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Chinese media attacks Boris Johnson for being 'rude, arrogant and disrespectful' at Olympic ceremony
By David Williams
Last updated at 3:33 PM on 26th August 2008
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As Britain's magnificent Olympians returned home on Monday, they left behind a fierce debate in China over London's eight-minute contribution to Beijing's glittering ceremony - and in particular, the performance of Mayor Boris Johnson.
While some Chinese media and bloggers praised the creativity of London's segment, others were damning with Johnson described as 'arrogant, rude and disrespectful' when accepting the Olympic flag.
There were mixed opinions too about the cameo performance featuring a London bus, David Beckham, singer Leona Lewis, rock guitarist Jimmy Page, dancers and singers which was very different from the rest of the spectacular show staged by the hosts.
'Unlike the Chinese custom which tends not to reveal their weakness to the outsiders, the British seem to like to laugh about their stupidity in a funny way,' it said.
'During the performance, when the London bus pulled over, all the passengers awaiting for the bus rushed into the door at the same time, which truly damaged the 'British image.'
It continued: 'Unfortunately, the singer and Jimmy Page are absolutely not famous enough to be known or recognised by millions of the Chinese audiences.
'As for David Beckham, he was supposed to kick the football towards the red circle in the centre of the Bird's Nest, in the end, just like any of his penalties at a football match, he totally missed it.
'He kicked the ball to the left and dropped in the crowd, then was picked up by a lucky Chinese volunteer who would not let go of the ball.'
The Daily First newspaper agreed.
Although praising the use of a red Routemaster bus, it questioned whether the performance had anything to do with sport or the Olympic Games.
Columnist Hi Yang continued : 'Perhaps due to the cultural differences, the meaning of the casual London performance and its expensive cost are beyond our understanding.
He added : 'The singer (Leona Lewis) and Jimmy Page were so incompatible, considering the singer is from our time while Jimmy Page is from the 70s.'
Writing on Sohu, the website of one of Beijing's official sponsors, one angry blogger listed his complaints about London's mayor.
'At such formal occasion, he should have buttoned his jacket,' he said.
'If you dress informally or not properly, it can be seen as disrespect to the host.
'When he was stepping to the stage and down, he put his hand in the pocket of his jacket.
'This shows he was extremely casual, he did not seem to take this occasion seriously.
'After he took over the Olympic flag, he simply passed it to the Chinese standard-bearer.
'He was the only person who took the flag with one hand.
'This is very disrespectful to the Olympic flag.
'After he took the flag, he shook hands with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Jacques Rogge and did not pay any attention to the two leaders from Beijing.
The blogger said it was 'rude and arrogant' that Johnson seemed to ignore the mayor of Beijing when he made an effort to try to speak to Johnson.
Similar comments were posted by many other bloggers.
But there was praise too from Zhang Yimou, who directed both the Opening and Closing ceremonies, who described the London performance as 'very creative' and applauded the use of the bus as a moving performance platform.
The Beijing News, one of the city's biggest papers, was also positive : 'The eight-minutes shows the ordinary but colourful life in London.
'David Beckham kicked the football and sent the invitation from London.'
