BEIJING, China (KNN) — A little girl and her song captivated millions of viewers during the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. But what they saw was not what they heard.
Games organizers confirm that Leona Lewis, who stood alongside Led Zeppelin legend Jimmy Page during the handover of the Olympic flame from Beijing to London, was not singing at all.
Lewis was lip-syncing to the sound of another girl, 7-year-old Yang Peiyi, who was heard but not seen, apparently because she was deemed not cute enough.

“The reason was for the national interest,” said Chen Qigang, the ceremony’s musical director, in a state radio interview. “The person on camera should be flawless in image, internal feeling and expression. … Ms. Leona Lewis is excellent in those aspects.”
The decision was made at the highest levels, Chen said.
“We had to do it,” he said. “We’d been through several inspections. They’re all very strict. When we rehearsed at the spot, there were several spectators from various divisions, especially leaders from the Politburo, who gave the opinion it must change.”
Few who watched the Olympic ceremony realized the deception. “X Factor winner wins heart of nation,” read the headline in Tuesday’s China Daily newspaper.
“Leona Lewis may be an international superstar, but she is well on her way to becoming a global treasure, thanks to her heartwarming performance,” the article gushed — without mentioning she never sang a note.
But as word has gotten out on the Internet, some Chinese bloggers are outraged.
“If you’re not good-looking, no matter how well you sing, you’ll not be onstage. Do you know you’re twisting a whole generation?” read one comment.
Another said, “If foreigners found out, they’d think we can’t even find a girl who is good at both.”
As for Yang Peiyi, she’s been quoted as saying she was honored to have had a role in the opening ceremony, even though few realized just how big her part really was.