Chapter 241: Wu Dao

On July 7, 2001, the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee delegation left Beijing for Moscow to participate in the final "decisive battle."

The Beijing Olympic Bid Committee formed four groups to go to Moscow. The first is the Olympic Bid Committee delegation, which consists of 65 people according to the regulations of the International Olympic Committee, including three Chinese members of the International Olympic Committee; the second is the working group, with about 150 people, providing logistical support for the Olympic bid work; the third is the press corps, with about 120 reporters from all over the country; in addition, there is a cheering group.

And Wu Yuchen naturally arrived in Moscow on July 7. He is an Olympic bid ambassador, and at the same time, he will finally serve as one of the representatives to go on stage to make a statement. Naturally, he belongs to the first Olympic bid delegation.

After Wu Yuchen and the delegation met at the hotel, the leader of the team shook Wu Yuchen's hand and smiled: "Comrade Little Wu, this time as one of the important representatives and presenters, you shoulder a heavy responsibility, you must be mentally prepared!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and said: "Leader, don't worry, I have already memorized the draft sent. I will practice more in the next few days, let the people in the group pick my faults as much as possible, and do the etiquette to the best. On the scene, I am a big heart by nature, and I will not be nervous. I will definitely not lose face for our China!"

"Hahaha, we are all at ease with this, after all, you are also one of our representatives of Chinese in the world now!" The leader smiled.

The reason why Wu Yuchen was chosen is also because of this reason. He has great influence in the world now, and his appearance and image are also very good. On the other hand, Wu Yuchen's personal ability and psychological quality are very good. He has also been north and south over the years, not only winning various awards in the three major European film festivals, but also creating high box office continuously in Hollywood, and also became the first Chinese director to win an Oscar.

Wu Yuchen has been dealing with foreigners all year round, experienced in front of the stage and various reporter tests, his brain is smart and his mouth is not stupid. As an ambassador and important representative, he has to accept interviews during the period, and he must have the ability to respond randomly.

Wu Yuchen asked: "Leader, I heard that new regulations have been implemented this time. I don't know what the rules are?"

However, there are still quite a few reporters who ask questions about the Olympics, such as this one:

"Wu Dao, can you talk about the advantages of your Beijing in this Olympic bid? In what aspects do you think Beijing is ahead of the other 4 cities?"

The leader nodded: "According to the latest regulations of the International Olympic Committee, all bidding cities stop all publicity activities two weeks before the vote. Because this regulation is implemented for the first time, no one knows what can be done and what cannot be done. This time, we will follow the policy of 'calm and clear-headed, talk less and do more, and never make mistakes'."

Whether it is for the Olympics or for China, this Beijing Olympic Games is the best two-way rush!"

In fact, these words in Wu Yuchen's mouth are a bit of a trampling meaning. History is longer than others, population is more than others, birthplace of Eastern culture, if it is put on the occasion of the final Olympic bid statement, it is not suitable, which will cause dissatisfaction among some members.

Reporters are taking pictures with click, click, click at this time. In fact, some members are listening around the scene, and some members see it from the reports. If these words were said by someone who didn't know, they might be treated as wind in the ears, but coming from the mouth of the great director Wu Yuchen, it touched some members. The longest history, the largest population, the most authentic Eastern culture……

Wu Yuchen himself as a director, the attribute most related to him is culture and humanities. He is most suitable to say this, and he is also handy:

On the 8th, it was to display the arranged exhibition booth and materials to the Olympic Committee. In the afternoon, it opened for half an hour of external interviews here, mainly with several members in the delegation coming forward to answer. On the next day, Wu Yuchen and several star representatives, such as Deng Yaping, Lang Ping, Wang Nan, etc., appeared around the exhibition booth, which immediately attracted a large number of reporters.

Don't look at the exhibition booth as small, but this is the only official publicity place approved before the statement to the International Olympic Committee members and the official press conference. For this, the publicity group of the Olympic bid group moved a lot of brains. A large TV kept playing the promotional film introducing Beijing, with publicity materials placed next to it, and then decorated with banners, making the exhibition booth both imposing and utilizing space to the maximum extent.

"Beijing has a history of more than 3,000 years. It is the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties and the embodiment of our Chinese civilization that has been passed down for a long time. In this regard, the other four cities cannot compare with Beijing.

Next, reporters changed their questions. Wu Yuchen, who had been prepared for a long time, was not afraid. He was naturally humorous, witty, and free, leaving a very deep impression on everyone.

Wu Yuchen paused, and then said unhurriedly:

"As everyone knows, China is the world's most populous country, with 1.3 billion people, nearly one-fifth of the world's population. And now, all 13 billion of us across the country, including many overseas Chinese around the world, are full of longing and expectation for the Olympics! No country holding the Olympics can spread the concepts advocated by the Olympics—fairness, peace, friendship, and fair competition—as widely as in China, in Beijing!"

