I want to say this is shocking, but as China has learned to fake just about anything, including eggs, why should the Olympics be any different.
During the opening ceremonies, the most beautiful voice could be heard coming from little LinMiaoke, a 9 year-old girl who sang her heart out for all the Olympic attendees.
LinMiaoke became an overnight hero in China and across the world, but she quickly fell from her new found fame when it was learned that she was not actually singing at all.
Almost identical to the “Milli Vanilli” scandal, LinMiaoke was chosen to lip sync for the real singer because of her cute face.
The real singer was YangPeiYi, a 7 year-old from Beijing.
Apparently YangPeiYi’s beautiful voice wasn’t enough to earn her a spot on stage at the Olympics celebration.
ZhangYiMou, the director, thought that YangPeiYi was not pretty enough to perform because of her chubby face and crooked teeth.
They recorded her voice so the 9 year-old could lip sync during the opening ceremonies.
The Chinese government claimed it was better for the image of China.
After the news spread, Yang was interviewed on CCTV. When the reporter asked her how she felt that she wasn’t the one on the stage actually singing, the 7 year-old YangPeiYi said “I’m happy to have my voice in the opening, that’s good enough for me.”
(link)
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darkwing duck
That the same sh*t that the record company do in the usa?
The Partridge Family
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
High School Musical
You people get the ideal
bongo
To seven years old little girls?
T.J
“I’m happy to have my voice in the opening, that’s good enough for me.â€
good for you that’s the true mark of a good sport
Jesse
good sport? how about you value your life!
Zhang
the world must know… in showbiz, looks is everything… whatever it takes… so let the director decide!!!
Gabiechan
“ZhangYiMou, the director, thought that YangPeiYi was not pretty enough to perform because of her chubby face and crooked teeth.”
Damn….. that’s harsh
Richard
Zhang Yimou is a good director but is also a good jerk. If you know him or watched any of his interviews it could easily be spotted. But Chinese people in general are known to be quite hash and blunt. It’s not meant to insult but just a culture of blunt people. If you’re fat, they will tell you so.
Neslock
“That the same sh*t that the record company do in the usa?”
Exactly what I was thinking. Record contracts are more about being pretty than being able to sing, because the studio can fix anyone’s voice. It’s kind of hypocritical for Americans to act all outraged at this.
Neslock
Also, both of those little girls are adorable. I hope YangPeiYi doesn’t buy into the idea that she’s not “cute enough”.
gin
seriously. after reading the story, I was expecting her to be unattractive, but she’s really cute.
diana
the macys parade, and performers lip syncing in the US is different because at least they are lip syncing TO THEIR OWN VOICE. and this is the friggin olympics! i know in past olympic ceremonies lip/instrument syncing has been done but that was because with they had issues with the given conditions ex. salt lake city winter olympics, it was too cold for the instruments, etc. but again at least they were syncing to themselves! and dont refer to all that old hollywood crap, that was for full on features, this is for like 6 minutes
Jimmy
You didn’t provide any reason for why they should not have lipsynced. You kinda just blabbed for a paragraph.
Light
I find that sad… for both of them.
I mean, now the girl who was syncing it is gonna be like, treated different or something, even if it wasn’t her fault.
And the girl who was singing was actually quite cute… -.- Just a very adorable chubbiness…
Yunlam
Bashing China seems to be a fashionable thing to do these days. The more dirt on China, the more excited people get and the more people believe China is fucked up. “China is one big fuck’n country ripping off everything from the west. They lied about everything too”, a comment I over heard from a foreigner in Shanghai. He talked as if the west is always honest and had never controlled or fabricated news. Or if the west dishonest, they have good reasons to do so but there is no excuse for the Chinese.
