China House showcases sports culture, unites people
At the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild in Paris, a pavilion has been set up on the sidelines of the Olympic Games to mark 60 years of diplomatic ties between China and France. The China House – featuring Chinese-style galleries, exhibits and ancient Olympic sports – was launched by the Chinese Olympic Committee two days before the opening of the Games. The committee's deputy secretary general Yu Jianyong said the China House "is a bridge to promote friendly exchanges between China and foreign countries and promote the mutual construction of civilisations". A team of volunteers maintains its operation, some of whom are from Hong Kong.  They said it was a dream come true to be part of the Games and experience the Olympic hype in the French capital.  Raheema, a Chinese-Pakistani studying in the SAR, said the experience allowed her to step out of her comfort zone and meet people from all over the world.  “As someone that is really introverted, it's really hard for me to be able to communicate with others,” she said.   “The Olympics is about bringing different people with different backgrounds and different stories all together, being able to communicate with everyone I can broaden my horizons and also understand more about different people.” Another volunteer, Annie, said she was inspired after seeing the earliest forms of Olympic sports at the China House.  “We feel like we can learn a lot more about the whole historical part and at the same time to really experience the whole Olympic atmosphere in person right in France this year.”   Annie added that she also found it inspirational to speak with athletes from the national team there. One of the visitors at the China House was a diving gold medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, He Chong.  He said he thinks people should just enjoy the Games and not put too much pressure on athletes.  “I think we should look at these [athletes] with a more rational perspective. They are here to join the world's top sports event and chase their dreams. We should not focus on how many gold medals they can win for China."