Chinese media mocks London 2012 Olympic handover performance
London's display at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics has been ridiculed in China, with the media mocking mayor Boris Johnson and deriding the British for laughing "about their own stupidity".
By Nick Allen
Last Updated: 6:08PM BST 26 Aug 2008
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London mayor Boris Johnson at the closing ceremony
London mayor Boris Johnson at the closing ceremony Photo: GETTY
Not even Boris Johnson could upstage sparkling Beijing
Over to you: David Beckham gets the ball rolling for London 2012 Photo: Getty Images
David Beckham kicks a soccer ball towards a crowd of athletes during the Closing Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
Photo: Getty Images
Some sections of the Chinese media approved of the eight minute handover segment of the ceremony, in which London was given the chance to showcase itself as the host city of the 2012 Olympic Games.
But others were less than complimentary and criticism was fiercer still among ordinary Chinese people writing on internet blogs.
Mr Johnson was accused of being "rude, arrogant and disrespectful" for accepting the Olympic flag with one hand, putting his hands in his pockets and not buttoning up his jacket.
London's handover pageant meanwhile - which featured a red double decker bus, the guitarist Jimmy Page, reality television singer Leona Lewis and the footballer David Beckham - was ridiculed for being beyond comprehension.
The Titan Sports Daily newspaper dismissed Page and Lewis as "not famous enough" to be known by the audience in China. It also criticised Beckham for allegedly failing to hit the right spot when he kicked a football into the crowd at the Bird's Nest stadium.
The paper said: "Just like any of his penalties at a football match, he totally missed it."
It went on: "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.
"During the performance, when the London bus pulled over, all the passengers waiting for the bus rushed into the door at the same time, which truly damaged the 'British image'."
Another newspaper, Daily First, commented that the London performance was "casual" and "beyond our understanding".
Charitably, it said that the problem might be due to "cultural differences" between China and the UK.
However, the strongest adverse reaction was on the internet where Mr Johnson was singled out for attack.
One blogger wrote: "At such a formal occasion, he should have buttoned his jacket. 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."
Mr Johnson was also accused of ignoring the Mayor of Beijing when he shook hands with International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge.
However, some sections of the Chinese media praised London's effort, with The Beijing News calling it "colourful".
Zhang Yimou, the internationally acclaimed Chinese filmmaker who directed the opening and closing ceremonies, also said London's performance was "very creative" and praised the inclusion of the Routemaster bus and its use as a moving platform for the show.
London 2012 organisers have already been at the centre of a row after an image of Myra Hindley, the Moors Murderer, was included in a montage of British achievements at the closing ceremony. It was immediately condemned by Mr Johnson and Prime Minister Gordon Brown.