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Dog meat has been struck from the menus of officially designated Olympic restaurants and
Beijing tourism officials are telling other outlets to discourage consumers from ordering
dishes made from dogs. (AP)
Dog meat has been struck from the menus of officially designated Olympic restaurants and
Beijing tourism officials are telling other outlets to discourage consumers from ordering
dishes made from dogs. (AP)
Beijing Dumps Dog Meat for Olympics
Beijing is hustling to overhaul its image, removing dog meat from restaurant menus, while the world counts down the days until the opening ceremonies.
30-Second Summary
With just three weeks to go before Olympians and spectators descend on the city, Beijing is working desperately to sanitize itself. Removing dog meat from the menus of designated Olympic restaurants is just one of many steps being taken to transform the city.
But Beijing is not the only Olympic city that has tried to hide its sore spots from the world.
During the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, a resident of the black and Latino neighborhood Watts told United Press International, “It’s like we’re walled off from the Olympics. They don’t want visitors to see us.”
Furthermore, a local tuxedo shop distributed 250 tuxedos and 90 pairs of shoes to the city’s homeless “in an effort to ‘dress up L.A.’ for the Olympics,” said Karen West of United Press International.
Similarly, during the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, much was “hidden or scrubbed off to make a good impression on NBC and the world,” reported Bernie Lincicome of the Chicago Tribune.
The 11th-hour clean-up efforts are widespread in Beijing. To limit pollution, drivers will only be allowed on the roads every other day, coinciding with new subway and rail lines opening later this week.
Additionally, recycling centers have been shut down and garbage pickers driven out—measures Beijing officials claim are necessary to ensure the health of Olympic visitors.
Residents are concerned that the societal elements deemed undesirable, and the qualities being altered or tossed aside, are what lend the city its character and charm. The new Beijing is false, they say.
Furthermore, ordinary residents of Beijing have been forcibly evicted from their homes to make room for Olympic venues and other new infrastructure, often without compensation.
While antipollution measures, such as emissions restrictions, are seen as positive changes, the entire Olympic preparation process is being questioned. If Beijing continues implementing strict security measures and close monitoring of journalists, the games could turn out to be a big headache, critics assert.
But Beijing is not the only Olympic city that has tried to hide its sore spots from the world.
During the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, a resident of the black and Latino neighborhood Watts told United Press International, “It’s like we’re walled off from the Olympics. They don’t want visitors to see us.”
Furthermore, a local tuxedo shop distributed 250 tuxedos and 90 pairs of shoes to the city’s homeless “in an effort to ‘dress up L.A.’ for the Olympics,” said Karen West of United Press International.
Similarly, during the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, much was “hidden or scrubbed off to make a good impression on NBC and the world,” reported Bernie Lincicome of the Chicago Tribune.
The 11th-hour clean-up efforts are widespread in Beijing. To limit pollution, drivers will only be allowed on the roads every other day, coinciding with new subway and rail lines opening later this week.
Additionally, recycling centers have been shut down and garbage pickers driven out—measures Beijing officials claim are necessary to ensure the health of Olympic visitors.
Residents are concerned that the societal elements deemed undesirable, and the qualities being altered or tossed aside, are what lend the city its character and charm. The new Beijing is false, they say.
Furthermore, ordinary residents of Beijing have been forcibly evicted from their homes to make room for Olympic venues and other new infrastructure, often without compensation.
While antipollution measures, such as emissions restrictions, are seen as positive changes, the entire Olympic preparation process is being questioned. If Beijing continues implementing strict security measures and close monitoring of journalists, the games could turn out to be a big headache, critics assert.
Headline Links: The final stretch cleanup
The Associated Press reports Beijing has removed dog meat from the menus of “officially designated Olympic restaurants,” and other establishments have been told to discourage customers from purchasing dog-infused meals.
Source: Newsday (AP)
According to U.K. newspaper The Guardian, in the remaining weeks until the Olympics, “Beijing is in the throes of a final clean-up not just of streets and buildings, but ‘undesirable’ social elements and potential troublemakers,” including the thousands of migrant workers responsible for carrying out much of the city’s beautification process. Some residents have expressed frustration with the changes to the city’s characteristic gritty vibrancy.
Source: The Guardian
Audio: 'Is China's Approach to the Olympics too Strict?'
Source: The BBC
Background: Beijing buckles down
In April 2008, Beijing announced new actions to reduce pollution leading up to the Olympics, according to a Reuters video. Several large factories were forced to close for two months, and heavy polluters were asked to reduce emissions by 30 percent, among other measures.
Source: Reuters
Related Topics: A laundry list of changes; dog meat and sports
As construction for Olympic venues proceeds and Beijing is beautified for the big event, thousands of residents are being forcibly evicted from their homes, typically without notice or compensation. The Chinese government denies any wrongdoing, but homeless, and in some cases physically injured, citizens, claim otherwise.
Source: findingDulcinea
Livelihoods are being sacrificed as Beijing attempts an image overhaul, reports the BBC. Beijing is pushing out garbage pickers and shutting down recycling centers to ensure the health of Games visitors, government advisors said. Temporary workers forced to move home will not be compensated for missed work.
Source: The BBC
Beijing’s brand new, $3.3 billion subway and rail lines are expected to open July 20, 2008, in time to receive millions of Olympic Games visitors in August. Coinciding with the opening will be a strict automobile reduction plan, which allows people to drive only every other day.
Source: MSNBC
The Washington Post reported that security checkpoints instituted along roads leading to Beijing, as well as randomly placed checks on suburban and inner-city roads, have caused major traffic delays in excruciating summer heat. Identity cards are required of drivers and passengers entering Beijing, and authorities are searching for “dangerous goods” in cars, said the Post.
Source: The Washington Post (free registration may be required)
In November 2001, before the World Cup co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, FIFA spoke out against cruelty to animals in South Korea, where dogs have been tortured and are used in popular dishes. Dog restaurants were banned during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but dishes such as spicy dog soup remained popular among residents.
Source: The BBC
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