Olympic singer 'a fake'

Little girl who sang Chinese song at Olympics opening ceremony was dubbed, organisers admit

Reddit Stumble

 

Also In The News

Georgian capital under threat as Russians advance
Georgian forces have been withdrawn to defend their capital, Tbilisi, as Russian forces moved out of the disputed province of South Ossetia.

• Mugabe: Zimbabwe will never be a colony again
• Beheading suspect 'not to be deported'
• Olympic chiefs investigating Beijing censorship

 

Tuesday, 12, Aug 2008 04:02

The little girl who appeared on stage to sing a patriotic Chinese song at the Olympics opening ceremony was not the actual singer, the show's musical director has revealed.

The real singer was considered not photogenic enough to put on stage so a cuter girl was picked to mime the words.

"The reason was for the national interest. The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings, and expression," said Chen Qigang, general music designer of the ceremony.

Organisers therefore picked pigtailed Lin Miaoke to appear instead of Yang Peiyi, whose chubby face and uneven teeth were considered unbecoming.

Last Tuesday, the official China Daily hailed Lin Miaoke as a rising star, with photographs of her appearance published all over the world.