The China House in central London's Waldorf Hilton is the Chinese Olympic Committee's main hospitality and business center through the London Olympics - and it has been bustling.

"The China House aims to increase communication between China and the world in both sports and culture," Ma Jilong, head of the COC's marketing department, told China Daily.

Since the Games began, many Chinese athletes have been coming to the China House to relax and take media interviews after competitions, including Olympic shooter Yi Siling, swimmer Ye Shiwen, and divers Wu Minxia and He Zi.

Many famous Chinese athletes also came to the China House to show their support for the Olympics, including basketball player Yao Ming and diver Tian Liang.

China House is also the venue where the COC plays host to representatives of other countries' Olympic committees.

"The American Olympic Committee visited us twice, and we held great meetings despite the fact that China and America are fighting fiercely on the gold medal table," Ma said.

When the Bulgarian Olympic Committee visited, the China House displayed the Bulgarian flag on its TV screens to make its guests feel welcome, he said.

"Although a flag may be a small detail, to see one's flag in a foreign country is a touching experience," Ma said.

"We arranged this to show respect to our guests."

The China House first appeared during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and then during the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics and the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.

But Ma says the China House's arrival in London marks an important milestone, because the Summer Olympics are far more influential.

"We want to make use of this great opportunity to showcase Chinese culture, which is far broader (a goal) than winning sports medals," Ma said.

The China House is featuring Olympic exhibitions on one wall to highlight Chinese athletes' achievements over the years.

In addition, China House is hosting many live cultural events, including a solo concert by young Chinese singer Dou Dou, who made her name by performing the Beijing Olympics' theme song We are the World.

Another is the release of a Coca-Cola-sponsored inspirational song, The Beats of China, Move the World, by China's flamboyant pianist Lang Lang and Hong Kong singer-actor Jacky Cheung.

"Chinese culture has so much to show, and the link between sports and culture is inevitable," Ma said.

He believed improving coordination among various cultural events will enhance the influence of the China House during future Olympics.

For example, Beijing's and Jiangsu's governments have each organized a cultural week in London during the Olympics. Both feature similar performances, which Ma believes can be coordinated.

"A foreign audience may feel strange attending one gala after another, because they can't tell the small differences between the shows," Ma said.

"Therefore, we should unite all the resources to create a more holistic program."

Another area for improvement is the China House's cooperation with sponsors, Ma said.

"Cooperation is not just about the financial support we receive from them, but also, they could use their extensive networks to help us invite influential guests and increase our outreach," Ma said.

(China Daily 08/10/2012 page10)