From corruption to increased pollution, the Beijing Olympics is already experiencing its share of problems. Several officials have been questioned or detained because of concerns over corruption.
In spite of promises that the Olympics would help China clean up its environmental problems, this year’s air quality tests are the worst in five years. Historic areas that were supposed to be preserved are being destroyed at a record pace.
In contrast to the problems, some test events will take place starting in mid-August. Chinese officials maintain that everything is going as it is supposed to.
In September we will be able to provide eyewitness accounts, as we will have a writer in Beijing for the month of September. Mareike Ohlberg lived with us as an exchange student from Germany several years ago. She is now an Asian Studies major in Heidelberg and has spent a year living in China. In September she will be spending the month in Beijing and posting posts and pictures related to travel, the Olympics, what it’s like to get around in China if you only speak English, and more. So make sure to check in for first-person accounts of the Olympic progress.