In the entertainment industry lip synced in performance were done often. Pavarotti and Madonna and many others had done that in the past. Although they used their own voice, but lip sync is lip sync is not real voice. Their pre-recorded voice may have greatly perfected by a digital system before the audience. Why is it ok to lip sync in the west but not the Chinese. After all, Olympic opening ceremony is nothing but an entertainment. It is no difference from the all the digital movies that nothing is real but the razzle dazzle to make you happy. Hopefully all these “bad” news against China will be forgotten one day. Like the corruption of IOC, it it is no longer fashionable to talk about it anymore.
Kat
Yes, Yunlam, Although America does lip sync most singers, or actors, what ever. They DON’T usually use other peoples voices to have other people mouth the words.
Now that girl who lip synced is being seen as a hero for “singing” so wonderfully, even though she didn’t in fact sing. She is praised, even though she is being a false idol to younger kids, and adults.
I am sure that in her heart, YangPeiYi is very sad and hurt, and just saying its fine to cover it up!
Jam
i think really…we all realli only have a problem with China’s REASON that PeiYi wasnt cute enough….coz the fact is they admitted to it, the “secret” is out now…and EVERYONE know that who sang it now…so i don’t think PeiYi is being ‘damaged’ too much, rather gaining everyone’s love and care; if ur after the voice…then therez YangPeiYi, if ur after looks, u have LinMiaoke and for those who likes both….they have put them together for u on show….yes they were discriminating but LEAVE CHINA ALONE already…its a show~!! yes itz THE OLYMPICS…they are not the only ones in the basket…look at Sydney =.=” they faked a whole synthony orchestra~~~
starboykb
“ZhangYiMou, the director, thought that YangPeiYi was not pretty enough to perform because of her chubby face and crooked teeth.â€
That was a stupid reason. i also saw some who are not pretty on the dance, so what was that? I feel sad for the little girl. i hope the one who go on stage dont feel bad also.
CherryTango
sif they always do that…as long as you are lip syncing to your own voice then it’s fine…and even if they did do that in other situations the fact is that they denied a SEVEN year old for not looking good enough. That’s horrible =/
Neil
It’s the Olympics I expect cheating.
susan
without enough evidence, you were all cheated. it is a fake news.
aChinese
I think it’s doesen’t matter…
You shouldn’t pay close attention to this devilishlyï¼
Muah
true
Jam
i absolutely AGREE~!!! it was horrible yes…but nothing to rave over about……
kaen
that’s sick. stupid chinese government. don’t they know that instead of flawless chinese presentation, they are only making the whole country look bad?! damn! somebody kill the freaking government already! at times like these, i wish china still uses their dynastic system. (i blame Mao Zedong)
Miro
I bet China got the idea from ‘Singing in the Rain’. You know, that part where the actual singer is behind the curtains and someone else is lip-syncing it?
Kaen, I bet other countries would hate on your country right now and wish the whole population was dead. I don’t think you or I would want that. You can’t say that they are wrong since what they do is what they think is right. Like how we eat some certain animal willfully while others worship and respect it. Or how we think cannibalism is barbaric and inhumane, while others think it’s a way of life. You just can’t label the country bad because of a small thing or large thing they did. As you think a little girl lip-syncing another little who can sing is sick, Personally, it’s very normal since America does it a lot of times. Especially the Disney Records Studio.
Roger
So it’s a lip-sync w/o using her own voice. Big stinkin’ deal. How is it “sick”? You want to put on your best image when hosting the Games. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. How dare you feel all high and mighty when you call out the Chinese officials for describing YangPeiYi as “not pretty enough.” You judge others’ appearances too and you know it.
The Games are going smoothly and that is all that matters.