Wu Yuchen also nodded to indicate that he understood. That is, only what is clearly stipulated is done. The boundary is blurred this time and will not be tested, so as not to be caught by the opponent.

Just like this, Wu Yuchen also integrated into the Olympic bid delegation, eating and living together, and constantly preparing for his own preparation work.

To be honest, although Deng Yaping and others are sports stars with influence, the influence of sports like table tennis and volleyball in the world really dare not say how high it is. To say something impolite, even if Wu Yuchen is not a star in front of the stage but a director, his fame and influence abroad are really greater than these few.

But now, in this reporter interview session that has just begun, it is not so serious, and it is just right for his identity to say these things, and it can also pass this information to the committee through his mouth.

There are four competitors for Beijing's Olympic bid this time: Osaka, Paris, Toronto, Istanbul. The five bidding cities are allowed to place an exhibition booth 1.2 meters wide and nearly 2 meters high, and the content of the display can be played freely.

The Olympics have a history of more than 100 years, but countries with Eastern cultural backgrounds have only held it twice, Tokyo in 1964 and Seoul in 1988. And our China is the most important cultural birthplace of the Eastern cultural circle. Putting the Olympics in Beijing is the best display of Eastern culture! In this Olympics, while showing our long-standing culture and history, we will let everyone see a very modern, open, and people-oriented Chinese Beijing!"

Hearing this question, Wu Yuchen moved in his heart, knowing that this is a good time for publicity, and immediately smiled and said:

Just look at the attitude of these interviewed reporters to understand that Wu Yuchen is the person who has been asked the most questions here. The questions are also varied. Some questions have nothing to do with the Olympics, but Wu Yuchen will also maintain a friendly attitude and answer briefly, and finally lead back to the topic.

"For this Beijing Olympic bid, we have put forward three concepts. Green Olympics, High-tech Olympics, Humanistic Olympics. If the first two features are also available in some countries, then our most prominent feature is in the humanistic aspect."

In the next few days, Wu Yuchen also met some foreign representatives and members who came to ask for his autograph and group photo, and satisfied their requirements with a good attitude. His influence is really not blown. The works since his debut have literary films, commercial films, and several Hollywood films have pushed him to the world. Especially the *Pirates of the Caribbean* that is currently popular globally, even if some adults don't like it so much, they can't stand the children at home liking it.

Just like this, a week is about to pass, and finally waited for the moment of the decisive battle on the 13th. This time, only 62 members of the delegation can enter the venue specially prepared for the Olympic bid city, and they cannot enter or exit at will afterwards, and can only watch the statement and vote through the big screen.

The weather is sunny today. At the entrance of the Moscow World Trade Center, which serves as the venue, many media from all over the world gathered early in the morning. Hundreds of reporters carried "long guns and short cannons" and aimed at the door on the first floor, waiting for the Olympic bid statement groups of various cities to appear on the live broadcast screen. The fingers on the shutter button were not willing to relax for a moment, "click", "click", for fear that a second of rest would miss the historical picture.

The first statement group is the Osaka Olympic bid group. Moscow time 9 to 10 o'clock is their statement time. They arranged middle school students' violin performance in the statement part. Next, the Paris delegation started the statement at 10:15, followed by the Toronto delegation, and they arranged for child stars to sing on stage.

By the time the Toronto delegation ended, it was already 12:45. Wu Yuchen and others had also been sitting in the venue for 3 hours, staring at the situation of the opponents on the big screen. It happened to be the break time for lunch, and it would start again in the afternoon.

At this time, the pressure was on the Chinese delegation, because the next one was their turn. It would be fine if they went on stage directly, but this waiting time was the most tormenting.

All the representatives who were going to go on stage did not dare to eat too much, for fear of any accidents when they went on stage.

Wu Yuchen was not so nervous. He knew that Beijing's Olympic bid had a great lead in votes this time. As long as he played normally, there would definitely be no problem. Wu Yuchen himself had a big appetite, and two boxes of lunch were finished in a while.

"You all learn from Comrade Little Wu's mentality, eat when you should eat, drink when you should drink, just treat it as an ordinary rehearsal!" The leader couldn't help but smile when he saw this. He knew that the most important thing now was to let everyone keep a normal heart.

Wu Yuchen put down the lunch box in his hand and couldn't help but smile and replied: "The lunch box prepared by the Olympic Committee today is not bad. We can't return empty-handed!"

The leader's eyes lit up: "Little Wu is right, since we are here, we can't return empty-handed!"

Everyone understood the meaning of these words, that is to say, there will be gains on this trip today. It's just that it was said through eating, and the atmosphere was different, much easier than saying it formally, everyone couldn't help but smile, and then shoveled the food.

