Three Big Changes by Bella Zeng

This is not just pride for a country, but it is pride for everybody who lives in this country. When Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympic Games, I was seventeen, and I was so proud of my country which was chosen to be the host for the Olympic Games. In school, I took part in the torch design competition, and I joined the English drama club. At home, I watched the opening ceremony with my family, and I became an English teacher of my parents. It was three years ago, but it is just like yesterday. The 2008 Olympic Games had effects on my family and my lives and brought us a lot of meaningful things.

First of all, people’s quality of life improved because of this event in China. When China successfully applied to host the 2008 Olympic Games, the first thing that people were concerned about was language. In this situation, my country had to plan some way to greet the Olympic Games. For example, in the newspaper, there were half page articles about learning English. The newspaper taught you some sentences which English speakers use in their daily lives. Looking at this half page in the newspaper was the most important thing to my parents every morning. I think it has affected my parent’s daily life directly because even though my father could not remember the twenty-six letters, he still could follow the symbol to pronounce those words. People’s behavior also has been impacted by this event. Before, people did not line up. People just like a swarm of bees to come together. You could find people started to line up when waiting for the bus. Posters were everywhere, out walls of the house or lamp poles. There were fewer and fewer posters posted on the street without permits.

Another effect was the government renovated many new buildings to service the Olympic Games. For instance, all the bus stations were very nice to have six seats and a simple map. There was a digital screen to let people know where the buses are and how long you need to wait for. For me, this was very good because I could know when the bus was going to arrive. In addition, the stadiums were very nice to service the Olympic Games. The national swimming center has a beautiful outward and useful establishment. Many people now use these buildings. In the past, there were fewer stadiums for students or athletes. I went to the national swimming center, called “The Water Cube”, last summer. I was so exited that the water cube was in front of me and it was so pretty in the evening. This is a memory that I never forget in my life. In fact, China can also keep using those stadiums after the Olympic Games.

Finally, the biggest impact was economic benefit. This event attracted many visitors to China. Those visitors stayed in China during the 2008 Olympic Games, so the income from the hostels, tickets, and travel brought Chinese people very good economic benefits. During the 2008 Olympic Games, the GDP increased by 0.3% to 0.5%. Some of the visitors came for businesses. Those visitors brought a lot of jobs and trade. For instance, my father was an exporter of light fixtures. Because of this event, my father’s business has increased. Some companies offered a free ticket to the Olympic Games with designated purchases. It was a very good way to boost spending.

People’s quality of life, public utilities, and the economy benefit have been impacted by the 2008 Olympic Games. When I look back, it was filled with memories of visited the beautiful Water Cube, became an English teacher of my parents, and played English drama. In fact, the 2008 Olympic Games were successful. It did not just bring Chinese people economic benefits; it also brought pride to everyone.