I love how the media makes mountains out of molehills. Of all news to cover, they choose trivial shit like this. Way to go!
kristin
First off this is no reflection on the adorable little girl we all saw on TV, the issue at hand really isn’t about her per say. While on the other hand it has everything to do with the other little girl who personally I think is not only cute but has an amazing voice. In my opinion I think it was not only awful to not allow her to represent her country by standing in front of the world singing her little heart out, it was just plain wrong. I am utterly appalled at their reason for this decision. What kind of message are they giving this small child? To be told that you’re good enough to sing but not “pretty†enough to be seen. Did they even take into considerations the ramifications of that? Who’s to say what damage their actions may or may not do. I’m so tired of this argument; who you are inside, what you do with your life and how you conduct yourself NOT what you look like is what defines you as a person, as a human being. As far as the lip-syncing issue goes well sure you find that in movies and many pop singers do so but Hollywood will at least give credit to those performances and pop singers are lip-syncing to their own voice so there is a difference here. I’m also not that naive to think that this doesn’t happen in all sorts of industries across the world but two wrongs don’t make a right and as far as I’m concerned in all instances it’s simply wrong. The fireworks…. I really don’t care a bit if they were real or not. The opening ceremony is a show designed to entertain so it served its purpose by doing just that. Nowhere are they’re any rules stating that it needs to be real so it’s silly to debate the issue nor should it have any real reflection on the Olympics itself. What I mean is that the Olympics are about or should be about the games, the events, the athletes not the related theatrics. Speaking of the athletes another issue was raised about their ages. Well personally I wouldn’t care if they were 3 or 300. Age is just a number and to be honest a silly means in which to judge an individuals qualifications. As far as I’m concerned if an athlete is good enough to compete with the best of the best at whatever age then by all means let them. The fact that some professional athletes have been allowed to compete has also been raised as an issue. On one hand I can understand why many feel that it should be for armatures and I can’t say that I disagree with that either but that would mean that there would need to be some way to ensure that they were the only ones able to participate. You then also need to take into consideration that many countries label their athletes as armature when they house them, feed them, pay them to do nothing but train, to eat, sleep and breath the sport in which they play. So I ask you this, are they any different then a professional athlete considering they are afforded that luxury? Quite honestly not in my opinion, so hence that being the case I have no problem allowing professionals to take part. Finally as to the mention of bias judging well unfortunately there is no way to ensure fairness. I’m sure that the Olympic committee accepts what appear to be the best candidates for judges but there are always going to be those that will lean one way or another for certain individuals or countries and not to the person who truly deserves it. I think it’s important for us all to be patriotic to our individual countries and root for our hometown heroes but in the event they don’t win its just as important acknowledge and respect that athlete that has. It should be a celebration of talent not a who’s better then who contest.
Smiley
You write ALOT!! Lol!!
But seriously, how could China stoop that low?
James Wu
Ah yes! The Chinese peoples addiction to image, rather than brains or talent. I love my people, but often this kind of thing makes me sick! I’m glad I don’t follow in my parents footsteps.
Dollie
You’re quite wrong. The Chinese also encourage education, as I’m sure you would know. Many Chinese parents would rather their child to be a top doctor rather than a top model.
Gee-Man
I guess I better explain this to some of you ignorant White people who’re calling for killing all the Chinese and whatnot. In Chinese society, social image is very important. Do you know why the Chinese didn’t boo the French and Americans during the opening ceremony when they had every right too? (of course, I was booing quite loudly for them ;D) Because the Chinese socially, are very self-conscious and are obsessed with being as good of a host as possible.
This is why if you are in a Chinese person’s home, no matter how much of an ignorant ass you are, they will still serve you tea while bowing and using the highest honorifics they know. They want to make the host feel as comfortable as possible no matter what. So the same thing applied to the Olympics. The Chinese want to make their hosts as comfortable as possible, no matter how ignorant or racist they are (looking at you America, France, and Spain), and if this includes lip syncing and enhanced fireworks, then so be it. I do not know a single person who wasn’t impressed by the Chinese opening ceremony, and that just proves that they did their job as being good hosts.
Of course, most of you Americans wouldn’t understand that the reason why the Chinese did that was to impress you. You just look at the negative side of everything, especially when it applies to foreigners.
tina
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Diana Ward
I am an American, and I too think the media did what they normally do and tried to make a beautiful and very impressive thing into a conflict.
