Olympic Singer Fails China Cuteness Test

Girl With Pixie Smile Lip Synchs Voice Of 7-Year-Old Deemed Not Pretty Enough For Olympic Opener

(AP)  A 7-year-old Chinese girl was not good-looking enough for the Olympics opening ceremony, so another little girl with a pixie smile lip-synched "Ode to the Motherland," a ceremony official said - the latest example of the lengths Beijing took for a perfect start to the Summer Games.

A member of China's Politburo asked for the last-minute change to match one girl's face with another's voice, the ceremony's chief music director, Chen Qigang, said in an interview with Beijing Radio.

"The audience will understand that it's in the national interest," Chen said in a video of the interview posted online Sunday night.

The news follows reports that some footage of the fireworks exploding across China's capital during the ceremony was digitally inserted into television coverage, apparently over concerns that not all of the 29 blasts could be captured on camera.

China has been eager to present a flawless Olympics image to the world, shooing migrant workers and so-called petitioners who come to the central government with grievances from the city and shutting down any sign of protest.

The country's quest for perfection apparently includes its children.

Lin Miaoke's performance Friday night, like the ceremony itself, was an immediate hit. "Nine-year-old Lin Miaoke becomes instant star with patriotic song," the China Daily newspaper headline said Tuesday.

But the real voice behind the tiny, pigtailed girl in the red dress who wowed 91,000 spectators at the National Stadium on opening night really belonged to 7-year-old Yang Peiyi. Her looks apparently failed the cuteness test with officials organizing the ceremony, but Chen said her voice was judged the most beautiful.

"The national interest requires that the girl should have good looks and a good grasp of the song and look good on screen," Chen said. "Lin Miaoke was the best in this. And Yang Peiyi's voice was the most outstanding."

During a live rehearsal soon before the ceremony, the Politburo member said Miaoke's voice "must change," Chen said in the radio interview. He didn't name the official.

So Peiyi's voice was matched with Miaoke's face.

"We had to make that choice. It was fair both for Lin Miaoke and Yang Peiyi," Chen told Beijing Radio. "We combined the perfect voice and the perfect performance."

Chen couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.

A photo of Peiyi posted Tuesday on popular Web site Sina.com shows a smiling girl with bangs and crooked teeth. A China News Service story posted with the photo says a China Central Television reporter asked Peiyi whether she felt regret over the opening ceremony.

Peiyi responded that just having her voice used for the opening ceremony was an honor.

Whether the move was unethical, or unfair to both girls, has become a hot topic among Chinese and is racing across the country's blogosphere.

"The organizers really messed up on this one," said Luo Shaoyang, 34, a retail worker in Beijing.

"This is like a voice-over for a cartoon character," Luo said. "Why couldn't they pick a kid who is both cute and a good singer? This damages the reputation of both kids for their future, especially the one lip-synching. Now everyone knows she's a fraud. Who cares if she's cute?"

Zhang Xinyi, 22, who works in marketing in Beijing, disagreed.

"I can understand why they picked the prettier girl. They need to maintain a certain aesthetic beauty during the opening ceremonies. This situation is not so bad, especially since it gives two people an opportunity to shine rather than just one."

Peiyi is a first-grader at the Primary School affiliated to Peking University. Her tutor, Wang Liping, wrote in her blog that Peiyi is both cute and well-behaved, with a love for Peking opera.

"She doesn't like to show off. She's easygoing," Wang wrote. She and other school officials couldn't be reached Tuesday.

Miaoke, however, was a minor celebrity even before the opening ceremony. The third-grader appeared in a television ad last year with China's biggest gold medal hope, hurdling champion Liu Xiang, and she was in an Olympics ad just before Chinese New Year, China Daily reported.

Miaoke has her own blog, and one of the latest photos posted since the ceremony shows her looking up nervously at the ceremony's director, film director Zhang Yimou. "Giving the child encouragement," the caption says.

Her father, Lin Hui, told China Daily he learned Miaoke would be "singing" only 15 minutes before the opening ceremony began. The newspaper wrote Lin "still cannot believe his daughter has become an international singing sensation."

It was the second straight Olympics where the opening ceremony involved lip-synching.

Luciano Pavarotti's performance at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin was prerecorded. The maestro who conducted the aria, Leone Magiera, said earlier this year that the bitter cold made a live performance impossible for Pavarotti, who was in severe pain months before his cancer diagnosis. Pavarotti died in September 2007 at age 71.

