Beijing Unveils 2008 Logo

"Young, dynamic — bringing together history and cultural heritage, as well as the future of China . "This was how Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee ( IOC) 1, described the Beijing Olympic logo, which was unveiled in a ceremony attended by 2, 008 invited guests at the Temple of Heaven.

The emblem, officially entitled"Chinese Seal —Dancing Beijing", has a single Chinese character on a traditional red Chinese seal. The words "Beijing 2008 "are written with a Chinese brush below it. The figure in the logo resembles a runner or dancer and the Chinese character"jing"which means" capital".

"The image carries the message that today's China is not only a nation with a long and glorious history, but also one full of modern dynamics, "says Jin Shangyi, one of the members of the emblem selection panel."The running figure represents the spirit of Olympic ( faster, higher, stronger) by focusing2 on the dynamics of athletes, "Jin adds. It also represents the ancient Chinese art of seal-cutting which dates back 3, 700 years to the Yin Dynasty. Seals have been used by individuals as well as by official documents.

The new logo was a joint3 effort that started with a design by the Beijing Armstrong Visual Identity Corp. The designers chose the seal to personify the Chinese character and provide a new image of Beijing that combines traditional culture with sports. The traditional Chinese elements in the design remind viewers of the logo used in bidding for the 2008 Olympics. According to vice-president of the Beijing organizing Committee for the XXIX Olympiad ( BOCOG), it is customary to design a logo for the Olympiad rather than continue to use the bid logo. Intellectual property rights also play a role in this.

The work of selection a new design for the 29 th Olympiad started immediately after Beijing's victory in the bidding on July 13, 2001 . Among the 1, 985 works submitted to BOCOG, 1, 763 came from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The others came from the US, Japan, Australia and elsewhere . But the decision on the dancing logo was unanimous4.

After the design was selected, experts were invited to discuss it with its creators. The final version was approved in February 2002. A month later, Rogge approved the design in a very Chinese way — he used his own Chinese seal.

练习题：四级答题卡

Questions:

1. What's the spirit of Olympics?

2. What's the feature of the new logo?

答案：

1. Faster, higher and stronger.

2. The new logo has a single Chinese character on a traditional red Chinese seal. The words "Beijing 2008" are written below it. The figure in the logo resembles a runner or dancer and the Chinese character“jing”which means"capital".

参考译文：

北京2008奥运会会徽

“ 充满青春与活力——— 将中国的历史和文化遗产同中国的未来融合在一起。”这是国际奥委会主席雅克罗格在北京奥运会会徽揭幕仪式上发表的评论。揭幕仪式在天坛举行,邀请了2008位嘉宾。

官方将会徽命名为“ 中国印——— 舞动的北京”。它是一枚传统印章, 上面刻了一个汉简字。字的下面是中国毛笔写成的“ Beijing 2008 ”。会徽上的“ 京”字, 像一个跑动或舞动的人; 而且中国的汉字“ 京”的意思就是“ 首都”。

作为会徽评选委员会11个成员之一的靳尚宜说:“会徽传达了这样一个信息: 今日的中国不仅是一个拥有悠久而辉煌历史的国家, 还是一个富有现代活力的国家。”靳还补充说:“ 设计的焦点在运动员的动态上, 这个跑动的人形代表了‘ 更快, 更高, 更强’的奥林匹克精神。”

“ 中国印”也代表了中国古老的印章艺术, 它源于3700年前的殷朝。中国的私人和官方文件中一直使用印章。这个新会徽源于北京始创国际企划有限公司的设计, 是各方共同努力的结果。设计者选择印章来将中国汉字人格化, 并展现了北京将传统文化和体育相结合的新形象。

这 一设计中传统的中国因素, 使人们想起2008奥运会的申办标志。据第29届奥运会北京协调委员会副主席说, 按惯例我们要为奥运会专门设计一个会徽, 而不是沿用申办标志。这里还牵涉到知识产权的问题。

2001年7月13日北京申奥一成功, 新会徽的筛选工作就开始了。在提交给第29届奥运会北京协调委员会的1985件作品中, 1763件作品来自大陆、香港和台湾, 其余的来自美国、日本、澳大利亚和其他国家。但是最后一致选定了这个富有动感的标志。之后, 还邀请了专家和设计者进行了探讨。2002年2月通过了最后的版本。一个月后, 罗格用一种很中国化的方式——盖上自己的印章, 批准了这一设计。