For months, we've heard about plans to ready China for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

And, with only a month to go before the opening ceremony, we'll likely hear more about those plans. The government still needs to meet its pledge to deliver clean air in one of the world's most polluted cities, and it must finish two new subway lines and a railway line.

Even with such major capital projects left to be completed, China is focusing on other improvements: most recently, stripping Mao Zedong from the currency and attempting to ready the environment in and around Beijing.


The BBC reports that this is the first time in almost a decade that China is issuing a banknote without the iconic image of Former Chairman Mao Zedong.

Mao was first added to the currency in 1999 as an anti-counterfeiting device. His image also represents a significant swath of Chinese history, a period that was controversial and extremely political. The current regime is more than happy to forget this in advance of the Olympics and the international press that it brings.

Also today, The New York Times reported that factories in the port city of Tianjin have been ordered to close so that pollution can dissipate before athletes start to arrive; Tianjin will host the Olympic soccer competition.

Many are worried that the pollution throughout the rapidly developing nation will affect the performance of the world's top athletes when the games begin in August.

Shuttering factories is one part of a $20 billion campaign on the part of the government to clean up the areas where the games will take place.