There are numerous things that fall under the category of ubiquitous for these Games. Sports-related commercials; security guards; national flags; crying Chinese athletes and journalists; medals tallies (Chinese are reveling in the fact that they have won more gold medals than the US); TV monitors broadcasting all the action — on trains, buses, subways, restaurants, parks — they are everywhere.
And then there's the song – "Beijing Huanying Ni (Beijing Welcomes You). It's almost 7 minutes in length and features the singing of many of China's stop music stars singing in front of the photogenic places in Beijing. In the weeks prior to the Games it was adopted as the theme song–and it seems as though the government propaganda department has ordered that it be broadcast on radio or TV nearly non-stop. It was clever and interesting the first time, but now, with the final days of the Games upon us, it has borrowed its way into my brain like some kind of nasty worm — or worse a Barry Manilow song.
I was watching the news awhile ago and saw a report that a new song is about to be released, titled "It's Hard to Say Good-bye." Actually, it won't be. They've been fun, but enough is enough. And please, please, please….no more songs!
