So is everyone else. The International Olympic Committee inspectors arrive February 21, and all of Beijing is consumed in an Olympian campaign to impress them. Thousands of migrants scrub fences and plant fake flowers along the delegation's route. Cabbies driving dirty cars have their licenses suspended.
Buildings turn off the heat during the day to reduce air pollution.
A new city. Then, the IOC narrowly favored Sydney, concerned about China's human-rights record. Now, with an Amnesty International report alleging the widespread use of torture by Chinese officials, that may once again be Beijing's stumbling block. Desperate to show a friendly face, China has said it will stage beach volleyball on Tiananmen Square if it wins the bid. For now, though, the square is bustling with plain-clothes cops.