Beijing's Olympian experiment went live Sunday. The city ordered private vehicles with odd-numbered license plates not to budge. One million carbon dioxide belchers - those bearing even-numbered license plates - sat out Monday's commute. Motorists will observe alternating restrictions through September. Only clear skies and streets on August 8th, for the 2008 Games Opening Ceremonies, will prove or...

Beijing has run up roadside banners for the 2008 Games, and unveiled a new fleet of double-decker public buses blanketed in Olympics-themed advertising. A few days ago, I received three rapid-fire copies of this text message from 10086 - apparently a public service number: "The Central Propaganda Department, the Central Civilization Office and the Foreign Propaganda Department declare July 16th the...

There's an old Confucian saying, 'he er bu tong.' Literally, it means 'harmonious but not the same.' According to Yan Xing, a doctoral candidate in Chinese philosophy at Beijing Normal University, 'he er bu tong' could also mean 'a successful 2008 Olympic Games.' "Confucius taught that we can all learn from one another," Yan said. "He believed in solving problems through dialogue. That's what the O...

Waist-deep in preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing's organizers are engaged in risk managment. So much could go right - the Chinese have promised to deliver an unforgettable Olympis. And so much could go wrong. Smoggy skies threaten, as do terrorists hailing from inside China and abroad. China's imprisonment of dissidents and ties with war-torn Sudan lurk just off-stage. A wide array of...

Blogging Beijing is a research blog, not a news-aggregator. Rather than analyze the many reports generated every day in and/or about the 2008 Olympic Games, Blogging Beijing explores China's dynamic culture, landscape and people. I include a list of 'newslinks' below each Blogging Beijing entry for readers who want to know more about the city and the Games. But once in a while, a story or work of r...