HOW CAN SHENYANG BID FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES?

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HOW CAN SHENYANG BID FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES?

– a city case study in foreign teacher’s class

We have a weekly lesson with a foreign teacher who will share some of the local culture and helps us to improve our English and thinking.

This year our foreign teacher, JBrown, asks us to do a final assignment which was a 5-minite group presentation. In this presentation we will be representing a Chinese city applying for the right to host the Olympic Games in 2036. The content was free to play with, but of course, the most important thing was to present the merits of the city. After the presentation, our teacher will choose the city that he judges to be “successful in its bid” and will give the group an A* – the highest score in the class.

The city was not chosen freely by us students. JBrown had prepared some pieces of paper with the names of big cities in China for us to draw - and we needed to be on behalf of the city we had drawn. Many students were satisfied that they had drawn political and economic centres or global mega-cities such as Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chongqing. Unfortunately, the city we drew was Shenyang - a very invisible provincial capital city facing all the problems that come with post-industrialisation. All of our friends persuaded my teammates and I to ask JBrown for re-drawing (we had one chance to re-choose, while all the other students in the class who had drawn Shenyang had all re-drawn other cities). However, we did not use this opportunity. After discussion, we decided that the Olympics did not have to be held in the most economically developed cities, and that each city had its own unique advantages. What we needed to do was to explore the city’s characteristics in depth and give it meaning to host the Olympics.

It is also because our city does not have the same economic advantages as the others, so instead of simply describing its economic development as a showcase of the city’s strengths, as other students did, we chose to take a holistic approach (e.g. geography, cultural support, venue arrangements, what legacy the Olympics will leave for the city, etc.). We searched a lot of information and images when researching the advantages of Shenyang’s location, and referred to the statements and plans of many cities that had successfully bid for the Olympics in the past when writing the programme and the significance of the event. Finally, we consolidated all the ideas and constantly revised our language presentation to try to make our presentation more organised and logical. Our slides, part of our presentation, will be attached to the text. In the end, our city came out on top and ‘successfully bid for the Olympics’, winning first place in the class.

The other students complimented our group afterwards, saying, “They were so good that in their hands, even Shenyang could successfully bid for the Olympics.” We were really happy, not only because we got an A*, but also because we did our best to complete the case study despite not drawing the most favourable city, and eventually ended up with a surprising result. In the process, my teammates and I also learned how to work together, how to analyse the problem, how to find the perspective of the case study and how to find reference sources.

Shenyang’s bidding for the Olympic Games

produced by Anna, Mckenna, Sherry, Fiona

The Olympic Games is an event of great importance, and it’s our pleasure to compete for the opportunity to host the Games in 2036 here as the representatives of Shenyang. We are going to introduce our city’s strengths from various aspects.

socio-economic advantages

  1. As the largest central city in northeast China, Shenyang can no doubt provide sufficient financial support for the game.
  1. Also, riching in natural resources, Shenyang is one of the most important industrial centres in China. Its recently flourished high-tech industries is also greatly helpful to provide technical support for the construction of Olympic venues and the arrangement of sporting events.
  1. Furthermore, Shenyang is a transportation hub in China. Many important railway trunk lines pass through it, and the Liao River facilitates its water transport.

location

  1. Apart from the socio-economic advantages, Shenyang’s location is very suitable as well. It has the temperate monsoon climate with average summer temperatures of less than 30 degrees. At the same time, there won’t be frequent rainy days. This comfortable weather can allow athletes to perform at their best.
  1. What’s more, situated in the Northeast Plain, Shenyang has a flat and wide-open terrain, which makes it possible to provide concentrated venues.

Support

Sustainability

Legacy

We promise that all of these infrastructures will continue to fulfill their missions after the Olympic Games —- that is to boost the economy and sports industry in Shenyang. We hope that Shenyang can be known to the world not only for its industrial development, but also for its dynamic image of a “sports city” through the 2036 Olympic Games. We promise that all stadiums will be open to the public after the Games, providing more space and facilities for citizens to do exercise. The improved transportation network and airport will help to enhance the level of communication and collaboration between Shenyang and other cities in the world, converting Shenyang into a cosmopolitan city. Besides, the measure of adopting renewable energy will be stuck to and spread out. We have drawn up a detailed and gradual scheme for the application of renewable energy in transport, medicine, sports industry and many other fields, making Shenyang a green city. We believe that the combination of the Olympics and Shenyang will not only enhance the city’s image, but also breathes life into this historical sports event. As the capital city of Liaoning province, Shenyang will play a leading role in Northeast China to develop sports industry and spread Olympic culture in the process. Moreover, Shenyang will serve as a model for developing countries to raise their international status, encouraging more industrial cities to take part in sports events and broadening the value of the Olympics.

Shenyang has made full preparation for the 2036 Olympic Games, dedicated to holding them with credibility, support and sustainability. We believe that the encounter between the Olympics and Shenyang will burst out a brilliant spark, which will be unforgettable in the history of the Olympic Games and the history of globalization.