Olympics put China's most famous foreigner in spotlight

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2008

BEIJING (AFP) — Mark Rowswell, Team Canada's cultural attache, is virtually unknown outside China, but a mastery of Mandarin street talk has made him China's best-known foreigner and a valuable asset for his native country.

Under his Chinese name, "Dashan", which means big mountain, the 186-centimetre (six-foot-two-inch) Rowswell has been part of Olympic events including the launch of the "One World, One Dream" slogan, unveiling mascots and running a leg of the torch relay.

At one point during the Olympic opening ceremony, Chinese television cameras panned past the parading athletes to zero in on a tall, bespectacled Canadian drawing huge cheers.

He has also helped bridge both sides of the linguistic divide by hosting China Central Television's "Olympics...