Word: sichuan
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...ceremony's last firework exploded: What now for China? Will party hardliners, emboldened by the world's timid response to their brutal pre-Games crackdown on dissent, continue to tighten their grip on power? Or will the spirit of volunteerism and community that arose after the May earthquake in Sichuan be revived? Could reform-minded party officials - like those who approved the publication of Southern Window's special issue - gain ground in their drive to loosen control over areas such as the courts and the media...
...process. Last year's protests by thousands of citizens in the coastal city of Xiamen against plans to build a billion-dollar chemical factory ultimately forced the cancellation of the project. And the protests directly sparked copycat demonstrations against planned mega-projects in Shanghai as well as Chengdu in Sichuan province, which occurred just a few days before the earthquake devastated the region in May. "Chinese are trying to get government off their backs," says Bequelin. "This has nothing to do with the legitimacy of the Communist Party or debates about political systems...
...home a surprise gold. Two years later, at the Australian Open, Yan and Zheng claimed the country's first Grand Slam title. Then came Wimbledon, when the diminutive Zheng made it to the semi-finals as a wildcard before succumbing to the younger Williams sister. Zheng, a native of Sichuan province, which was rocked by the May earthquake, donated her Wimbledon prize money to the reconstruction effort...
...debuted at this Olympics, the Chinese squad dissolved into tears - a rare show of emotion. The tears flowed particularly freely for Zou Kai, a 1.5m tall Olympic first-timer, whose fluid performance on the horizontal bar capped the night's performance. "It's fantastic," said the native of Sichuan province, who spent nervous hours waiting to hear that his parents were safe after the May earthquake struck. "I told myself, 'Feel free and be yourself,' and it worked." (Zou, evidently, isn't always this free. Among his hobbies, the 47kg gymnast has listed: "Keeping my weight down...
Some Beijingers have opted to leave town on what's jokingly called a biyuntao--"avoid Olympics package"--which rhymes with the Chinese word for condom. Others, including huge numbers of migrant workers, have been forced out. A group of builders from Sichuan who lived in our courtyard while refurbishing the neighborhood left recently, taking their coal cooking stove and pet kitten with them. A few blocks away, restaurant owner Liu Ruilin complains that some of his best customers are gone. "I thought the Olympics were going to be good for business," he says. "But lots of outsiders are leaving...