Over 5,000 students are doing push-ups; more than 10,000 people
eat lamb kebabs at the same time… Sponsor of the Guinness World
Records, Sir Hugh Beaver never imagined that 56 years later, such
simple activities could apply for a Guinness World Record simply
for the coordination of thousands of Chinese people.?
On August 8, 2007, more than 2348 children played Chinese
traditional zithers in Huludao City, Liaoning Province. At the end
of this 5-minute performance, a new Guinness World record has been
set and the city enjoyed the new nickname of "Zither Island".
What was the price of this? Enveloped in the
sweltering heat, these kids were baked for over four hours.
?
(Sitting for over four hours at
the square, poor kids could not stop yawning.)
Five-year-old Liu Siyu's mother complained: "I drove my daughter
all the way from Shenyang City. But when we arrived, I found people
crammed together and little place to move around."
?
Hotels were overcrowded and even small inns were full-up. Ms. He
said: "my ordered room was dirty and grimy. But such a messy place
cost me 240 yuan (US$30) per day."
"The organizers provided nothing for us but a commemorative
T-shirt. We had to pay all bills and each participant had to pay a
280 yuan (US$35) recruiting fee," said Mr. Zhang, Head of the
Qianhong Chinese Zither School in Dalian.
He remembered that on the night of August 7, students were
required to arrange their instruments on the square in advance.
"These zithers were very expensive with each costing over 10,000
yuan (US$1250). However, the organizers told us that even if it
rained the next day, we could not leave," he noted.
At 5:30 AM on that day, over 2,000 kids were awaken and forced
to practice at 6.30am even though the performance was set to start
at 9am. With children as young as four taking part, the sun shone
bright and with no shade and little water, the performance became a
torture for kids and parents alike. Except for the odd break,
participants could not even use the bathroom.
Chinese entry way -- mass theory
Huludao's activity is not rare in China. Merely two days later,
Zhoushan City in Zhejiang Province announced that more than 5590
people took part in the Ocean Creatures Costume Campaign and that
this had also earned a place in the Guinness World Records.
Statistics of the Guinness World Records Liaison Office China
show that from 2002 to 2007, 110 mass activities entered the
Records amidst close to 400 yearly applications.
Wu Xiaohong, an official from the Guinness World Records Liaison
Office China said: "challenges done by many people are really
difficult. Through everyone's efforts, people achieve their goals.
We accept these applications."
However, in China many mass activities are usually sponsored by
local authorities. The former producer of Guinness TV in China Ni
Weixing released they used to receive numerous invitations from
local governments around China.
Wang Tianyi, one of the sponsors of the zither Performance in
Huludao, is also the Under-Secretary of the city's CPC (Communist
Party of China) Committee.
According to Huludao's plan, the government will further
organize an event where 2008 zither players will wax musical and
2008 people will partake in Chinese shadow boxing to celebrate the
opening of Beijing Olympic Games next year.
Wang Tianyi confessed that local authorities wanted to utilize
the Guinness World Records to improve their city's tourism
prospects.
In fact, the Guinness records entry recognizes private or
voluntary accomplishments. Local authorities should not use public
money to tempt people.
Poor kids in mass activities
These mass activities mainly focus on traditional
Chinese culture and games. Local authorities become the key
sponsors and students naturally turn into the so-called most active
and widest participants.
?
In May 2007, a painting Fuwa
created by over 500 student from Shenyang in Liaoning Province
entered the Guinness World Records.
?
In August 2005, more than 300
students played the piano in Shenyang entered the Guinness World
Records.
Song Junhua, deputy director of Sun Yat-sen University's
Institute of Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage, urged that
traditional custom and culture not be used as tools for pursuing
political agendas.
Professor Yu Hai pointed out that it is difficult for powerless
students and their parents to decline these mass activities
sponsored by their school.
Guinness industry chain
The Guinness World Records Liaison Office China introduced that
except asking for "special and convenient service," applicants need
not to pay for any fee to the organization. But resources from the
Guinness headquarters in London explained that inviting working
staff will cost extra payment.
Officer Tang Risong from the Guinness Liaison Office China
expressed that through TV series, books and theme parks, the
Guinness Company has developed its own market in China.
Professor Gan Chunhui from Shanghai University of Finance and
Economics said that breaking world records provides a perfect
launching platform for both enterprises and non-governmental
organizations.
"The Guinness records many attractive challenges and people show
keen interest in them. This creates a great advertisement
opportunity," he added.
On the contrary, Professor Liu Ping in Shenyang Normal
University worried that under the serious market competition, the
Guinness challenges will become more profit-oriented than embodying
the true spirit of competition and sportsmanship.
(China.org.cn by Wang Ke August 28, 2007)
