The child singer at the opening ceremonies was lip syncing:
When nine-year-old Lin Miaoke launched into Ode to the Motherland at the Olympic opening ceremony, she became an instant star.
“Tiny singer wins heart of nation,” China Daily sighed; “Little girl sings, impresses the world,” gushed another headline, perhaps in reference to Lin’s appearance on the front of the New York Times. Countless articles lauded the girl in the red dress who “lent her voice” to the occasion.
But now it emerges that Lin was lent someone else’s voice, following high-level discussions – which included a member of the Politburo – on the relative photogenicity of small children.
The recording to which Lin mouthed along on Friday was by the even younger Yang Peiyi. It seems that Yang’s uneven teeth, while unremarkable in a seven-year-old, were considered potentially damaging to China’s international image. . . At the last minute, officials decided a switch was needed, according to the translation by the China Digital Times website.
This is also interesting:
The switch may reflect underlying cultural preferences as well as the incredible attention paid to Olympic preparations.
Research by Daniel Hamermesh, an economist at the University of Texas, has suggested that the “beauty premium” in parts of China is far more pronounced than in the west for women.
Dr Hamermesh’s work shows that ugly people earn below the average income while beautiful people earn more. In Britain, attractive women enjoy a +1% premium. But in Shanghai, the figure was +10%.
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