Chinese characters: Hanzi

The Chinese writing system is known as hanzi in Mandarin Chinese.

The Confucius Institute (Centre for Chinese Language in New Zealand) has prepared some characters for tvnz.co.nz users that will be useful during the Olympic games.

You can learn the hanzi for New Zealand, where the Olympic symbol was derived from, why 8 is a lucky number and what the characters for one, two and three are - very important for medal ceremonies!

Check them out! HERE

N.B. The document is in pdf format so you will need Adobe Acrobat pdf reader

For more information about the Confucius Institute and courses they run go to their website


NZ Olympic history with nzhistory.net

A record 182 New Zealanders will compete at the Beijing Olympics. Amid the building excitement, the team at NZ History.net have compiled the inspiring story of New Zealanders at the Olympics in the century 1908 to 2008.

The website tells New Zealand's Olympic tale: from the pioneering efforts of Harry Kerr, Violet Walrond and Arthur Porritt to the great track triumphs of Lovelock, Snell and Walker, and the golden achievements of our rowers, canoeists, equestrians and yachties.

For example, swimmer Violet Walrond was New Zealand's first female Olympian at the 1920 Antwerp Games. Travelling for nine weeks with little chance for training, Violet and her team mates, including bronze medallist rower Darcy Hadfield, were severely disadvantaged.

Darcy Hadfield had been to Belgium before but in very different circumstances. In 1917 he was wounded at the horrific battle of Passchendaele. With more than 4600 Kiwi soldiers lying in Belgian war graves, the Antwerp Games were laden with meaning for many New Zealanders.

Although New Zealand will compete in Olympic football for the first time this year, in 1956 a Kiwi football referee, Morrie Swain, found himself 'the least popular man in the stadium' as his offside decision helped hand the gold medal to the USSR team just weeks after the brutal Soviet invasion of Hungary.

New Zealanders had more problems at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Not only did they face resentment from African nations dismayed at the All Blacks decision to tour South Africa but technical problems meant Keith Quinn was unable to broadcast much of the opening ceremony to Kiwis eagerly awaiting the first live television coverage of the Games.

Check out the full story at nzhistory.net


Beautiful Beijing 
Beijing, home of 10 thousand bicycles, 14 million people and the largest KFC restaurant in the world!

Beijing is the second largest city in China, behind Shanghai. A cultural Mecca with 7300 cultural relics, Beijing prides itself on its scenic spots and nearby ski fields.

What doesn't make it onto the tourist brochures is the pollution - Beijing state officials are aiming for just 256 blue sky days (of decent air quality) in 2008.

Beijing is gearing up for the Olympic Games: seven million tickets have been sold, and over two million visitors are expected. Let's hope they take a raincoat as eight thunderstorms are forecast during the Games period!

Click here for more information on the city on the official Beijing 2008 site.

As well as Beijing, Shenyang and Qinhuangdao will host the football tournament. Located in northeast China, Shenyang is home to a number of China's most celebrated cultural relics. Qinhuangdao, a summer resort, is the gateway to the Great Wall of China.


Checking out China
It's no secret that China is the most populous country in the world. Approximately 70 per cent of China's population live in rural areas and 30 per cent in urban areas.

There's no lack of tourist attractions in China. In the 1970s, farmers unearthed approximately 1,500 terracotta warriors and horses from a mausoleum in the Shaanxi Province in northwest China. A selection of authentic warriors will be on display during the Beijing Olympics.

Located 75 kilometres northwest of Beijing, the Great Wall of China stretches an incredible 6,400 kilometres. Tourists can also enjoy the Peking Opera, Tiananmen Square and of course the delicious Chinese cuisine.

Get a Kiwi perspective on China through the New Zealand China Friendship Society Inc.

Asia Knowledge is a new website designed to support Kiwi schools become more Asian aware. The site has a specific section dedicated to Beijing 2008, along with the resources to help students to become positive members of their local, national, and global communities.

Find out more about how New Zealand is expanding our cultural links with China through the Confucius Institute of New Zealand.

Click here for more tourism tips from the Beijing Administration Tourism site.

Click here for information about China on the site of the New Zealand Olympic Committee.


Olympics past, present and future

Click here for documentaries on the history of the Olympic Games at TVNZ ondemand

The first modern Olympic Summer Games were held in Athens in 1896 (the Games returned to Athens in 2004). 241 men - and no women - competed. In the 112 years since the inception of the Modern Olympics, the Games have swelled to 302 events with 16,000 competitors.

Athletes have had their fair share of trouble, with strict IOC bans on performance enhancing drugs. Perhaps the biggest scandal of all was Ben Johnson's demise after winning gold at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988.

But it's not all about sport. The Modern Olympics have become a stage for airing political opinions and grievances. In the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games, Adolf Hitler attempted - and failed - to substantiate his notion of Aryan supremacy. Ironically, African-American athlete Jesse Owens won four gold medals in Berlin.

In the 1970s, African countries attempted to force the IOC to ban New Zealand, South Africa and Rhodesia. In 1976, 28 African countries boycotted the Olympics to protest against the All Blacks tour to South Africa (thereby condoning apartheid).

In 1972, Palestinian terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games. In the 1996 Games in Atlanta, one person was killed by a terrorist bomb and a further 110 were injured. In 1980, the US boycotted the games and in 1984 the Soviet Union responded with their own boycott.

Beijing has suffered its fair share of controversy, with calls to boycott the 2008 Olympic Games due to China's violations of human rights and the country's treatment of Tibet.

For more information on the past Olympics click here.

In 2010, the winter Olympic Games will be held in Vancouver. London won the honours for the Summer Olympic Games 2012. Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Tokyo (Japan), Madrid (Spain) and Chicago (USA) are competing for the honours in 2016. 

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games official site.

The London 2012 Summer Olympic Games official site.


TVNZ shows
For a local perspective on the issues facing Asians in New Zealand, recipes, interviews and more, check out Asia Downunder.

You can also watch News Talk for Today - a ChineseTV8 programme fearured on TVNZ ondemand.