CHINA: OLYMPICS: 13,112 metre Olympic scroll is unfurled across the Great Wall of China

Record ID: 334822

  • Title: CHINA: OLYMPICS: 13,112 metre Olympic scroll is unfurled across the Great Wall of China
  • Date: 14th July 2008
  • Summary: TRADITIONAL MUSICIANS AND DANCERS IN RED PERFORMING IN FRONT OF BANNER SAYING "OLYMPIC DRAGON" ON THE GREAT WALL DRUMMER HITTING LARGE DRUM WITH BEIJING OLYMPIC LOGO ON IT TRADITIONAL DANCERS DRUMMERS HITTING DRUMS TWO PERFORMERS CRASHING SYMBOLS TOGETHER DANCERS AND MUSICIANS PERFORMING BY GREAT WALL
  • Embargoed: 29th July 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Lifestyle,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAAPOGU112BUMEXCX7XW58MIWFZ
  • Story Text: Temperatures in the mid 30s (degrees Celsius) could do nothing to beat the spirits of hundreds of volunteers carrying the "Olympic Dragon" banner across the Ju Yongguan section of the Great Wall in Beijing on Sunday (July 13).
    Being touted by organisers as the longest of its kind, the 13,112 metre-long banner features national and regional flags of the 205 countries participating in the Olympics, along with logos of the 2008 Beijing Games.
    Emily Rudd from Australia was among the tourists who were puffing and panting as they climbed up the Great Wall in the scorching sunshine, and said she couldn't believe the effort that had gone into spreading the banner over the thousands of metres.
    "I think it's pretty amazing that they had people standing about every five metres to hold it, and they're pretty dedicated and happy to promote the Olympics, so I guess it's good," she said.
    Another tourist, Michael Tyler from the USA, said the effort the organisers had been through was worth it - he said the bright colours and flags were a welcome distraction for the visitors fighting their way up the wall in the heat, and that the organisers couldn't have picked a better location.
    "I mean anybody who thinks of China, the first thing you think of is the Great Wall, so that is the epitomy of the icon of China."
    The length of the creation - 13,112 meters - represents the 1.3 billion Chinese who are welcoming the Beijing Games and the 112 years since the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens.
    One of the volunteers, 22 year-old Jiang Qiang said it was a proud moment for him, but it had been a struggle to spread the banner across such a terrain.
    "We came out at 5am this morning, then we passed it all the way over there and spaced ourselves out. It was pretty difficult."
    Since then he had spent over three hours standing in the sun holding the banner for admiring tourists.
    The project was spearheaded by the Chinese-American artist Zhao Jianhai, or Pop Zhao, who holds the Guiness Book of World Records title for the longest artwork for his 10,000 metre "Olympic Dragon" which he unveiled on the Great Wall in 2001. The present artwork commemorates the seventh anniversary of the Chinese capital being selected to host the 29th Olympic Games.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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