We should really focus on Chinese characteristics, like what is so unique about this Beijing Games vs all previous ones. Fakery and lies are the icons for these games and we should have them documented fully for all future generations. That's the job for the journalists.

Bill, Petersburg, Canada

Thank you so much for those who support the show and understand it was just a show..we can not find the real Athena on the stage if she needs to be there..

Kefei Xie, London, UK

Westerners are trying every means to write nagative report on China. They are jealous of Chinese achievement!

Fun Cho, Perth, Australia

If the press could cover the 2008 Olympics as they normally do (news and features about the people) as well as the competitive events their "nitpicking" might not have been so widespread. Human rights, religious freedom etc. are of more interest to journalists than faking entertainment.

E.J Covington, Texas,

C'mon this is getting really petty if at the London Olympics a non welsh speaking child represented Wales would you make such a fuss? And what about Iraq. Get real this is pathetic.

Gareth Williams, Powys,

Beware of those who place imagery over truth and substance.

raymondsamuell, new york,

Times forgot to accuse CHina of faking 3,000 ancent soldiers on openning ceremony. But I am sure it will shut up if an faked Daliar appeared on stage.
Times sure got the gold for China bashing, the newest report of 2008 Olympic!

hg, Paris,

China is often like this. No wonder.

mas, Kumamoto, Japan

For London 2012, It's no difficult ceremony. London just need to make a normal ceremony.

mas, Kumamoto, Japan

About Authenticity and the Spirit of the Olympics, just like Christmas is too commercial, now it's more about power, money and pride. People participating should feel Authentic: it's a global event... but not for the host's repressed groups. Falun Gong is Authenticity-Benevolence-Tolerance. Free FG.

Genevieve, Montreal, Canada

For one thing, obviously many posters out there don't quite understand freedom of speech. Perhaps it would convenience them if people would just voluntarily cut their own tongues out.

This image would not be so disturbing were it not for the institutionalized marginalization these minorities face.

Soma Peddler, Shangai,

Look at it from a cost perspective, even BOCOG with its limitless resources need to cut some costs. Some of China's minorities number less than 10,000 living in remote mountain ranges or on the fringes of the border. Isn't it just easier to fetch a nice kid from the neighborhood in BJ instead?

Andrew Jia, Melbourne, Australia

The Duke of Edinburgh is not GREEK (except by birth) he is DANISH, like the bacon.

And the Queen of England is ethincally German!

But then so are most of the English north of a line joining London and Chester, the rest of us are either Vikings or French.

Pedro, Stratford,

Does the bloody Times(& other elements of the Western Press) have nothing better to do then to try & undermine China & its attempts to stage an Olympics?No wonder hardly anyone reads this 'newspaper'. Sheesh!Change the record!

Imran, Oxford,

i guess tommorow we would find out that the fairies (or whatever those shiny green dancers were) were not real fairies!! i thought these reporters were meant to be busy with important stuff.

Don H, London,

China's quest for perfection makes it very easy to nitpick.
In a country where so many wrongs are right, this need for perfection is comical.
Perhaps that's why the world's press deems it necessary to nitpick, hmm?

Gem, Spain,

For London 2012, would it work to dress up Caucasian English people as Jamaicans, Pakistanis, Indians, Burmese and Nigerians for the opening ceremony, to indicate the diversity of the UK's multiracial complexion?

Jane Hilton, beijing, china

Here we go again! Don't the western media realise that their intelligent readers out there are getting saturated with their nitpicking.

I totally agree with S. Lettau's comments.

Sue, Bath, England

I am disappointed to see the western press look only for the bad and not see the good and how far China has come.
I lived there and admire not only the people but also the government, could we manage 1.3 billion people? we can hardly manage ourselves.

Peter, Minneapolis, USA

May I say that Princess Diana and Prince Charles are not Welsh even though they claim themselves to be Princess and Prince of Wales. And the Duke of Edinburgh is a GREEK!

Gwen Jones, Cardiff, Wales

It's a big show for one big sports competition and party!
People should have fun and just enjoy this...
Too many climaxes, right... but why not?

adrian, beijing, china

I think the next "scandal" will be that the actors of the 1st half of the show is actually from modern China while they should have come from the ancient China.

Perry, NY,

The tv coverage in the US on the day of the opening ceremonies described the children as being from a local arts school in Beijing. It was also said in the same coverage, albeit not very clearly, that the footprint fireworks were a visual effect. This is not news.

Wendy, New York, USA

It's a show. Actors perform in shows. Like Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne. You don't necessarily need a CIA agent for that.

Don, London,

Times,

Is this really newsworthy?

John, London,

I have to agree with D.Benoit. Can the media find nothing better to report on? You only have to look at all the elite business leaders of our world focusing on China to know where the world is heading. Even Warren Buffet has got his children studying Mandarin!

Andrew C, London,

Oh my God! I always thought theatre was the real thing. Does that mean that when I went to the pantomime last Christmas it wasn’t the real Snow White there on the stage? You’ll be telling us next that Father Christmas isn’t real.

Al, Manchester, UK

Let's face it: everything that appears in western supposedly objective and "free" media is driven by greed. Even what appears to be ideologically driven, such as the tedious anti-Chinese bias in coverage, boils down to money - globally (US push for world hegemony) and locally (London Olympics).

S. Lettau, Hamburg, Germany

It is getting tedious how western media is finding faults with practically everything in this Chinese Olympics

D. Benoit, London,

More irony as the Chinese celebrate "diversity": China imposes strict dress codes, notably enforced for ethnic populations such as Tibetans and other groups.

Robert, Columbus, OH,

It's an opening show so I don't think we have too much to complain about (although some of the decisions seem questionable). As long as the athletes aren't deceiving us I don't think a bit of PR/spin can be complained about too much...or are we trying to make it easier to follow by belittleing it?

Poppy, Toronto,

Oh don't be silly or over-nitpicking in your report. It is quite usual in China that the 56 tribes are presented by a troupe of dancers or children, regardless of their original tribe. It's just a dramatic presentation. I realy wonder at the Time's recent nitpicking angles!

Edwin Heng, Singapore, Singapore

As far as i'm concerned, they were ethnic minority. They were billed as such, dressed as such, and successfully depicted the ethic minorities of China.
It's a stage representation. And that's enough.
No point in nit-picking.

Sam Young, Paris, France