Human Waves Of Pep

China Trains Cheerleaders To Rally The Masses

"The students in one cheerleading class are not leggy athletic girls with pompoms, but rather desk-bound, middle-aged government employees brandishing balloons.


running dog lackies
will be no match
for our yellow balloons of triumph

These workers have volunteered, without pay, to be cheerleaders. They are receiving 10 hours of instruction in how to shout the officially approved slogans, such as "Go China! Go Olympics!"
At least 300,000 such volunteers will make up China's Olympic cheering squads. And 3,000 of those have been trained by Zhang Jinling, a professional enthusiast with a fixed rictus grin of joy.
"We raise our arms and shout powerfully to encourage China and the Olympics," she says to her students. (...)

Zhang reminds her class of their duty: "Our ordered movement, our loud and clear shouts will definitely create a good atmosphere for the athletes, so they'll be able to get new Olympic records on our yellow earth."
With that, she launches into an official Olympic song, complete with a baffling sequence of complicated hand gestures."