Jia you! Jia you! Jia you!…
From Sports Day at high school and inter-department competitions at university, to national and world championship meetings in the big city, this has always been the cry of encouragement (lit. ‘more oil’). Now, I’m giving serious consideration to starting The campaign to save “Jia you”.
Why? Because it is with great sadness that I have to report an end to this time-honoured and familiar call for sporting effort. Here’s the new officially sanctioned cheer, courtesy of the BBC:
Life will never be the same again.
I imagine this will take off because Chinese citizens are used to acting collectively. It seems a bit ‘in your face’ with regard to foreign visitors in my opinion, if for no other reason than it is directed at the home team only. One world; one dream?
Just for the record, I’m banning it in the classroom. “Jia you” is fine, though.
June 6th, 2008 at 8:38 am
The Olympic belongs 2 people all over the world,not just China’s.
I think chinese authority made this game more political,thats absurd!
June 6th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Alex, I’m expecting to see students practising the new chant outside my window any day now.
June 7th, 2008 at 10:23 am
I think the Olympic Games have seen worse times than these. But I agree with Alex. The sooner the 2008 Games are over and the sooner we can forget them, the better.
June 9th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Alex: Did you know that The Beijing Olympics are to be the best ever held in Olympic history?
Now you do: http://esinophile.wordpress.com/2008/06/08/breaking-beijing-olympics-to-be-the-best-ever-held-in-olympic-history/
June 9th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
[...] Foundinchina and [...]
June 14th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
. . but what are the words/chant/lyrics that go with it?
June 15th, 2008 at 2:50 am
. . but what are the words/chant/lyrics that go with it?
clap clap..”crush”..clap clap..”laowai”