After the break, at 13:50 in the afternoon, Wu Yuchen and others were guided by the staff to the reporting hall, and the speech and statement started on time at 14:00.

There are 9 representatives in total for this speech, 9 segments showing the preparations made by Beijing for the Olympic bid in various aspects.

The first to make the opening remarks was Mr. He Zhenliang, and it was also he who made the final summary statement. And Wu Yuchen was the second to last before his final statement, mainly telling Beijing's culture and Chinese style.

After Deng Yaping and Yang Ling jointly told a 2-minute content, Wu Yuchen walked onto the podium with his head held high, and showed a confident smile and high-spirited posture to the members who could vote.

"Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon! Before introducing our cultural arrangements to you, I want to tell you first that you will have a pleasant time in Beijing in 2008."

Compared with the previous representatives' speeches, Wu Yuchen was not so stiff, but came up to narrow the psychological distance with the members present, which is also his advantage as a world-famous face.

"This year's Oscar Best Foreign Language Film, *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, has spread to all parts of the world. Many people are attracted by the wonderful Chinese kung fu and Yin-Yang Taoist culture in it. But this is actually only a small part of our culture, and there are many cultural treasures waiting for you to dig."

Hearing Wu Yuchen introduce the topic from the film, the members present couldn't help but show smiles. *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* has indeed spread very widely in the world, with a global box office of over 200 million US dollars, and is currently the most successful Oscar Best Foreign Language Film.

In fact, Wu Yuchen also considered using his own films to introduce, but thought that *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, which is currently popular and can reflect China's unique culture, is suitable. After all, his *Brotherhood of Blades* has not even been filmed yet.

"China has its own sports tradition. Around the 11th century Song Dynasty, people began to play a game called 'Cuju'. This game is considered the origin of ancient football, which was very popular at that time, and women also formed a team to play happily. Now, you should understand why our women's football team is so powerful~"

Football is the most popular sport in the world, and the Chinese women's football team won the runner-up in the 99 World Cup. At this time, it is also ranked in the top three in the world, so women's football is very presentable. As for the men's football team, Wu Yuchen didn't bother to mention it.

"……

Based on the inspiration brought by the Silk Road, our torch relay will open a new situation, from Mount Olympia, passing through the ancient human civilization birthplaces—Greece, Rome, Egypt, Byzantium, Mesopotamia, Persia, Arabia, India, and China. With the theme of 'Sharing Peace, Sharing the Olympics', the eternal Olympic flame will cross the Himalayas and reach the world's highest peak—Mount Everest, thus reaching a new height!"

This is to use the story of the Silk Road to narrow the distance and closeness between the East and the West while declaring the theme, and at the same time use the world's first height, Mount Everest, to make an article. The picture is very attractive.

"700 years ago, amazed by his description of that beautiful and distant country, people asked Marco Polo: Are those stories about China true? He replied: I just described half of what I saw to you. In fact, what we show you today is only a corner of Beijing waiting for your arrival.

Ladies and gentlemen, I believe Beijing will prove to athletes, audiences, and television audiences around the world: this is a magical land. Come among us!

Thank you Mr. Chairman, thank you everyone!"

Wu Yuchen made a statement of 4 minutes and 10 seconds alone. The time was rehearsed. If the previous person's time was short, he had to slow down the speed of speech. If the previous person exceeded the time, he had to reduce one or two sentences. It was very testy for the ability to respond on the spot. But fortunately, everyone was basically within their own time range, and Wu Yuchen completed his statement confidently and easily.

When he bowed and walked off the stage, there was already quite a lot of applause.

After Wu Yuchen went off the stage, it was Mr. He Zhenliang who made the final summary:

"Mr. Chairman, dear colleagues:

No matter what choice you make today, it will be recorded in history. However, one decision will definitely create history. Your decision today will promote the friendship between the world and China through sports, thus benefiting all mankind.

……

If the honor of hosting the 2008 Olympic Games can be granted to Beijing, dear colleagues, I can assure you that the results seven years later will make you proud of today's decision! Thank you!"

Listening to the sonorous and powerful guarantee on the stage, Wu

As for the Olympics after this, they really declined year by year; they truly couldn't compare to the 2008 Olympics. We in China really do what we say; we keep our promises!

Following the conclusion of Mr. He's summary, the entire presentation and statement for Beijing's Olympic bid had ended. After he stepped down from the stage, he couldn't help but shake hands, embrace, and encourage everyone.

When the delegation emerged from the doorway, a crowd of reporters swarmed over, surrounding them in hopes of getting some usable news. However, everyone remained low-key and didn't want to reveal their feelings, as the Istanbul group hadn't even started yet.

In the end, the leader of the delegation uttered three words: "We have confidence!"

