People have been left stunned after learning about nine-year-old Lin Miaoke's performance at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where she sang Chinese anthem 'Ode to the Motherland'. Watch the video below to learn the shocking truth behind what happened:
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Lin Miaoke became a star worldwide after performing the song at the opening ceremony.
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China Daily ran with the headline 'Tiny singer wins heart of nation', while she also appeared on the front cover of The New York Times.
However, it later transpired that Miaoke wasn't actually responsible for the vocal performance - in fact, she'd lip-synced the whole thing.
Seven-year-old Yang Peiyi was the true voice of the song, but the decision to have another child as the public face of the performance had been taken following high-level discussions - including a member of the politburo, according to reports - about whether she was photogenic enough.
At the time, China came under fire for the 'stunt', but according to reports from the time, it was simply referred to as a 'casting choice'.
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Beijing organizing committee spokesman Sun Weide said: "There were a number of candidates to sing that song and at the end of the day the artistic directors picked the best voice and the best performer."
Meanwhile, the event's general music designer Chen Quigang told a radio station: "This is in the national interest. It is the image of our national music, national culture.
"Especially the entrance of our national flag; this is an extremely important, extremely serious matter.
"We made the decision that the voice we would use was Yang Peiyi's. The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings, and expression.
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"Lin Miaoke is excellent in those aspects. But in the aspect of voice, Yang Peiyi is flawless."
Wang Wei, executive vice president of the organizing committee, also said they wanted 'to achieve the most theatrical effect'.
He added: "I don't see there is anything wrong with it if everybody concerned agrees."
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Responding to TiKToker @david justinn's video on the subject, people's minds were clearly blown to learn about the misleading performance.
One wrote: "She's so adorable and talented, I can't imagine how she felt."
While another said it happens more often than what you'd think, writing: "Ghost singers are more common than people know, they are just paid and threatened to never expose."
Bizarre.
Featured Image Credit: TikTokTopics: Viral