The girl China didn't want you to see…

SHE was the stunning voice of a new China, but not its face.

While Yang Peiyi, seven, sang a moving rendition of Ode to the Motherland which charmed a worldwide audience during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, she was deemed by the government not pretty enough to appear in front of an audience numbering in the hundreds of millions.

Instead, in another example of the government's media manipulation, nine-year-old Lin Miaoke, wearing a bright red dress and pigtails, mimed to Peiyi's words in front of the 91,000 spectators at the National Stadium and TV audiences globally.

The revelation follows confirmation that part of the fireworks display during the opening ceremony was faked and vast swathes of empty seats were being filled by "cheerleaders" brought in by authorities to put the best possible face on the Beijing Olympics.

The decision to combine the "perfect" face and voice of two different girls was made by a Politburo member who watched a live rehearsal shortly before the ceremony. He insisted Miaoke's voice, which was previously deemed good enough for the chorus, "must change" as it was not suitable for a solo.

Chen Qigang, the ceremony's musical director, said: "We decided to put Lin Miaoke on the live picture while using Yang Peiyi's voice.

"The reason for this is we must put our country's interest first. The girl on the picture must be flawless in terms of her facial expression and the great feeling she can give to people."

He insisted it was fair to both girls as "we combined the perfect voice and the perfect performance".

Peiyi told a China Central Television reporter she did not feel slighted, and said having only her voice used for the opening ceremony was an honour.

Yet whether the move was unethical or unfair to both girls has become a hot topic among the Chinese and is racing across the country's blogosphere.

"The organisers really messed up," wrote Luo Shaoyang, 34, a retail worker in Beijing. "This is like a voice-over for a cartoon character. Why couldn't they pick a kid who is both cute and a good singer?"

Meanwhile, Chinese authorities confirmed footage of 29 firework "footprints" travelling across Beijing from south to north, which was a centrepiece of the opening ceremony and broadcast as live, involved pre-recorded and digital material.

A senior official from the Beijing organising committee (Bocog) confirmed yesterday that footage of the display had been produced before the big night. This was provided to broadcasters for "convenience and theatrical effects", according to Wang Wei, Bocog's executive vice-president.

The concern was that not all the fireworks would fire and smog or poor weather conditions would cloud the images.

He added: "Because of poor visibility, some previously recorded footage may have been used."

Another example of the government manipulating images seen by viewers around the world is the decision to fill swathes of empty seats with ''cheerleader squads'' of volunteers. Despite every event at the Games being a sell-out, many have had large numbers of seats left vacant.

Organisers, who are also being pressurised by angry sponsors to make the vast Olympic Green more accessible to the public, have admitted they are now resorting to rent-a-crowd tactics. Volunteers are given yellow or red T-shirts and "thunder-sticks" and told to create a good atmosphere.

Last night, the lengths to which the Chinese authorities would go to present their Olympics in the best possible light were praised by commentators, who said it illustrated how far the Chinese have come.

Peter York, an advertising commentator, said: "This just goes to show they have as sophisticated a view of TV and vast events as we do.

"It was clever to have material (for the opening] ready to be fed directly to the TV.

"The fact is all of TV involves cheating. I just hope we in London are twice as good at cheating by 2012."

George Walden, author of China: A Wolf in the World? added: "I'm not sure this counts as trickery in the modern, virtual world. The effect was pretty enough.

"All it means is the Chinese are rapidly getting to be smart, up-to-date folk who will soon be on top of the PR game. They have come a long way since the Cultural Revolution."