Can I Help?

They're at tourist spots. They're in the subway. They're at the Water Cube and the Bird's Nest. They're on the phone, sitting at call centers. They are young. They are old. They are everywhere. They are volunteers, smoothing the way for Olympic visitors.

More than 70,000 people are volunteering in Beijing and the six co-host cities, the most in Olympic history. Another 30,000 will serve during the Paralympics in September. They join 400,000 city volunteers, who provide information and translation at 550 booths around Beijing. They're easy to pick out in their blue and white polo shirts and gray trousers.

"I think it is very meaningful since the Olympics Games are such a big event for our country," said Li Xumin, a student at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, "and I can gain some experience for myself."

Li was on her first shift on the platform at Yonghegong station; directing subway passengers to the appropriate exits and helping them map out their routes.

"We are not that familiar with the location of some places and we have to check on the map," she said. "It was difficult at the very beginning, but now it is much better. I enjoy my work here and I think it is very interesting."

On any given day during the Olympic period, there are 1,300 volunteers in the Beijing subway, ready to assist passengers at all 123 stations. The city has the services of 20,000 subway volunteers in all.

Big volunteer pool

Volunteer recruitment for the Olympics began in early 2007, ultimately drawing more than 1.1 million applications. Depending on the position, applicants had to complete a series of tests, interviews and assignments before receiving their uniforms and badges.

"I am happy to offer help to many people, and make some contributions to the Olympics," said Liu Wei, manning her post outside the Bird's Nest. Liu, a 20-year-old student at Beijing Vocational College of Agriculture, and her fellow volunteers mostly help people find the nearest subway station and exact venue locations. Because they work at the stadium, they also assist with security checks as spectators pass through the gate.

Shi Shigang stopped at Liu's booth to ask for directions to the tennis venue.

"They were very patient to give me detailed information about that," said Shi, who is visiting from Jiangsu Province. "I am very satisfied about this. For people who are from other places, it is not easy to get proper information without the volunteers."

International helpers

Although most volunteers are from Beijing and elsewhere in China, foreigners are also getting in on the act-representing 98 countries and regions in all. Nathan Cooper and Tom Bates, both Americans studying journalism at the University of Iowa, came to Beijing to volunteer for the Olympic News Service. Cooper takes quotes from athletes at the wrestling venue, while Bates splits his time volunteering at the International Broadcast Center and gathering quotes from men's and women's basketball teams.

Cooper, who also volunteered at test events last summer and fall, said reporting at the Olympics was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

"Before this trip, I didn't know anyone who had gone to China or spoke Chinese-I guess it just seemed exotic," he said. "There's nothing really that would have drawn me here if not for the Olympics. But I'm glad I'm here."

Before the Games began, Cooper and Bates took time with their classmates to visit Beijing's most famous sites, including Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.

"We've definitely seen a lot of the city and gotten our pictures," Bates said. "Now we're just enjoying the Olympics, enjoying the moment."

No matter where they're from or what they're doing, volunteers take their duties seriously, often putting in long hours.

"It's a lot of work," Cooper said. "When you're working it's hard to get enough time to enjoy the atmosphere."

Liu started volunteering on the day of the opening ceremony, when 91,000 people descended upon the National Stadium.

"That was a very busy day for us," she said. "We started to check the tickets at 4 p.m. After all the audience went into the Bird's Nest, there was nobody around this area, which was blocked at that time. But we still stayed here until the end of the opening ceremony. I could only watch the fireworks and hear the music and applause from the Bird's Nest."

Liu said she doesn't mind that she wasn't able to watch the opening ceremony with everyone else.

"I don't think it is a pity," she said. "I participated in my own way."