The Running Man

The emblem of the Games is called "The Dancing Man". Quite honestly, it really looks like a movement from some Chinese folk dances!

Its design is inspired from the Chinese word 京 (pronounce as "jing1"), which means capital or Beijing. Traditionally, Chinese use a single chinese character to represent each of its major provinces and municipality. For example, Shanghai is known as 沪 and Guangzhou is known as 粤.

The emblem also resembles a chinese seal. Seals are traditionally used as signatures for documents, calligraphy and paintings (see the 2 red stamps on the painting). Hence, it also signifies that Chinese has sealed her mark as a host for the games.


Actually, one funny thing about chinese paintings is that very famous and valuable paintings usually have a lot of seals stamped onto it everywhere. Quite honestly, I find that an eye sore! But the reason why it is worth much more with more seal stamps is because those seals belong to very powerful statemen and rulers. It signify that they have seen the paintings and like it very much!

Well, if only they have the sense to stamp in an orderly and discrete manner!