The Olympic Games aroused people's interest in learning English in Beijing and Qingdao. Many people involved in the Games, such as volunteers as well as bus conductors and taxi drivers, are all boning up on English. They may be seen studying in restaurants, parks or even alleys. Free English classes have been started in some communities. In Shijiazhuang, the taxi drivers are required to master one hundred sentences of daily English.
Hosting the Olympic Games in Beijing is considered an honor by the Chinese. In November 2005 the Beijing Olympic Committee commenced the recruitment of volunteers for the Games. Undergraduates, high school students, overseas Chinese, foreign students in Beijing and citizens nation-wide are applying in great numbers. Those who are selected will take part in a training course to prepare them for the tasks they will be performing during the 2008 Olympics.
People are holding events in many places to collect signatures in support of the Games. Similar activities are taking place in both large cities and remote country areas. In order to publicize the Beijing Olympics, the Property and Casualty Company Limited (PICC) sponsored an exhibition which visited ten big cities during a two month period. Lin Jinyin, a 72 year old man has ridden a bicycle to Southeast Asia to drum up overseas support for the Olympics. Many people in China are contributing to the promotion and future success of the Beijing Olympics whatever they can.