But why do that do that? Because people want to see those things. How many more people will read something against China than a nice story about the beautiful Opening Ceremony? Millions. It is sad but true.
China is a beautiful and amazing country, I would go there for a long visit if I possibly could. Their art and poetry is the most beautiful in the world, in fact there are too many superlatives about China to try to list them. Sure they have also many negatives, they are people. As a US citizen who works hard to find out what is really going on in my country and government, I can tell you that there are just as many negatives in the USA.
I guess you just have to remind yourself that if 100 is the average IQ, that means that half the people in the world are below that, so such things shouldn’t be so surprising. But if you know anything about sheep you can sure understand why people are called sheep in the Bible.
commie
Not so sure you should bring up Christianity with the Chinese, we don’t want them to be sent to an education through labour camp.
searching
What right did they have to boo any country? This is about sport, not politics.
“Making the hosts (sic) comfortable”? When I was in China I met many kind people, but I also met many bad people who tried to steal from me (caught 2 men on different occasions trying to get into my bag) and get money from me every chance they could.
So being the good hosts that the Chinese are, they are lying and covering things up. What happened to the protest areas that they promised to have around the city? Beating foreign journalists? Selling out yet having venues nearly half empty? A lying host= a good host I guess.
Before you generalize, remember that there are good and bad people everywhere. It was stupid to have the girl lip sync to another voice. Yes it happens in many places and it is talked about when it does happen. Now it happens to be in China.
Jam
they didnt lie about it….they admitted it….and for anything….they came out wiith it themselves…
neither did they lie about the half empty seats….they commercially did a news broadcast about hiring and putting in cheerers to fill the seats….
and gee-man was referring to the olympics about being a good host…on the streets and public…therez alwayz theft going on…people dont control that…that’s criminals unfortunately so this isnt about good or bad people…its about what the chinese had in mind in trying to do their best…they’ve done it in an awful way….but they WERE only trying to impress…it blinded them yes…but nothing to judge them about
alma
thank you
(even as a foreigner living in China)
Ankur Sharma
I think this is not about Chinese, Americans, French or any other nationality. The issue is that of a small kid who is at a very impressionable life stage being ROBBED OFF a lifetime opportunity simply because she isn’t beautiful – which is ABSOLUTELY WRONG as a reason and is completely unjustifiable. And Gee-Man, please do pause for a second and think why do Chinese want to impress the Americans (refer your text above – “Of course, most of you Americans wouldn’t understand that the reason why the Chinese did that was to impress you”). Chinese are amazing people and should be self confident about themselves, why do they need to “impress” others – one’s REAL actions should speak for themselves. And even if you want to be a “good host” then why at the expense of a little child who belongs to your own country?
Richard
Like I said before, the Chinese people are very blunt and at times superficial. To impress guests and make them feel welcomed, Chinese will go to great lengths. It’s just in our culture.
Secondly, while it was somewhat sad that the girl was not able to go on stage, it was more the fault of BOCOG and Zhang Yimou than the “Chinese Government”.
Lastly, you seem to care more about the girl than the girl herself. She was still very happy that she was able to part take in the Olympics according to a live interview with her. Not to say it was right what the BOCOG decided; but maybe, just maybe it’s not that big of a deal to her as it is to you?
I think the little girl who sang was amazingly adorable too; but should you have a problem, take it up with BOCOG, and not the Chinese nation.
Isabel
For a director ,what he consider about should be how to created the best picture and sound for the ceremony , for the audiances, and from this point of view ,Zhang wasn’t wrong.
And talking about the image, who doesn’t care about their image, who doesn’t like beautiful things.Ling is indeed prettier, Yang’s teeth make her inappropriate to be on stage.
Actually hundreds of girls has been out because their image or sound are not as good, do we need to care about their feelings too? There is only one chance, Yang should be happy at least her voice was used, and she was also known by the whole world. And some day she will understand ,it’s life, everywhere people are treated differently because their appearence or something else and it’s not cruel,it’s life.