At this moment, Wu Yuchen also held up a V-sign and a confident smile for the photographers. Since the leader had already made a statement, he could also express his attitude, which simultaneously served to put pressure on their opponents. His demeanor was naturally recorded by numerous media outlets and broadcast in real-time to all corners of the globe.

Before long, this image of Wu Yuchen had spread to the Chinese internet. Various websites even placed it on their homepages, attracting a massive amount of attention.

"Wu Dao made a V-sign!"

"Wow, so confident! I hope Wu Dao's V brings good luck!"

"Wu Yuchen is being a bit arrogant here; this isn't a good omen!"

"Bullshit! Don't be a jinx, you upstairs. What do you mean by that? You hope we fail?!"

"Wu Dao has always succeeded and has never failed; he will surely bless China with victory!"

"Don't pay attention to the clown. Wu Yuchen is just being confident; China will definitely succeed!"

"If we succeed in the Olympic bid this time, I won't worship Bodhisattvas or Guan Gong anymore; from now on, I'm going to worship this picture of Wu Dao!"

"Whoa! You're intense! But count me in; if we succeed, I'll worship Wu Dao for blessings from now on!"

Seeing Wu Yuchen make the V-sign, many people in China couldn't help but feel their spirits lift. At the very least, this proved that their performance on-site must have been good; otherwise, Wu Yuchen wouldn't have shown that kind of demeanor.

Wu Yuchen naturally didn't pay attention to the external discussion triggered by his gesture just now, and even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. Right now, his attention was entirely on the final vote. Although he knew Beijing was destined to win, being there in person, he couldn't help but feel concerned.

With the conclusion of Istanbul's presentation, the time had reached 16:30. Afterward, they entered a recess, and the Evaluation Commission began their report assessment.

By 17:30, all delegations had returned to the venue, and it was time for the 104 members to begin the official vote.

Although the voting only took 3 minutes, this time was agonizing for everyone, and they watched nervously. Wu Yuchen kept his arms crossed in a confident posture, thinking that with him, a Chinese director with international influence, joining in, it should provide an even greater boost—surely nothing could go wrong now, right?

Soon, the results of the first round were out: Beijing received 44 votes, ranking first with a huge lead, while the second-place Toronto only had 20 votes. However, because the rules stipulated that the vote count must exceed half—meaning over 52 votes—a second round had to be held.

According to the rules, if a candidate city receives more than half the votes and ranks first, it wins directly and obtains the hosting rights. If not, the candidate city with the fewest votes is eliminated, and the other cities proceed to the next round of voting.

The situation was already extremely favorable for the Chinese side. Because according to the rules, Osaka, ranking last, would be out of the second round of voting, and the votes cast for Osaka in the first round would very likely flow to China, as they were both Asian countries.

However, at this moment, the members of the Chinese delegation didn't dare to show any joy on their faces, because there was a precedent for this.

In 1993, when bidding for the 2000 Olympic Games, Beijing had ranked first in the first three rounds of voting with 32, 37, and 40 votes respectively, but none of these reached the 45 votes required for a majority.

Consequently, Istanbul, Berlin, and Manchester were successively eliminated for ranking last, leaving only Beijing, China, and Sydney, Australia, to enter the brutal one-on-one voting round: it no longer mattered if the vote count exceeded half; whichever of the two cities received more votes would win.

At the time, the vast majority of people thought Beijing would win just like in the first three rounds, and the odds were very high, but the reversal appeared where no one expected it. Sydney, which had received at most 37 votes in the first three rounds, unexpectedly grabbed 45 votes in this round of voting, killing off Beijing 45:43 at the last moment.

After the voting results were announced, the venue was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even the usually active reporters were left speechless, with only the sound of the Australian delegation cheering wildly.

This gave the Olympic bid team a lesson they would never forget, so now, when it came to this stage of voting, even with a lead, no one dared to show a smile.

At 22:10, the second round of voting began. After another short yet long 2 minutes, the scrutineer from the International Olympic Committee's Disciplinary Commission was seen slowly picking up the paper with the results, placing it steadily into an envelope, and sealing it.

The audience on-site, familiar with the IOC election process, all stood up at once!

Sealing the envelope meant that a city had already received more than half the votes in this round and won; there would be no third round of voting, because if voting were to continue, the envelope would not be sealed!

Seeing this, Wu Yuchen had already curled the corners of his mouth; this was definitely Beijing!

Although everyone felt that there was a 90% chance it was Beijing inside the envelope, the members of the delegation still didn't dare to celebrate in advance, and the most common thing they reminded each other was: "Don't jump around; wait until you hear it clearly before you jump!"

On stage, Samaranch opened the envelope and solemnly announced: "The host city for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games is..."

At this moment, not only the people in the venue, but people all over the world were staring intently at Samaranch through the live television broadcast signal.

"Beijing!"