Yao Ming.[File Photo]

The Olympic Games is holy. Athletes from around the world, including myself, of course, dream to participate.

We and athletes from other countries and regions stayed in the Olympic villages in Sydney and Athens. We got to know each other, took photos, exchanged souvenirs and had lots of fun. It was like a big family. Sport is the best means of communication between people from different religions and countries.

In the Olympic villages, you don't have to understand other people's languages when you communicate with them.

There were many things that left deep impressions on me there. I was particularly touched when the Chinese delegation left for the 2000 Sydney Games. It was spectacular when hundreds of athletes, all wearing nice suits, waited in lines to board the plane. Although we all belonged to the national teams, we hadn't often seen much of each other.

At the moment when I boarded the plane, I suddenly felt it was like a huge army going to the battlefield. I was very proud. I remember I had filmed many interesting moments with my DV camera. I had seen something like that only once before, in 2000. For the 2004 Athens Games, the basketball team had departed early. A group departure won't happen at the Beijing Olympic Games. That will wait until 2012, when we go to competition in London.

What can Beijing learn from Sydney and Athens?

I think Sydney and Athens did a great job in afforestation around the venues. I believe Beijing can do the same with its "Green Olympics" concept.

I would suggest that during the Beijing Games the service industry be more internationally minded. In fact, there are differences in the meaning of "enthusiasm" for foreign athletes and for us. In Sydney and Athens, the service people were very nice. They smiled and said, "Hello," to you, but they also gave the athletes lots of personal space; they did not bother them. I hope the Olympic staff in Beijing will learn from such foreign practices.

Can you give some other examples of the cultural differences between the East and West?

There are differences everywhere. For example, Westerners respect privacy, and they are very competitive in terms of work and personalities. My teammates in China and I can talk about everything. But with my Houston Rockets teammates, even though we're friends, we cannot ask each other about everything.

What are your expectations for the Beijing Olympic Games? As the host of the 2008 Games, how should the Chinese people receive foreign guests with different cultural backgrounds during the Beijing Olympic Games?

I am confident that the Beijing Olympic Games will be the best Games I have ever participated in. I think they will be environmentally friendly, efficient, and cost-effective. I don't think that being cost-effective implies that they must be shabby or lack dignity. Cost-effectiveness is smart and suits China, and is an international trend.

I suggest we work on our public courtesy. For example, Westerners lower their voices in restaurants so as not to bother other people. Jumping ahead in queues is a definite no-no. You won't see much crowding over, with press interviews as exceptions. Motorists should follow traffic rules, respect pedestrians and stop to let them pass first.

Such courtesies are no small matter; they are the sign of an internationalized host nation with a great cultural tradition.

Many foreign athletes don't know much about us, and we may not really understand them, either. I hope people will not prejudge and try to communicate with visitors as much as possible.

Did you have any unforgettable games when you played for the Chinese national team in Sydney and Athens? Have there been any changes to the Chinese national team?

I think the Chinese team in Athens was the strongest ever. On the inside were Li Xiaoyong, Hu Weidong, Zheng Wu, Sun Jun and Li Nan; on the outside were Dazhi (nickname of Wang Zhizhi), Mengke Bateer and I.

The loss to France still hurts me. At that time, we didn't know much about our rival. We had only seen a taped game of France against Yugoslavia. I thought we could handle France. I was right at the beginning of the game. I scored 10 points in the first half. Other teammates also contributed to the lead through three-pointers and with a quick offence. Then we had problems with our defence.

At that time, our defence relied on personal manoeuvres and man-to-man guarding. Our defence would crumble if the opponents attacked from the outside. Now Chinese men's basketball has introduced advanced concepts from abroad. The defence is organized and we have no problems restraining outside shooters. But you cannot turn back time.

At the Athens Games, I had to lead the team to win as well as give a good personal performance. I thought the national team had great potential and we showed it when we beat New Zealand, Serbia and Montenegro.

Now the national team is getting more mature and it may perform as well as it did at the Athens Games. Of course, teams from South America and Europe have also improved remarkably in recent years. We'll have a lot of work to do.

How will you and the team prepare for the Olympic Games?

The Beijing Olympic Games is a rare opportunity for the development of the Chinese basketball. I have been training hard every day, and I am looking forward to giving a good performance at the Beijing Olympic Games. I expect to work with the team to achieve a historic breakthrough.

I hope the team will have more games with strong foreign rivals. Intensely competitive games will help the team improve faster. I also hope more of our team members have a chance to hone their skills in high-standard foreign basketball leagues.

Are you ready to play other roles in the Beijing Olympic Games?

I'd rather concentrate on preparing for sport. But I'll seize every opportunity to promote the Beijing Olympic Games and to get more foreigners interested in it.

The China Basketball Association is calling on people to learn from your professionalism, such as "bridging cultural gaps while maintaining Eastern identity." How do you achieve that?

First and foremost, it is about mutual respect and understanding. And I believe dignity comes from strength.