A huge build up of anticipation is going on in China as they prepare for the Olympic games in August.

A survey was taken in China with “about three-quarters of respondents expressing their overwhelming excitement”.

“The interesting thing is, the further people live away from Beijing and Shanghai, the more they anticipate the Games,” said Miles Young, chairman of Ogilvy Group Asia-Pacific, which co-produced the survey with Millward Brown ACSR.

“For people in those regions, the Olympics is a very big event,” said Young. “When the Olympics is here in Beijing, it is not just related to people in Beijing, but the people in the entire country.”

It is very seldom I have had a conversation with a Chinese person without the “ao-yuan-hui” (Olympics) being mentioned.

Read more: China on edge of seat for Beijing Olympics