Beijing wants Chinese "hello" in 2008

A file photo shows Chinese calligraphy on a car.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese has a reputation as one of the world's hardest languages, but Beijing is hoping a slick new primer will get foreigners ready to at least greet locals with a friendly "ni hao!" when they come to town for the 2008 Olympics.


The Chinese phrase for hello is the first lesson in "Basic Chinese 100 for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games", which works up to more complex, cheery statements such as, "the sports facilities are very good, everything is exceptionally well organised and the service is great".


The colourful, picture-filled text book, put together in part by the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), was released on Tuesday in Beijing before the start of international distribution.


Each chapter includes text in English and French and follows the increasingly complex adventures of American visitor "Mike" as he boards a Beijing bus, buys a suit in a shopping mall and has a pizza delivered to his hotel room.


Though Mike catches cold in chapter 20, he has nothing but praise for China's capital: "The sky is bluer, the water is clearer and Beijing is becoming more and more beautiful".


By 2008, Beijing plans to have spent $37 billion (20.5 billion pounds) to host the Olympics, including $2 billion on venues, $2 billion in operating costs, $24.2 billion on infrastructure and $7 billion on environmental clean-up.


In the past few years, Beijing has tried to teach taxi drivers and police basic English in preparation for the influx of foreign Games-goers.


The central government has thrown all its weight behind the 2008 Games, a badge of legitimacy to the ruling Communist Party and a yardstick by which the world will judge three decades of reform.


"We need everyone to work together to help more foreign friends understand China," Jiang Xiaoyu, BOCOG vice president said Tuesday.


Zhang Xinsheng, vice minister of education, gave more down-to-earth goals for "Basic Chinese 100".


"Visitors will want to greet and talk a bit with ordinary Beijing people and that requires studying some Chinese," he said.


"If every visitor can learn to speak 10 to 20 phrases of Chinese, that would be an amazing achievement."


Students that make it to chapter 18 will not only have met that target, they will be able to order a dinner of Peking duck and a bottle of firey, 50-plus-proof Maotai spirits.


"Let's drink to the success of the Olympic Games! Cheers!"