NBC also has augmented its Olympic coverage in the past to set the right mood. That fire in the studio fireplace during the 2002 Salt Lake Games? It was just a video.

[keithle1]

Should ugly people be permitted to breed?

Discuss.

[keithle1]

That sure is a pretty little girl.

[nellpost]

I would like to see pictures of the folks who decided she wasn''t cute enough plastered across a tv screen or newspaper. Then, let''s decide if they are cute enough!

[duke-duchess]

This was very disturbing but not surprising, since I am sure that it is men that made the decision. If there are women that were in on this decision to tell a child she is not cute enough, shame on you. How would you feel if someone told you your child is basically ugly? What is so disturbing is that this little girl has been scarred the rest of her life. Here she is a little adorable girl told that she is not pretty enough. This will be with her for always. The country owes her the rest of her life to make it up to her, not that it ever will. Children are so sweet and innocent at this time of their lives and they really cut her to pieces. I realize that things like this happens in the movie industry but this is a CHILD not an adult!

[toldyouso12]

This is what is disgusting about communism. Putting the best foot forward even if you have to lie about it. Takes "saving face" to another demension.

Posted by noseonurface at 10:57 PM : Aug 13, 2008


That is not the ugliest part. The ugly part is that the one who was slighted dare not ever reveal that she was less than happy, or she and her family might get a one way trip into one of China''s lead factories.

[toldyouso12]

f you really care about the two kids than the ceremony organizers, if you are really responsible adult not same as the ceremony organzers,you should not exaggerate this news. When you are talking about the moral virtue of others,so what is your moral virtue? Shut up your mean mouth!

Posted by lyrichicago at 10:15 AM : Aug 13, 2008
+ report abuse
Some guys here slam this unimportant matter by a very mean way because it happened in CHINA. What a mean mouth you are!

Posted by lyrichicago at 10:07 AM : Aug 13, 2008


Are you in China? Catch a clue: There is no such phrase as " a mean mouth" you immediately get disregarded when obviously you are some sort of Chinese plant. (that means fake poster, pretending to be representing your own views instead of paid ones) two other terms are a hack or shill.

[toldyouso12]

At the 2002 Opening Ceremonies of the winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the entire Mormon Tabernacle Choir lip synced. Their songs had been pre-recorded for broadcast since their performance was outside in the cold night air. They recording sounded great and you wouldn''''t have known they weren''''t really singing that night.

Posted by minnick8 at 12:06 PM : Aug 13, 2008


Had the Mormon Choir EVER sang what was played for recording? Or was the singing really the work of an anonymous Baptist Choir somewhere?

NO one cares if the originator of a song, tapes themselves and later lip synchs their own singing--we care if they tape others then pretend it is them singing.

[toldyouso12]

Okay, for the not so bright who point out that many singers lip synch--sure they do--but the source of the original music for most of them is THEIR OWN SONGS AND SINGING--which means they are lazy, not phony. Of course, the exception was Milli Vanilli who this little Chinese girl is being compared to--and because they used someone ELSE''S voice and pretended it was there''s and tried to shine--their career was over as soon as that fact was admitted to.

[toldyouso12]

You know that guy who sings in the FreeCreditReport.com commercials? He lipsynchs, too.
He''''s from Canada and has a French accent when he sings so they had someone else sing.
Pavarotti lipsynched, too, for the last Olympics.
George Bush? Yeap, he lipsynchs, too. It''''s been Jim Varney all along.

Posted by closethippy1 at 03:01 AM : Aug 13, 2008

You miss the point, Kilroy. The man from Canada lipsynchs due to his accent, not his "ugliness"? nor is it said that the person who actually sings was too ugly to be seen? The fact is, grown ups who do voice overs are an industry standard, we are not disputing this, we question that in the one venue where authenticity is not only stressed but routinely tested for and punished, that the Chinese miss the point and present us with ersatz fireworks and ersatz little girl singing and think it is to "present the best front" A front is right.

As for Pavrotti--he lipsynched to HIS OWN SINGING. That is different than lipsynching to someone else''s singing because they are not cute enough. The little girl in the background, cute or not represents a Chinese person--she was as authentic as the other one--probably more so, because she was REAL from her little girl crooked teeth, to her chubby little face.

[toldyouso12]

ou can voice our opinion so what, you government still screw you up. american don''''t get black listed or jailed, maybe they just vanish.

