Girl in Olympic opening ceremony's voice dubbed

by Angie Felton (Subscribe to Angie Felton's posts) Aug 12th 2008 2:00PM

Categories: Behaving Badly, In The News, Weird But True

The Olympics are all about healthy competition, but it isn't the cutthroat kind of competition found in the music industry. It's all about working hard, perserverance, good sportsmanship and trying your best. Or is it?!

Apparently in an effort to present the best, most attractive Western-looking face possible, nine-year-old Lin Miaoke was chosen to sing "Ode to the Motherland" during the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. There was only one problem: Miaoke' wasn't actually singing the song. The angelic voice heard by a billion people actually belonged to seven-year-old Yang Peiyi, whose face was deemed not adorable enough to represent China in the ceremony.

A British ex-pat Chris Smith, who has been living in Beijing for nine years, told a reporter: "It's because China is obsessed with promoting a certain look, girls should be more Western-looking with high cheekbones. They don't like rounded faces. Olympic officials also chose only tall, slim, attractive women of a certain look to hand out medals."

The music direction of the show Chen Qigang explained it this way, "This is in the national interest. It is the image of our national music, national culture, especially during the entrance of our national flag. This is an extremely important, extremely serious matter. I think it is fair to both Lin Miaoke and Yang Peiyi."

Having an attractive person serve as frontman for a more vocally talented, but less marketable singer is nothing new, just ask the surviving member of Milli Vanilli. It's too bad that people in power within the Chinese government that made this decision have not yet realized that imperfections are what makes kids so great.

There was no need to cobble together a super-kid, a child with a voice like that is guaranteed to awe and inspire the world.

Source

Comments (10)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

queenoqueens 8-12-2008 @ 2:54PM

Something else that we all have in common, regardless of race, color or creed ----- superficiality.

Nice....

CLM 8-12-2008 @ 5:51PM

LOL!

ninainindia 8-12-2008 @ 9:14PM

I dislikes the lipsyncing right away, but I still thought she was lipsyncing to her own voice!

Funny thing is, some people here (in China) are complaining that the guy that sang together with Sarah Brightmanis too ugly and he shouldn't have been allowed to sing, because now all Westerners think Chinese people look like that! I told the person that told me that that there were thousands of other Chinese men in the ceremony why would we think all Chinese look like the singer???

Also, I doubt overweight and/or ugly girls presented the medals at any of the other Olympics held in the past.

Jan Bay 8-12-2008 @ 9:30PM

Lovely. Another message sent loud and clear that it's not about accomplishment or character, but about what another perceives to be beautiful. Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall to hear how they broke it to the singer? I wonder if they said something like, "Honey, you sing like a bird, but this other little girl is so much PRETTIER".

Jan from http://www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com/

Erin 8-12-2008 @ 11:47PM

I comprehend that they had a certain image in mind, but Yang Peiyi is adorable! How could you not be charmed by a cute little face like that?! I guess I could understand if she was too shy to perform in front of such a huge audience, talent like that doesn't always necessarily come with an ability to perform in front of others, but it doesn't sound that like was the case. I hope she grows up to understand how unique, talented and worthy she really is!

Rosslynn Carpenter 8-13-2008 @ 12:10AM

Just like any other place in the world.....valuing physical "perfection" over anything else. I tell me girls (who all model professionally) that if they were in a horrible disfiguring accident, I would not love them less due to the fact that they are beautiful girls on the inside and that only makes them even more beautiful on the outside.
I just wish more people had this mind set.

safwanmp 8-13-2008 @ 2:42AM

perfectly
ONE WORLD ONE DREAM

John French 8-13-2008 @ 5:07AM

I agree with Jan above that this really is disappointing. I read about it on the train this morning, and was really shocked.

Mate of mine sent me the link to the olympic opening ceremony video so I could see it
http://www.hawtclips.com/video/WZTJm8KDWYU/opening-ceremony-kicks-off-olympics.html

LucyLu 8-13-2008 @ 8:49AM

Life, particularly childhood, is tough enough without having to endure a very public blow to your self-esteem. Maybe now that the true story has been told, Miaoke will get a chance to shine.

SK 8-13-2008 @ 12:18PM

The talent of children is more important than looks. Children always look more cute when they have the talent. Its horrible to change a child from performing on the stage on the basis of looks. Yang Peiyi is still adorable because of her voice and her talent of singing had to be considered.

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