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Fast Cary

I was just playin' a friendly game of pool tonight, but I look like I'm out for blood. LOL

Zai Jian, Zai Jian!

Well the two weeks of global celebration and togetherness have concluded. The ceremonies haven't even been broadcast here in the U.S. yet at this writing, and the press has already moved on to obsessing about the Democratic Convention in Denver.

I was by all accounts a gorgeous Olympics. The immense opening and closing ceremonies especially were overwhelming. David Brooks of "The New York Times" wrote an excellent article entitled "Harmony and the Dream"  comparing and contrasting Chinese and American culture, pointing out, for instance, "If you show an American an image of a fish tank, the American will usually describe the biggest fish in the tank and what it is doing. If you ask a Chinese person to describe a fish tank, the Chinese will usually describe the context in which the fish swim."

Darcy Zhang remarked, "This article is good ,explain many things , now i could understand you better, i see why you are so surprised with the ceremony, that many people act like one must make you feel unbelievable , but for me , it is nothing.that is the culture difference. We really don't care communism or captalism , we just wanna be rich and strong. and you know what is the good sign , i notice now China are like grown-ups, we no longer care what the other said about us .we are confident and open minded, the people don't care much about who win the medal and who is the first place .we just wanna to have fun and enjoy the game . we don't have to proof ourself to anyone , we know the world well and we know what we are doing."

Beijing looked to hosting the Olympics as their joining with and entree to the wider mainstream world. But this wish brings to mind a metaphor my friend Kim Martin once made about weddings. It goes something like:

"You plan for it for years, you make sure every detail is addressed and everything is perfect. On your wedding day, everybody comes from all over. The ceremony is gorgeous, every one is wearing their best clothes, everyone tells you how beautiful you are and what a handsome couple you make. The music is perfection, the dance is glorious, the decor is breathtaking, the cake is spectacular and the wedding night is bliss, and the next day you awaken ...

... and you're MARRIED."

"The Eastern Style Romance"

Last night I finally had the opportunity to see "Curse of the Golden Flower", Zhang Yimou's 2007 movie about the Tang Dynasty, starring Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li as the Emperor and Empress.

Aside from the Shakespearean machinations, the opulence is something that only China can do. It probably surpasses "Cleopatra" in set design elegance. Only what nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox is just the merest bagatelle for the resourceful Chinese.

What you see above is a Forbidden City-style palace built to scale, no CGI f/x, and our hero is in a vast plaza of thousands of Chrysanthemums. A great battle ensues in the plaza with thousands of golden soldiers, and at it's conclusion an equally large army of palace staff in a matter of hours clears the bodies, hoses away the blood, sweeps up the detritus, lays new carpet and replaces the thousands of Chrysanthemums in time for an important festival.

This breathtaking display of sheer manpower in service to one idea could not help but call to mind the extravagantly opulent Friday night Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Beijing, also produced by, yes, Zhang Yimou!

Darcy Zhang, my China correspondent, weighs-in:

Zhang Yi Mou , the director takes 2 years to prepare this , a lot of time and a lot of money , as to the newspaper , there are almost 8 billon people in China watch this show , at the 8 pm that day , the street almost empty , everyone stay with the TV and the show, it is glad that there is no mistake or any bad thing happen to the flame. but as my friends told me in Beijing , It was extremely hot and wet that day in Beijing ,believe me , it must be very tough to wear such heavy and formal clothes in that day.

Interesting thing is , I did not enjoy the show quite much, I prefer the last one in Greece ,I thought it was lack of passion and not catch my eyes , kinda slow , I expected would be more crazy and fashion one , but seems the western and many others do enjoy it .the flame is good though ,but too many wires , they could do it better.but any way , I Do glad you enjoy it . The eastern style romance.