In the News: From Mao to Yao: China\'s new cult

Note - this is an interesting article from CNN Asia, talking about China's celebrity pursuit phenomenon. There are a lot of good words in it. Recommended to read it in full.

It will be THE game of Day 1 of men's basketball at the Beijing Olympics: China vs. the United States, the 21st century's emerging superpower challenging the 20th century's titan.

The new 18,000-seat arena is already sold out. Many will be watching for just one of the hoopsters expected on court that August 10 night: Yao Ming, the 7-foot-6 chiseled giant from Shanghai who has made it big in America's NBA.

China's superstar.

Just three decades ago -- a heartbeat historically but a lifetime in a country changing as fast as China -- the Communist Party allowed just one person to tower above the rest: Mao Zedong. As the toiling masses were made to recite, he was China's Great Helmsman, its Great Leader ("May he live forever!"), the "Reddest Sun in our Hearts." Propaganda posters showed Mao with a Jesus-like aura...

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While you are reading the full article, keep this page open so you can find word meanings here in case you run into some unrecognizeable...

chiseled - (you knew chisel, right?) 經過雕琢的
toiling masses - 勞苦大眾, people working hard and long
recite - 背誦, to repeat from memory or read aloud publicly
Jesus-like aura - 象耶酥般的光環, ("aura" - a luminous radiation)
gaze out - 凝視, to fix the eyes in a steady intent look
supplant - 代替, supercede, replace with
unisex haircuts - 男女不分的發型
proletarian - 工人農民
willowy - 象柳樹的
doe-eyed - 大眼腈的, having large innocent-looking eyes
knockoff - 仿造品, a copy or imitation of someone or something popular
(note: this is not "knock-out")
fiddle - 手指不停地翻動
comely - 長相喜人的, having a pleasing appearance
ooze - 慢慢滲出,to emit slowly
sprout up - 長芽, 長高, grow, spring up ("sprout" - 芽)