Countdown starts in Beijing

It's just two weeks until Beijing, China, becomes the focus of the sporting world.

Sports stars don’t come bigger than this man and all simply because he is seven-foot-six. Yao Ming is the symbol of China’s lofty Olympic ambitions, and in a country now /is/ searching for new heroes. You might say that Yao is far bigger than Mao.

Yao Ming is the first of a(n) new breed, an international icon from a communism nation where individual success has never been so richly rewarded.

He is every inch made in China-the child of two basketball players whose union was encouraged by the government. He is adored by millions and playing in America. He earns millions. Now it is time to give his country something back.

How much pressure do you feel that you and /an/other Chinese athletes are under to deliver success? It’s a big challenge. We have huge pressure and possible glory. One can’t come without the other. I will try to enjoy it.

Shi Qingyu is only four but knows the same pressures. Hours each week she spent in training. Hours that would become years. Success would mean a childhood sacrifice but the reward---an escape from this that backbreaking life. Her family have known for generations.

Life here is very tough, her step-father tells me. If she can be a champion, it'll change everything for us.

Late at night in the remote mountain village, Qingyu and her team entertain the locals. The Olympics are uniting a diverse nation. But they have separated this mother from her daughter. Since Xiao Sha left to join the national squad, there have been nine years of newspaper cuttings but barely any personal contact.

I feel sorry that I couldn’t give her a mother’s love but I believe she is doing the right thing. She is winning /the/ glory for the country.

Shi Qingyu’s quest for Olympics glory is a decade away. Yao Ming starts in two weeks and the nation expects big things.

John Ray, ITV News, China.

參考中文翻譯：

任何體育明星都不會比這個人更有名氣，就是因為他身高7.6英尺。姚明在這個尋找新的英雄的國家里是奧運夢想的象征。你 或許會說姚明比毛澤東地位都高。

姚明是NBA里的第一個新的人種，來自社會主義國家的國際形象，在那里，個人的成功收到前所未有的尊重。

他是土生土長的中國人——他的父母是都是政府籃球隊的籃球運動員，他受到數百萬人的敬仰，在美國打籃球。他每年賺數百萬美元。現在是回報祖國的時候。

你和其他中國運動員在追求成功的路上感到壓力大嗎？這是一個很大的挑戰。我們可能獲得榮耀，但是壓力也非常大。榮耀和壓力是相輔相成的。我會試著去享受。

Shi Qingyu 才四歲，但是她也感受到了同樣的壓力。她每周要花費幾小時的時間來訓練。每周幾個小時，可能要堅持幾年。成功意味著要犧牲掉童年的美好時光，但是回報是——擺脫掉累人的生活。這是她的家人世世代代都知道的。

這里的生活非常艱苦。她的繼父告訴我們。如果她能贏得冠軍，就會為我們改變一切。

晚上晚些時候，在這個偏遠的小山村里，Qingyu和其他隊員與當地民眾一起娛樂。奧林匹克把不同民族的人團結在一起，但是也讓母女分離。自從Xiao Sha 離開家人參加國家隊以后已經9年了，但是一直沒有跟家里見面。

不能給她母愛我感到很遺憾，但是我相信她在做正確的事情。她在為國家榮譽而戰。

Qingyu追求奧運會的榮譽已經十年了。姚明兩周后就要上場，中國期待著這一刻。