Posted by fjinnw at 01:47 AM : Aug 13, 2008


Sorry, Americans don''t "just vanish" you are confusing us with China. Even when we rendition people from other countries--nobody just vanishes. But we hear in China--that is done all the time--and they often never come back (Probably end up as fertilizer or in that mercury lead toothpaste China likes to sell to others)

[toldyouso12]

To make up our mistakes,Chinese should present these two girls singing together at the coming closing ceremony of Beijing Olympic.

Posted by joechristine at 03:15 AM : Aug 13, 2008


Maybe with the "pretty one''s" mic turned off so she can do it the way she does it best. LMAO Little Milli Vanilli.....

[toldyouso12]

Is that really the image you want to put out to the world China? The image that you don''''t really CARE about your people, that you just want to LOOK perfect?

Posted by anitaymoore at 09:26 AM : Aug 13, 2008


Think Tianemmen square and the routine disappearances and killing of dissidents as well as sweat shops and forced labor camps in China--they don''t really care abut their people--they have surplus lives to do with as they please--just buy Chinese, please.

[toldyouso12]

The fireworks were real, just superimposed, but at least they did happen, perhaps at a different time, but they were not "fake". Did you complain about the wire work when "Trinity" ran on a wall in "The Matrix"?

It was a visual spectacular, but if your anti whatever will not allow you to just watch and enjoy, then don''''t watch.

Posted by brianbwb at 03:48 AM : Aug 13, 2008


The difference between "The Matrix" and the Olympics is that one is a movie with everything contrived and the other is supposed to be authentic with those who fake or use enhanced anything are punished and shamed.

and China IS bad, send lead and mercury laden goods here (and around the world)continually --but there is good news--given the Government''s pro--1 child policy and the news that until very recently people routinely aborted girl children as a less than optimal choice (resulting in an overpopulation of boys) both girls are lucky to even be living.

As for both girls being happy--you don''t know that. Who in their right mind would dare speak out against a country known for killing their own people and imprisoning /torturing their own people out of spite? That little girl BETTER say she''s happy if she does not want potential harm to come to her family--he11--she better SING it if the regime wants to hear it that way. LOL

[toldyouso12]

"A China News Service story posted with the photo says a China Central Television reporter asked Peiyi whether she felt regret over the opening ceremony.

Peiyi responded that just having her voice used for the opening ceremony was an honor. "

As if a little girl and her family would say anything less than that in a communist country so full of people--that they can routinely murder or "disappear" those who offend them and not blink an eye--the little background singer and her parents better say they damnnn well love not being seen or they might find themselves in some factory wearing a ball and chain and making mercury laden lead toys for Fisher Price.

[tootall10142]

what a slap on the honor system they claim to be so wrought about .

[dmhphils]

A member of China''s Politburo asked for the last-minute change to match one girl''s face with another''s voice, the ceremony''s chief music director, Chen Qigang, said in an interview with Beijing Radio.


This is what is disgusting about communism. Putting the best foot forward even if you have to lie about it. Takes "saving face" to another demension.

[minnick8-2009]

China did a great job hosting the Olympic, people just can''t believe the chinese can do it, it''''s a shame how people can''t handler the truth, especially the American

Posted by fjinnw

Don''t forget, in the grand scheme of life, any event becomes like a grain of sand on the sea shore. Do you remember who won the Gold in the rowing competition in 1960? I didn''t remember anything about it, who hosted the Olympics, or who the winners were. But I was a child, and our rural town didn''t have TV reception. So, I missed the whole thing. I looked it up and just learned it was held in Rome. I learned that Cassius Clay won boxing for the USA. Maybe in 50 years, someone will care enough about the Olympics in China in 2008 that they will look it up and read about it.

Do you remember Olga Korbut in gymnastics in 1972? She dazzled the world with her brilliance. I know where she is now, do you?

Exault in your two weeks of fame, it will fade.

[minnick8-2009]

Remember Nilli Vanilli''''s songs. Everybody remembers Nilli Vanilli

Posted by xmanborg

Who is Nilli Vanilli?

[chrisa0385]

This is another example on why China should have never been given the chance to host the olympics...just like having 12 YO gymnastics...!! Thanks God Phelps is doing something positive why these Olympics can be remembered!

[fjinnw]

China did a great job hosting the Olympic, people just can''t believe the chinese can do it, it''s a shame how people can''t handler the truth, especially the American.