The Titan Sports Daily contrasted the "neatness" of the Chinese performers with the "outrageous outfits" worn by the Britons. Unlike the Chinese custom which tends not to reveal their weakness to the outsiders, "the British seem to like to laugh about their stupidity in a funny way", it said.
"During the performance, when the London bus pulled over, all the passengers waiting for the bus rushed into the door at the same time, which truly damaged the British image," it added.On the other hand, the Titan Sports Daily also raised the point that some of the entertainers chosen (Jimmy Page and Leona Lewis) weren't famous enough to be recognised by millions of Chinese spectators. Which is a valid point; I couldn't tell you who Leona Lewis is either. (I'm guessing she's a reality-TV veteran of some sort, or possibly a footballer's wife/girlfriend.) Jimmy Page seems like a different matter, though given that China wasn't open to Western influences when Led Zeppelin were in their heyday, one could expect him to draw a blank there.
I didn't see it either, though surely the bus and the ungainly jam for the door must have been there for comedic value. Surely being seen as a quaint place full of big red buses and people who don't take things too seriously is part of London's immensely profitable tourist image.
Although I didn't see the handover I did cringe when I saw some of the coverage on the news. I don't see an intentional self-depreciation in there, just general laziness (the London buss idea) and trash (Lewis). I've struggled to get my head around the election of Boris since it happened but have just managed it. His victory was a mass act of self-depreciation on the part of all Londoners. Now I understand that I feel better about it.