Editor's note: The Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival, which ended yesterday with a concert at Peking University Hall, has encouraged people to ponder how the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics will impact on their lives and careers. For this special report, China Daily stafffers JIN BO, YU NAN, CHEN ZHIYONG, SHAO XIAOYI and intern LIN QI interviewed residents of Beijing.

Gan Qiyu, a senior at the School of Government, Peking University:

The Olympic Games offer a way for man to surpass himself, and the essence of the Games lies in the spirit of competition and sense of honour.

I still remember the "crazy night" when Beijing won the bid to host the XXIX Olympic Games. Thousands of us students gathered at the campus piazza, crying and cheering.

We have a lot of slogans - the Green Olympics, the Humanist Olympics, and the High-Technology Olympics. The event definitely conforms to the core values of mankind, and expresses our Chinese determination to merge with the rest of the world.

But I think now people should calm down.

There are still a lot of things to do. Beijing has its own charms, along with a long history and rich culture. But we still face many problems, such as how to further improve the environment of the city, how to ease the traffic stress which seems to be getting worse, and how to eliminate bad public behaviour among people.

We must solve the problems. I think when 2008 comes, the world would like to see an honest and real Beijing.

Wang Fei, director of the Public Relations Department, Social Sciences Documentation Publishing House:

Any news about the 2008 Beijing Olympics always stirs my interest.

The Games will surely exert influences upon the publishing industry, which I've made my career.

For instance, more and more tourists will come to Beijing and travel in China. The booming tourism may open a gold mine for local Chinese publishers, as the demand for guidebooks will surge.

My colleagues and I work on publishing social sciences documentation. We will particularly look into the social challenges that arise from society's preparation for the Games and require the whole society to address.

For example, as a huge metropolis, how should Beijing conduct urban development before and after the Games? How will the Games influence Beijing's economy?

Many social scientists are preparing research to answer those questions. My colleagues and I will be interested in publishing the results.

Tian Weilie, senior producer, "Architectural Arts," China Educational TV Station:

My colleagues and I have been working to document the splendid ancient Chinese architecture.

For us, the Olympic Games will attract the world's attention not only to the modern China, but also to our ancient civilization.

In fact, some of my colleagues joined an expedition tour of the ancient silk road that started on June 23, International Olympic Day. Our crew travelled with renowned athletes and scholars, and along the way we investigated and recorded how ancient architectures on the silk road are preserved.

The episodes have been warmly welcomed by viewers both at home and abroad. We have received e-mails from Singapore and other regions saying that they like the programme very much.

Our cameras are ready and we will feature the growing number of modern architectural landmarks in other Chinese cities as well. We will produce some episodes on the National Stadium and sports venues which are under construction, to make a record of Beijing's progress towards the Olympic Games.

Zhang Yubao, master chef at Qianmen Quanjude Peking Roast Duck Restaurant, the oldest roast duck eatery in Beijing:

People could not imagine our happiness at having the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.It is such a good chance for our chefs to introduce Chinese food to the whole world.

China is one of the countries in the world known for its rich culinary culture, but it seems many foreign epicureans only know the tip of the Chinese cuisine iceberg.

We are duty bound to make Chinese food delicious in any language, especially those of us working in Quanjude and other brand-name restaurants.

The competition in the catering service market is surely fierce. While Sichuan cuisine dominates, Cantonese and Hangzhou cuisine are recapturing their popularity in recent years.

We in the old brand-name eateries in Beijing should follow closely the food trend to create new specialities with wonderful taste and high quality.

A strictly-organized training programme for chefs is going on at our restaurant to ensure we will have a quality team of chefs, from old to young, to maintain and improve our skills and get ready for the Olympic Games.

There are still many things we need to prepare. The Olympic Games is a great undertaking requiring people from all walks of life to make concerted efforts to present a delicious and harmonious Beijing in 2008.

Yan Mei, 61, retired headmaster at Beijing No 19 middle school:

The Olympics Games will be a good opportunity to promote the spirit of teamwork among children.

Having been a teacher all my life, I strongly feel that in recent years children have become more and more "individual-conscious" while lacking team spirit in their school lives.

Teachers are trying to design various games and activities in middle school to foster a spirit of "united to achieve a goal," as it is vital for one's success when he or she grows up.

But none of the games we designed can compare with the power of the Olympic Games. By then, the children now in middle school will be the main force of volunteers and thus they can feel how important the united spirit is in such a big international event.

Thanks to the Games, we are enjoying a better cultural environment.

Jung Hyun Seok, Korean, post-graduate student of international trade at the University of International Business and Economics:

In my childhood the Olympic Games was not much different from the sports events held at my school, except the players came from different countries.

However, an athlete in the 100-metre sprint in the Olympic arena totally changed my concept about the Games. He unfortunately fell down, but seconds later he managed to stand up and limp to the finishing line while all the spectators from different countries stood and applauded him - and so did his fellow contestants.

At that moment I was quite touched, because I observed the true Olympic spirit.

Years later, as the host city, Seoul started to prepare for the Olympics and the construction sites spread all over the city. The scene looked very much like Beijing today. Heavy fines were given to those who spat in public places or did not observe the traffic regulations.

When people from all over the world came to Seoul, they were quite surprised that South Korea could be so clean and the Koreans could be so polite. I believe the Olympics completely changed the behaviour of Koreans, and I remember people queued up for event tickets. That had not happened before.

Now the same is being repeated in Beijing. Many small restaurants around my university have been pulled down and it's becoming much more clean and tidy on both sides of the streets.

I have been studying in Beijing for nearly three years and my future work will surely have connections with China. Koreans and Japanese have successfully changed their images in the eyes of the Westerners through the hosting of the Olympics, and I think Beijing can also make it happen in 2008.

Junko Kurachi, Japanese post-graduate student of law at the University of International Business and Economics:

Beijing is building a lot of highways and hotels, and the environment in the city is also improving.

However, I quite appreciate the slogan of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Green Olympics, and I hope the air I breathe can be cleaner.

In 2008, I will come back to Beijing to watch the Olympic Games, if possible.

For me, I do not have too much interest in sports, but I would follow the performance of the Japanese players in the Olympics and cheer for them. I feel quite proud when my national flag rises high in the air.

For the Tokyo Olympics of 1964, I wasn't yet born. I feel that the Japanese nowadays are paying less attention to the Olympics.

Their enthusiasm towards the Games seems not to be as strong as the Chinese, and they simply care more about the sports they like, such as judo and baseball.

(China Daily 09/30/2003 page7)