KEY POINTS:
What a spectacular Opening Ceremony! Now you can believe what I wrote last week.
I received a call from my Christchurch homestay mum Veronica on the early Saturday morning. She was too excited to sleep after watching the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
"Jingjing, this is the most impressive thing I've watched! What can I say? Everything is perfect! Only Chinese can do it!" I enjoyed her comments; I am always confident about my country.
I first stepped on to New Zealand soil in 2003. Veronica picked me up and took me to their Lyttleton home.
She led me to the dinning room and pointed to the 21 inch television told me proudly, "Do you know? This-is-T-E-L-E-V-I-S-I-O-N!"
I felt very funny as her question showed she didn't know China at all.
Then I imitated her kiwi tone, "Oh! T-V-! Is that a W-a-s-h-i-n-g-m-a-c-h-i-n-e?"
Of course we become very good friends from then on, and she travelled to Beijing for the first time last year. She fell in love with this city.
I've heard and read many many comments on the ceremony, even when I was waiting for the traffic lights, some lovely kiwis beside smiled at me said "Congratulations!"
Everyone in this city is talking about China, Olympics and Beijing. I love that!
Actually no words can represent my proud feelings for my motherland, when the little girl in red skirt sang, "Chanting for our homeland". I was so touched. At that moment I'd never missed Beijing - the place I grew up - quite like that.
Thanks to TVNZ's whole day live Olympic programming, I didn't leave my sofa all weekend. Friends got together at my place watching two countries we love and support, China and New Zealand. Although New Zealand hasn't win any medals yet, Kiwis didn't show too much disappointment. They still kept smiling and kept their optimisim; I think that's the real way of embracing the Olympic spirit.
The world gives us 16 sixteen days to let people know about China; and Chinese people are using their hard work and intelligence to reflect back to the world five thousand years of Chinese civilisation.
As an 80s-born Chinese, I'm happy to see more and more understanding from people all over the world. I treat the critical comments as a kind of concern about my country, and I appreciate the billions of eyes watching China today.
From the day 08/08/2008, China is going to be more and more successful.
- Jing Jing Wei
Pictured above: Chinese police officers take pictures of fireworks outside the cordoned off Tiananmen Square in Beijing. (AP Photo / Anja Niedringhaus)
