◀ anchor ▶
The Beijing Winter Olympics, which are now two days away from the closing, were a lot of talk and trouble, from the diplomatic boycotts of Western countries to biased judgments and inexperienced game management.
However, the atmosphere in China is quite different.
Official mascot.
It is said that the Olympic fever is huge, with up to ten times more money being paid to buy a ‘Bing and Dundun’ doll.
Correspondent Jo Hee-hyeong from Beijing covered the story.
◀ Report ▶
Beijing Olympic official souvenir shop.
There are endless lines, even in the bitter cold.
These are people who want to buy this Olympic mascot, a panda-shaped doll.
[베이징 시민/빙둔둔 구매]
“I waited 10 hours. It’s the Olympics held in Korea. It’s meant to commemorate, but of course it’s good. It also has the meaning of patriotism.”
[베이징 시민/빙둔둔 구매]
“I came and waited for you at 4 in the morning. It’s so good. It’s cute.”
As I waited outside in the cold weather, even blankets appeared in the waiting line.
Because there are so many people looking for it, we only allow one person to buy one.
There was even more than 10 times the extra money.
[빙둔둔 구매자(출처 : 웨이보)]
“I bought it at a high price (with extra money). (How much?) 10 times.”
Theft is also pouring in, from fake dolls to cakes to gold accessories.
China’s public security authorities have launched a massive crackdown.
Even the hairstyle that imitates a blunt face is fashionable.
Bingdun-dun’s popularity is closely related to the Olympic fever in China.
The Chinese national team achieved the best performance in history despite the biased judgment contest, and ‘sports patriotism’ is heightening in China with the gold medal of Gu Ai-ling, who chose the Chinese national team instead of the United States.
Because I couldn’t watch the game in person due to COVID-19, this enthusiasm is leading to TV ratings.
[CCTV 보도(그제)]
“In China, 600 million people watched the Winter Olympics. It attracted the largest audience ever.”
State-run media, such as CCTV, are also in an atmosphere of congratulations, saying, ‘I achieved the best performance in history’ and ‘set a world example in quarantine’, repeatedly showing the results of Chinese players and winning medals.
There are also evaluations that the Chinese authorities, who tried to use the Olympics as an opportunity to strengthen internal unity, have achieved the desired results ahead of Xi Jinping’s third consecutive term this year.
This is Jo Hee-hyeong from MBC News in Beijing.
Video coverage: Farewell (Beijing) / Video editing: Farewell (Beijing) Kim Chang-gyu
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