-- Posted by scalywag66 at 5:49 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 A pretty girl who won national fame after singing at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was only miming. Wearing a red dress and pigtails, Lin Miaoke charmed a worldwide audience with a rendition of "Ode to the Motherland". But the singer was Yang Peiyi, who was not allowed to appear because she is not as "flawless" as nine-year-old Lin. The show's musical director said Lin was used because it was in the best interests of the country. The revelation follows news that a fireworks display used during the opening ceremony was apparently faked. 'Smiling angel' Speaking on Beijing Radio station, musical director Chen Qigang said the organisers needed a girl with both a good image and a good voice. Lin Miaoke performs at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games They faced a dilemma because although Lin was prettier, seven-year-old Yang had the better voice, Mr Chen said. "After several tests, we decided to put Lin Miaoke on the live picture, while using Yang Peiyi's voice," he told the radio station. "The reason for this is that we must put our country's interest first," he added. "The girl appearing on the picture must be flawless in terms of her facial expression and the great feeling she can give to people." Singer Lin, who is being called the "smiling angel", has already become a media celebrity because of her performance. She told state-run China Daily that she felt "beautiful" in the red dress she wore during the performance. Her dad told the newspaper that she already had fans all over the country. According to Chinese news reports, Yang said she did not regret the decision, saying she was satisfied to have had her voice featured in the opening ceremony. This is the second "fake" story about the opening ceremony Viewers around the world saw a display in which 29 firework "footprints" travelled across Beijing from south to north. But a senior official from the Beijing organising committee (Bocog) confirmed on Tuesday that footage of the display had been produced before the big night. This was provided to broadcasters for "convenience and theatrical effects", according to Wang Wei, Bocog's executive vice-president. "Because of poor visibility, some previously recorded footage may have been used," he told a daily press conference. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7556058.stm" target="_top">http://http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7556058.stm They are both cute and this is one of the reasons young kids grow up to have self image problems -- Posted by Baron Samedi at 5:50 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 The one on the right is more adorable though. -- Posted by Go Steph Go at 5:50 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 I heard that on the news.  They're both cute, that was moronic of them. -- Posted by Trash at 5:50 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 saw this already its well sad -- Posted by Aqueous at 5:50 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 That's so sad. -- Posted by whirlgoesround at 5:50 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 EVerything is sooo fake at the ceremony wow -- Posted by xidontcarex at 5:50 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 Aw, that's fucked up. There both very cute kids, and it's just wrong to cover that up. >:( Fuckers. -- Posted by plumc0la at 5:51 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 Hah... -- Posted by Meep123 at 5:52 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 It's China, what do you expect? Regard for human feelings? Psht. -- Posted by Clouse227 at 5:52 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 So sad, but so true. -- Posted by HXC at 5:53 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 Quote: from Baron Samedi at 5:50 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 The one on the right is more adorable though. truth. -- Posted by guitarparth at 5:53 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 wow -- Posted by robdude at 5:53 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 Quote: from Meep123 at 8:52 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 It's China, what do you expect? Regard for human feelings? Psht. . -- Posted by r o c 1 at 5:54 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 lmao -- Posted by Aphrodite54 at 5:54 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 Wow, that makes me feel so disappointed. I feel so bad for her. "We must put our country's interest first" Seriously? Seriously!? 54 -- Posted by PatPut99 at 5:56 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 I just heard about that on the news... Lovely what the world is coming to eh? -- Posted by BrownSugaBaby at 5:56 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 that's not even cool -- Posted by r o c 1 at 5:58 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 but then again they cant make china look bad by putting a "non flawless" child on stage to sing. -- Posted by muahzxox3 at 5:59 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 That's pretty fucked up. They both look similar to me. The only difference is one of them has short hair & rounder face while the other one is longer  hair & oval face. -- Posted by x3pinktutu at 6:01 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 that is sick! i cant believe they would do such a thing! -- Posted by MindArtist at 6:04 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 Quote: from Baron Samedi at 8:50 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 The one on the right is more adorable though. There ya go -- Posted by kingduffy at 6:08 pm on Aug. 12, 2008 thats sooo mean, should just give the girl the chance -- Posted by scalywag66 at 2:03 am on Aug. 15, 2008 I hope she's not scared for life -- Posted by jade2k7 at 6:52 am on Aug. 17, 2008 All kids are cute.....You should never call one ugly -- Posted by Mieux at 10:40 am on Aug. 17, 2008 All they had to do was fix the one girl's teeth. They're both cute. -- Posted by Bacon at 7:28 am on Aug. 18, 2008 Yet another reason to boycott the Beijing Olympic games -- Posted by nikki at 2:01 pm on Aug. 18, 2008 "Not as flawless as..." That's so, so pathetic. -- Posted by Sachacohen2 at 8:37 am on Aug. 27, 2008 Quote: from Meep123 at 1:52 am on Aug. 13, 2008 It's China, what do you expect? Regard for human feelings? Psht. -- Posted by allsmiles at 8:42 am on Aug. 27, 2008 For the benefit of clarification, I'll cross post my comment from the other thread: Quote: from allsmiles at 6:33 pm on Aug. 22, 2008 They never planned on letting just one of the girls participate in it. All 3 of the girls up for the position featured in the opening ceremony. The "ugly" girl had stage fright, and was informed well in advance that she would not be appearing on stage. The other girl, while her voice was still beautiful, it was not as strong, but she had the presence on stage that was required. The other girl was deemed too old (10 years old) for the appearance, but all three were credited for the performance. Yang Peiyi was never told that she was ugly, and Lin Maioke was never a last minute replacement. None of the girls were damaged by the ordeal, they're all very proud of what they have done for their country. This rumour that the western media latched onto started at the Voice of America, which is a propaganda tool for the US government.