What’s the buzz at the Olympics? For millions of China’s avid internet users, it’s the search for hot athletes. While most of us find the 204 countries entering the stadium a tad bit long, many have also put the images into good use: comparing which country’s flag bearer is the hottest and try to identify good looking athletes from different delegations.

This detective work is China’s big internet phenomenon, ‘人肉搜索/ren2 rou4 sou1 suo3′ or man powered search. It’s actually a combination of the web and real life where an everyday person for whatever reason becomes noticed on the web (more often than not for scandalous reasons). It triggers people to mobilise and contribute or find out information about the person through means from real life and the web.

So far, the flag bearer from Mauritius and a number of Scandinavian girls lead the sexiness tally.   

Besides team China and President Hu Jintao, I think Vladimir Putin and Kobe Bryant got the loudest cheer from the audience at yesterday’s opening ceremony. What a great illustration of China’s past and present. (the crowds went out for North Korea too)

I’ve picked up a new word and a new lifestyle (or at least an eating habit) in July: pescatarian. During a recent lunch with a friend who has also swore off meat (for life though), he was admittedly very proud of his choice and action. ‘Meat is the centerpiece of the meal. To pull off a pescatarian diet is an overhaul,’ he said. Yes, it is. But No, meat is NOT the centerpiece of a meal. Only at that moment did I realise how I’ve taken the fundamental diet difference between the West and East (albeit the generalisation) entirely for granted.

In Chinese diet, meat is a condiment. More often than not, it’s diced or sliced into bite sizes rather than being served as a thick slab. Meat doesn’t dictate the rest of the meal. On the contrary, it is treated as a component of a meal along with an ample amount of vegetable, which brings up another dietary fundamental: balance and moderation, which applies to both the use of ingredients and portion.

‘So what is the centerpiece of a Chinese meal?’ my perplexed friend wonders. I’d say rice. It’s a staple. In fact, a benchmark for whether a dish tastes good is if it compliments rice. We have a word, 下饭/ xia4 fan4, which means a dish tastes good, but essentially describes that the dish goes well with rice.

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Among the many closely guarded secrets at the Beijing Olympics, theme song is at the very top of the secret list. 5 songs stood out from more than 10,000 submissions to be shortlisted.

Olympic theme songs tend to be ostentatiously majestic. My favourite out of the 5 though is a refreshing tune that evokes folk songs of old Beijing. It’s called 北京欢迎您/Bei3 jing1huan1 ying2 nin2/ Beijing Welcomes You. If the other songs are grand prime ribs, this one is a sorbet, like a dash of summer rain. The music video takes you to different parts of Beijing while a comprehensive congregation of celebrities from the Chinese speaking world each gets to sing one line. If you are patient enough to get through the entire 6:50 minutes, you will have a good taste of Beijing and who’s who of our show biz.

红楼梦/Hong Lou Meng or Dream of the Red Chamber, a classical novel widely regarded as one of the finest literary piece in Chinese history is being adapted into a TV series once again.

The first version was produced 20 years ago by CCTV, China’s state media. The excessively powdered faces and vibrant colour scheme are a tell-tale sign of the 80′s. 

Nonethelss, it was an ambitious and successful undertaking that took almost 5 years to complete. Actors underwent intensive classic literature and cultural boot camp in order to bring out the essence of the novel. 

Hong Lou Meng has captured the public imagination ever since 曹雪芹/Cao xueqin wrote it 300 years ago. So the new production has some big shoes to fill. Not only are people looking for representation of the literary masterpiece, but also comparing it with the first TV adaptation. This explains why the entire casting process took the form of a talent show for the masses to watch and vote. The show was a rating’s champion, although many of the actors chosen were finally vetoed by the director (publicity stunt?). In fact,  the casting process turned out to rival the intrigue and plot portrayed in the book. 

Here is the picture of the 2 leading characters: 宝玉/Bao Yu and 黛玉/Dai Yu. Both actors are unknown new comers who will play the characters in teenage. The public is already making noise about them and their styling, deeming it to be too Peking opera-ish. But I like the poetic aesthetics. 

ChinesePod’s lesson on Hong Lou Meng