.spanish.chinatoday.cn
http://www.chinahoy.mx