(BEIJING, January 1) – On the early morning of January 1, 2007, the "Smile
Wristlets" for volunteers of the Beijing Olympic Games was officially unveiled
in the heart of the capital city amid a rally themed "We are passing on smiles
from the Drum and Bell Towers."
Before the New Year's bell was clanged, the unveiling ceremony was declared
open on a square between the Towers where a 60-meter-long and 6-meter-wide
"Smile Avenue" was temporarily set up.
Liu Jian, secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth
League of China and director of the Volunteers' Department of the Beijing
Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) gave a
definition to the official meanings of the five colors of the wristlets: Red
represents readiness to help others; Yellow – civility and politeness; Black -
honesty and trustworthiness; Blue - studying and forging ahead; and Green -
environmental protection.
Suddenly, some 500 university volunteers around the stage turned the scene
into a sea of joy, where ten large banners depicting the wristlets' meanings
paraded from the Bell Tower. In his speech, Qiang Wei, vice secretary of Beijing
Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and chief of the
Volunteers' Work Coordination Group for the Beijing Olympic Games urged Beijing
citizens to carry out the virtues of helping each other to lift the capital
city's image as an advocate of civility and flash smiles to visitors and guests
from around the world to attend the 29th Olympiad.
The ceremony was culminated in an art performance themed "Bring Smiles to the
World" which was followed by Qiang Wei's strike of the 63-ton Bell to announce
the beginning of the New
Year.