In some way ,chinese people are very honest to public this issue themselves. Why you call it “fake”, it is just a way of performing.
curryegg
I personality think that the real girl who sing should be giving the right to appear on the stage. We shouldn’t just see the physical appearance but the spirit of Olympic.
It’s kinda sad and disappointed to know this..
Janice Smith
SOUR GRAPES is the false denial of desire for something sought but not acquired; to denigrate and feign disdain for that which one could not attain. This metaphor originated from the fable The Fox and the Grapes by Aesop, where the protagonist fox fails to reach some grapes hanging high up on a vine, retreats, and rationalizes that the grapes are probably unripe anyway. The phrase is sometimes also used to refer to one expressing, in an unsportsmanlike or ungracious way, anger or frustration at having failed to acquire something (i.e. being a "sore loser"), regardless of whether the party denies their desire for the item (e.g. a hypothetical girl Joumanna being jealous of the fact that no one buys her lunch). Not including the denial of desire is technically a slipshod extension of the metaphor because it is inconsistent with the phrase's origin in the fable and the notion of the grapes being declared "sour".
THE OPENING OF THE BEIJING OLYMPICS WAS THE BEST EVER. IT HAD TASTE, IT HAD ORIGINALITY, IT HAD CREATIVITY, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY IT SHOWED THE WORLD THAT AS MUCH AS YOU THINK CHINA IS "BACKWARDS," WITHOUT ITS INVESNTION, THE WORLD WOULD HAVE NEVER PROGRESSED TO WHAT IT IS TODAY.
ARE PEOPLE SO NAIVE TO THINK THAT HUGE GIGANTIC PRODUCTIONS SUCH AS THIS ONE, IS NOT ENHANCED BY TECHNOLOGICAL TROUBLE-SHOOTING AND "JUST IN CASE" RED BUTTONS. GIVE IT UP PLEASE, SOUR GRAPES OUT THERE. YOU ENJOYED IT, YOU CAN'T DENY THAT, SO JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT. CAUSE IF AMERICAN SINGERS CAN LIP-SYNCH IN CONCERTS AND SATURDAY NIGHT "LIVE" THEN FOR THIS KIND OF EVENT, I THINK IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT WE CAN FORGIVE A LITTLE (AND REALLY IT WAS JUST A LITTLE) HELP FROM TECHNOLOGY.
SOUR GRAPES.
Jonathan
Apparently it was not Zhang YiMou who made the call to switch the girls – it was a member of China’s 9 member Politburo who was watching a rehersal who pulled rank to make the decision. One of those awful old men with their peasant like mind set.
smith
I thought it was wrong at first, but like others pointed out it’s just a standard thing that U.S. entertainment industry uses all the time. Credit was given to the 7 year old girl, in fact her name was listed first in the program, which had 3 girls named as the performers of that particular act. Even pavarotti lip-synched during the 2006 opening ceremony for winter olympics.
Really it’s not that big of a deal but it’s just been blown all out of proportion by nick pickers of the chinese opening ceremony. sour grapes is right.
Sniper 360
is the news on this website real?
Eric
China did the right thing. The little girl who actually sang was beat bad with the ugly stick. Watching her would have given people nightmares.
lol
Dude you really need to get your eyes checked she is the cutest little thing and if you agree with this than you are no better than the people that said she was ugly.And they are horrible people
NoeL
China is China!
ivyq
nonono!!!!
this piece of news isnot true…
someone writes it on purpose
i m staying in beijing these days
chinese people are great
Rev
Wow…sounds like some people really need to find something to nitpick about for this opening ceremony. On the bright side, at least they didn’t force the little girl to go through plastic surgury because of this attractiveness issue. I’ll take lip-synching any day.
joe
You know what is INSANE?
