| In historical perspective, that the 2008 Beijing | | | | international relay. A country bumpkin, he was easily |
| Olympic is more than a showcase of the Chinese | | | | intimidated. His confidence shrank further when he |
| government. It is a coming-out party for the Chinese. | | | | met the crowd in Beijing. Behind each contestant's |
| Then I read an article, THE TORCHBEARER, on | | | | back, there was a large entourage, a big cheer squad |
| internet. It is an interview by Sang Ye, and translated | | | | and rich sponsors, but all he had at his back was a |
| by Geremie R. Barme, which confirms my conclusion. | | | | small traveling bag. When the organizer, the Central |
| Bai Jian, 34, came from a poor peasant family. When | | | | TV, asked him who would do the harvest dance, |
| he was a child he had to walk five kilometers, | | | | which was part of the competition, for him. He |
| barefoot, over rugged mountain path to attend his | | | | answered that a deaf and dumb girl who studied sign |
| classes. He depended on the sunlight to do | | | | language and lip-reading here. This rather dumb reply, |
| homework, and in winter when the day was short, | | | | however, gave the organizer an idea. They invited 20 |
| he could neither read nor write. | | | | students who did the harvest dance enthusiastically, |
| Nevertheless he studied hard, and somehow he | | | | though "pathetic". |
| managed to graduate from Jinzhou Teachers' College | | | | When asked who supported him to run, Bai Jian |
| and got a job, teaching physical education in Number | | | | answered: "My kids." At this juncture his deaf and |
| Two Middle School, in Anshan of Liaoning Province. | | | | dumb kid suddenly shouted out from the audience, |
| Remembering his own childhood, he decided to help | | | | though not clearly: "Daddy, I support you!" That |
| the poor kids. Since 1996, he became the foster | | | | galvanized the whole audience and the viewers at |
| father of 24 kids. With the help of family, friends, | | | | home. They all supported him. So, he was elected |
| and a philanthropist, he managed to give his kids | | | | one of the ten Chinese Olympic torchbearers who |
| some basic schooling. He lived in the boys' dormitory | | | | would run overseas. |
| room and he had no privacy, but he had a private | | | | He expressed his joy in going to see and learn from |
| dream that someday he would get married and come | | | | London. "When I get back from London I am going |
| home to a wife. | | | | to take my kids and the Olympic torch back to the |
| In this article, Bai Jian did not explain how he got into | | | | mountain village I came from and let the folks there |
| the competition to be an Olympic relay torchbearer. I | | | | see it and touch it....to have direct contact with the |
| suspect that he wanted to use this chance to | | | | Olympic Games that is being held here, right on our |
| broadcast the fact that there were still many poor | | | | doorstep. I want them to see clearly the value of |
| kids left behind in the prospering China. When he was | | | | education and democracy. No matter how poor we |
| selected to run locally, his kids ran alongside. That | | | | are, if we have such great things, then we have |
| must have been a sight nobody could overlook! | | | | hope. |
| Then he was selected to compete for the | | | | |