Beijing Deja Vu

Here we go again... China bidding for another Olympic Games...

Have you heard that Beijing wants to do what no other city has ever done before and become the first metropolis to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games?

The Chinese capital has already put in its bid for 2022 and the only other city competing for the honour is Almaty, Kazakhstan because Oslo, Norway gave up, along with Lviv, Ukraine, and Krakow, Poland.

These other cities withdrew their applications either because their citizens were not interested in hosting the event, or the cost was too much -- particularly after it was revealed Russia spent $51 billion on the Sochi Games, more than the $40 billion China spent in 2008.

Here's the video to evoke the warm fuzzy feelings of the Olympic Games all over again:

It's pretty bizarre watching some of the Summer Olympics venues be turned into winter sport locations. The Water Cube transformed into the curling venue? Are they going to freeze the Olympic-sized swimming pool?

And Wukesong where basketball matches were held would be transformed into an ice hockey rink?

The city doesn't get much snow these days, which is why the downhill skiing portion would be held in Zhangjiakou, 200 kilometres northwest of Beijing.

So it pretty much looks like Beijing is the hands down winner -- but wait -- what about the air?

A few weeks ago the Beijing Marathon took place and city officials were embarrassed as runner had to breathe in the toxic air and several quit part way through the race, unable to breathe.

And now with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit happening in a few days, the Chinese capital is still covered with haze and dangerously high air pollution levels.

Media director of Beijing's bid committee Wang Hui -- who by the way was also the media spokesperson during the Summer Games -- said the city would implement a two-step plan to clean the air with targets for 2017 and 2022.

"Beijing has called upon cooperation in major provinces and districts in northern China and will mobilize all its resources to clean up the air and bring down the air quality index value," Wang said. "We'll make sure by 2022 the air quality in Beijing is the best for athletes to compete."

Why should they only be concerned about athletes? Why not clean up the air for the residents of the city?

The China Face machine is back up and running again, fulfilling this need to present an image to the world and not being concerned about its own citizens.

If China wins again, what will Ai Weiwei do in response?