Web China: Behind war of words about Games

 BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing¹ London Olympics has become a huge topic in China as many express their excitement, anger and grievances² through the country's fledgling social media. Behind the war of words is a collision of values among people, which was unusual before Twitter-like sites emerged.

Touted³ as the first Summer Games with extensive social media involvement, the 2012 Olympics has triggered multiple wars of words on the Internet in China barely a week since the event started.

The opening ceremony caused the first firestorm. Some netizens hailed the London ceremony, saying it was "free, relaxed and touching⁴" and calling what Beijing hosted four years ago just an "upstart luxury show."

However, some expressed disappointment at the London ceremony and defended China's efforts. "The Beijing opening ceremony was extremely spectacular and impressive, while the 2012 ceremony had uncomfortable amounts of quirkiness and disorder," read one post on Sina Weibo, China's most popular Twitter-like service.

While Internet users were divided on London's thrifty⁵ opening, they were united in their support of Ye Shiwen when the Chinese teenager swimmer, who in her Olympic debut⁶ snatched two golds and set a world record, was questioned over whether she had used drugs.

"Ye faced unfair criticism from the Western media for her stunning⁷ success in London, but I wonder why no one accused Michael Phelps of using performance-enhancing drugs when he bagged eight golds four years ago," one Internet user wrote under the name of "happy prince."

Also, netizens unanimously sympathized with weightlifter Wu Jingbiao and bashed the country's common practice of overly emphasizing winning gold medals, after Wu apologized in tears for finishing second behind the surprise North Korean winner of the 56-kilogram division.

"Don't cry, Wu. It's just a game. You are a hero in my eyes no matter if you got a gold medal or a silver one," a netizen surnamed Su wrote in an entry on Sina Weibo.

"The country is too obsessed⁸ with Olympic golds. Gold medalists are rewarded far more generously than silver and bronze medal winners. Wu had tried his best, and a silver medal showed he is one of the top weightlifters in the world. He need not apologize at all. Instead, he deserves everyone's respect," another Sino Weibo user wrote.

The expulsion of two Chinese badminton gold-medal contenders also caused much chatter⁹ on the country's microblogging sites.

Some said Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli, who were disqualified for throwing a match, should not have received such a severe punishment since the rules were "ridiculous." But others supported the decision, saying they apparently¹⁰ "violated the Olympics ideal and the spirit of fair play."

Such different voices expressed through social media show Chinese enjoy sharing their values, and on the other hand, the authorities are more tolerant of different views, said observers.

Social media serves as a stress reliever, where people can release their negative emotions. The popularity of social media will positively¹¹ guide public opinion, said Lv Benfu, professor with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

For most Chinese who were once reluctant to express themselves in public and inclined to show obedience¹² to the authority, increasing wars of words can be seen as revolutionary progress.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

4 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

5 thrifty   

adj.节俭的；兴旺的；健壮的

参考例句：

• Except for smoking and drinking,he is a thrifty man.除了抽烟、喝酒，他是个生活节俭的人。
• She was a thrifty woman and managed to put aside some money every month.她是个很会持家的妇女，每月都设法存些钱。

6 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

7 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

8 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

9 chatter   

vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战

参考例句：

• Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
• I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。

10 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

11 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

12 obedience   

n.服从，顺从

参考例句：

• Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
• Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。