How people make excuses like–oh..some pop stars lip sync
Can you really be that clueless not to see a difference.
China is suppose to be celerbrating its culture and showing its prodigies
Yet they feel the kid is too ugly to represent their country? So they build a fake star to show the world?
If you dont see a difference I fear for your tiny biased mind
jim
What does this have to do with Americans??
What is with you USA bashers? Dont you see how jealous and pathetic you look trying to knock the USA for something that has nothing to do with them?
This has become the perfect Idiot test. USA bashers are so ashamed that their countries give nothing to the world, help no one, dont stand up for justice, invent nothing, and just sit around complaining
Evil people always cant stand the light–because when they step into it—they are exposed as the do-nothings that they are.
America is better than you. Its people, who are a melting pot of the whole world, are better than you. We give more than any nation as a country–and our people, alone, donate more to charity than any other *country on earth.
YOU, well, you are so embarrassed that the only way you can feel better is by saying we’re somehow bad.
Pleaaaaassse…get a life
Ollie
After all is said and done, what happens to these little girls? Is one going to think that being ‘pretty’ will be all she needs get her through life? While the other thinks that working hard and perfecting her talent has no worth if she isn’t pretty?
As for the Chinese Olympic Committee and the Chinese Government . . . did they learn anything from the mistakes they’ve made? Guess no one ever told them to JUST BE YOURSELF! No one is perfect, we all have our flaws, but to try and come across as perfect in everything they did, well that just blew up in their faces, didn’t it?
tony
if you can read chinese,pls click the url to learn the truth.
i am feeling shame of that.
林妙å¯èº«åŽæœ‰ä¸ªâ€œå¹•åŽå°è‹±é›„â€
http://ent.cctv.com/20080813/102456.shtml
anonymous
whats the big deal w/ lip syncing to someone else’s voice anyway? both girls allowed it. YangPeiYi wasn’t too ugly to be on stage – there was just a prettier girl LinMiaoke. LinMiaoke’s singing wasn’t too bad to be performed, YanPeiYi’s singing was just better. using both girl’s good parts to make them into one beautiful performance – that is intelligent and extroadinary.
anonymous
comment agreed.
anonymous
and uh… jim?
oh yes. the US is totally the best country. THE BEST heh talk about best. bush is the best. making war on iraq… just to get more oil. oil so that the american ppl won’t have to walk but can drive. drive their fat asses around everywhere. eating fries and fried chicken. hell yeah america is better. not only does it donate money, it also donates pollutants buahaha h*** yeah america = da best.
should ppl be jealous and embarrased of their country, or should YOU be embarrased about your (or someone you love’s) fat hanging out of your/his/her XXXXXXXXXXXXXXL pants?
Seroea
Screw chinese fakers to think about this if they fake everything are they even real China i mean it could be some large floating weed or something
(?.?)
acsd
it's ok… why u people seemed to be surprised?
11dsad
why some people here r silly enough to believe every thing they read?
Gareth
Damn it China, I want you to be awesome ;_;
Jan
This is disgusting. How could they do that to a little girl? If she's not 'pretty' enough to perform at the Olympics, then don't use her at all. No need to make her feel less than she is. And she is cute. I think her crooked teeth make her even cuter. HELLO she is 7. Most 7 year olds will have less than perfect teeth. Now China just looks like a jackass…kinda like the nerdy kid in the school yard telling lies to impress his friends.
lol
China will do anything to make themselves look better than the rest of us.so they do stuff like this take a"pretty" girl and take a girl that they say is ugly which she's not, i mean come one she's so cute and that little girl not that I'm saying she's ugly or anything it's just that when any country dose this (because I'm not just dissing china) kind of crap they look like huge jerks.Now as i was saying Take her voice plus the girl and you got a good representation of china. But when countries and I'm no naming any * Coughs*America*coughs*,digs deeper we see the truth we need more countries like America more countries that dig god bless America, and god bless this sight!