From A Glimpse of the World:
China did not qualify for the 2006 World Cup, yet there was almost fanatical enthusiasm for the games in Beijing. Because the matches were played in the middle of the night, many Beijingers slept during the day. This gave a brief respite from Beijing’s notorious traffic jams, and the number of emergency calls to the city hotline decreased by 11 percent during the hours of the games. My son’s end-of-year examinations were scheduled during the three-day interval between two rounds. I was told that the dates were purposefully chosen. [Full Text]
