Who needs Dick Clark? About 10,000 people gathered in TiananmenSquare on Wednesday as the countdown clock to the 2008 Beijing Olympics ticked down to 12 months, joining singers, dancers, artists, political leaders and International Olympic Committee officials.

On Wednesday morning, 1 million Beijingers gathered for fitness exercises in the city's parks, one of 63 events in all that China had scheduled to mark the milestone. The Beijing Games, which will begin Aug. 8, 2008, could be a pivotal moment for the Chinese, who hope to emerge as a superpower in much the same manner as the United States did in the previous century.

Sports are only one element in the spectacle.

Bad air

A dense, gritty fog of pollution chronically envelops Beijing and other Chinese cities, blocking the sun and making breathing an ordeal for many.

According to a 2005 report from The World Bank, China has 16 of the 20 most polluted cities on Earth. Each year, 300,000 Chinese die prematurely of respiratory ailments. At the 2006 junior world track and field championships in Beijing, runners struggled with the polluted air, turning in subpar performances.

Chinese officials have shut down a large chemical factory. Capital Iron and Steel, one of the city's largest manufacturers, will reduce production during the Games and leave for good in three years. The city plans to spend more than $3 million on pollution control in the next year.

Ultimate jam

The No. 2 headache is traffic. According to Australia's Adelaide Advertiser, if the Games were staged today, it would take fans hours to get to the venues. The city's government is massively expanding the Beijing subway system with the hope of fixing the mega-headache and will restrict traffic during the competition.

Pulling out all the stops

This is China's big opportunity to present itself to the world, and the government is taking no chances. In recent months the government has:

• Cracked down on sports fans who chant obscenities at opposing players and officials.

• Warned citizens about spitting, swearing and cutting in line.

• Banned taxi drivers from shaving their heads or growing beards.

• Announced plans to fire rockets into the air to disperse rain clouds, thus guaranteeing more sunshine.

• Announced a plan to test, on white mice, all food and ingredients prepared in Olympic kitchens, in order to protect athletes from food poisoning. China has been hit by recent attacks of food poisoning.

• Evicted tenants to create room for visitors and cleared away slums.

Shining structures

• The Bird's Nest National Stadium, a huge bowl that seats 91,000, features white, crisscrossing strips of steel and reinforced concrete. It's designed to look as if a bird has woven the outer layer. The stylish stadium is on the site where the Mongol conquerors placed their northern gate seven centuries ago.

• The National Swimming Center features a translucent, blue-toned outside skin. The simple box design resembles a cube of bubbles.

Lowering expectations

In Athens, more than 80 percent of China's Olympians were rookies, with an average age of 23. Yet the country finished with 32 gold medals, second only to the United States (36). China is downplaying its chances in Beijing. Cui Dalin, deputy minister of sport, said at a recent news conference that China still trailed the United States and Russia as an Olympic power.

Big numbers

550,000foreigners are expected to attend the Games. About 555,000 local volunteers have signed up to help - one for every guest. About 22,000 media members are expected to report on the Games.

Magic number

8 is considered a lucky number in China, which is a good omen, because the Beijing Games will start on 8-8-08.

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