Pictures from the MPC
Author:admin Date:2008-08-05
Olympic volunteers offer free massages to reporters in the Main Press Center (MPC) from 2pm to 4pm each day.
The working area of the MPC. Nearly 60 percent of the reporters from news agencies from around the world have arrived at the work center and soon the center will be full of reporters.
Welcome to my turf -- Main Press Center
Author:admin Date:2008-08-04
After spending several days at the Main Press Center, I think must introduce you to this place — the central work place for the 5,600 accredited written and photographic press covering the Games.
The three-story building is mainly painted in blue and green colors. With sufficient lightening and big open space on the first floor, the center helps refresh the minds of story-chasing journalists working for newspapers, magazines and other print media. TV guys are busy editing their clips at the neighboring IBC.
The MPC officially opened on July 24 and it stays in operation round-the-clock. It actually began to receive journalists on July 8, but it was only normal working hours.
Half of the first floor is a huge open office area which serves journalists whose organizations don't rent a certain area in the center. By paying 3,000 yuan (US$435), they can get a desk, a telephone (need to buy cards if you want the phone to work), a wire connection into the computer network and an access to the official INFO database, which contains all information about athletes and games.
The other part of the first floor hosts general service spots, such as a language help desk, a transportation and accommodation desk, a booking office for flight tickets.
Many people go to the MPC's post office as it offers an instant "customized post card" service, which can produce a post card based on whatever pictures you give them. The post officer said they are expecting a long line on August 8, the day of the Games' opening as the post "chop" will be valuable. I myself have never thought of that, but it seems it's not a bad idea.
I have used their services, mailing home a map of Beijing to my mother on which I have circled the major places I visit during my Olympics coverage.
The second floor is used by news organizations who have rented space from the MPC. The Wenhui-Xinmin United Press Group's office has a working area that is about 50 square meters. We are located on the "Beijing Road" of the second floor. (The second floor has several "roads" as it is easier for people to find places.)
The Associated Press, Reuters, AFP and Xinhua have several hundreds of square meters each. But we've made the full use of our space — part of it has been designed into a studio good enough to shoot programs for the group's Websites, while another part is the working area. Besides that, we have accommodated two beds and a sofa for our working colleagues to rest for a while.
Only those who booked in early have managed to have space on the second floor. Late comers have been forced to use small spaces at the not-so-bright basement, such as Shanghai's Jiefang Daily Group.
The third floor has restaurants and cafes but they are fairly expensive. I usually stuff myself with McDonald's which is in the basement. But, oh, I miss my daily diet of vegetables ... I haven't had a bite of green since I began working at the MPC.
But the biggest surprise here is the massage room at the basement. At least six volunteers work there every day from 2pm to 6pm to "relieve the stress" of journalists here.
Zhang Lei, one of the masseurs, said that they were all graduates of TCM universities. But despite that, she said, she made it to the MPC after fierce competition as four out of five "applicants for volunteers" were rejected, she said.
But maybe the organizer should have left more openings, as now every day the six volunteers have to serve 60 visitors in the four hours.
"Our professional Chinese-style massage service based on punctuation points has proved to be a great success," she said. "The line keeps getting longer and longer every day. Even TV reporters at IBC have been coming to us."
"We have to cut the time for each guest from 20 minutes to 10 minutes," Zhang said. "Some foreign reporters could see that we were too busy and said we could end earlier."
I've never tried massage in my life before. So I cannot make a comparison if it is good, but it has helped me to relax my mind, shoulder and neck.
Beijing bound
Author:admin Date:2008-07-31
Captain Wang Jing (left) of the Olympics Express poses with a crew member.
Mini bar inside the dining coach of the Olympics Express.
Tags: train LiuWei MainPressCenter dinner
