August 13th, 2008 7:06 pm

Made in China, and so are the Olympics!

When nine-year-old Lin Miaoke launched into “Ode to the Motherland” at the Olympic Opening Ceremony, she became an instant star.

“Tiny singer wins heart of nation,” China Daily sighed; “Little girl sings, impresses the world,” gushed another headline, perhaps in reference to Lin’s appearance on the front of the New York Times.  Countless articles lauded the girl in the red dress who “lent her voice” to the occasion.

But now it emerges that Lin was actually lent someone else’s voice, following high-level discussions – which included a member of the Politburo – on the relative photogenicity of small children.

The recording to which Lin mouthed along on Friday was by the even younger Yang Peiyi.  It seems that Yang’s uneven teeth, while unremarkable in a seven-year-old, were considered potentially damaging to China’s international image.

So we’ll let you decide, did you think this was the right thing to do?  Would you have cared if it was the “ugly” girl singing?

Give us a response with your views on this controversy.