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By Chia Han Keong
HOW does it feel to be completely enveloped by the Olympic spirit in Beijing?
After spending just a week here where it all happens, my initial feeling is that of being tremendously uplifted - as if I am part of some noble cause.
Then, the sheer volume hits me at every hour of every day.
The dizzying rash of advertisements, all proclaiming their products' "Olympic-ness", does test one's mental endurance to still feel positive when the Games begin on Aug 8.
And I've been here barely a week. Try telling that to the residents of a city that is intensely protective of its Chinese historical and cultural roots.
This is a city where skyscrapers stand side by side with the Temple of Heaven Park - a sprawling compound used since 600 years ago for Ming emperors to pray for good harvests.
The Olympic organisers put up big, stone-like signs along the park's boulevards, with an Olympic sport symbol engraved on each of them (see photo).
And the senior citizens, who practise taiji daily along these boulevards, continue nonchalantly - as if the signs are not there at all.
"Oh, they're not disrupting our taiji, really," said one of them, grinning. "We can still get on with our daily activities."
Their patience might be tested more severely, as Beijing began its "odd and even car-days" rule yesterday.
Cars will be banned on alternate days, depending on whether their number plates end in odd or even numbers.
Yet, for a city that saw the most turbulent years of Mao Zedong's rule played out amid its prefecture, the residents are remarkably willing to embrace the distinctly Western ideal of the Olympics.
They readily use the Games' slogan "One World, One Dream" to promote public- awareness campaigns; for example, "Be part of the world, be polite while using public transport".
The only jarring sensation - the Chinese athletes are being, strangely, quiet.
It is as if these medal hopefuls are protected by the Great Wall - no interviews, no TV appearances and no commercial commitments.
Local reporters are left scrambling to hound other countries' sportsmen.
The US contingent, which originally planned to acclimatise here as early as April, have wisely kept their arrival as late as possible, to avoid the media spotlight.
However, they are missing out on the bustling night life in Beijing, as pubs offer huge discounts for alcohol during the Olympic season.
Ah, truly the spirit of the Olympics. Let's all drink it up.
myp@sph.com.sg
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