The small town in central England was little known even to many British people before the London Olympic mascot took its name. But it is from Much Wenlock that the idea of Olympic started, when, 123 years ago, a whiskered old man received a young gentleman inside a red building. The young man was Baron Pierre de Coubertin, father of the modern Olympic Games, while the old man was named William Penny Brookes.

A TALE OF TWO PERSONS

Much Wenlock, with a population of barely some 2,600, is near Birmingham but has no rail services. A drive from the nearest railway station to the town would take about 20 minutes.

Brookes was remembered in the town as an eminent doctor, who set up the Wenlock Olympian Class in 1950, so as to "promote the moral, physical and intellectual improvement of the inhabitants of the town and neighborhood of Wenlock...by the encouragement of our- door recreation and by the award of prozes annually at public meetings". The first Wenlock Olympian Games were staged eight months later.

"The Wenlock Games is what inspires the modern Olympics," said Simon MacVicker, Chairman of Wenlock Olympian Society.

Success of the Wenlock Games apparently fuelled the ambition of Dr. Brookes. "He worked many years to have his idea expanded across UK and internationally," MacVicker said.

A big move of the doctor was to meet with Coubertin, a man 54 years younger than him. They met in the former residence of Dr. Brookes was a three-storey red building, which is now a private apartment.

Fortunately, some of the letters between Coubertin and Brookes are kept by the Raven hotel not far from the building, where visitors could get a glimpse of their exchanges centuries ago.

"I have called a meeting of the members of the Wenlock Olympian Society to...consider the various propositions contained in the circulars you sent me," in one of the letters, Brookes said.

"You will, I feel assured, have their considerable concurrence via the establishment of an international Olympian Association and the arrangement that such gatherings shall be held in rotation in or near the capitals of all nations joining in the movement," he said.

In 1890, a gathering was held on the second floor of the hotel, where Coubertin announced that "it wasn't down to a Greek that the Olympic flame was still burning brightly, but down to our provincial doctor, doctor William Penny Brookes," said Kirk Heywood, owner of the hotel, to Xinhua.

With the pass of time, the hotel became derelict, until Heywood took it over 22 years ago. Many people visit the hotel as a mecca to pay tribute to the great minds, like Jonathan Edwards, former British triple jumper who still holds the world record and stayed there last weekend.

Of course the doctor couldn't see that now. In fact, Brookes even didn't live to see his life-long Olympic dream realized. He died in the December of 1895, four months before the first Olympic Games were held. "I wish I were younger and able to have the pleasure of being present at your Congress," he had told Courbertin in a letter. The yellowed letter is still on the wall of the Raven.

STRONG CONNECTION

Opposite to the former residence of Brookes was the Holy Trinity Church, where Dr. Brookes was buried. His grave and his family grave lay side-by-side, both surrounded by blue fences in the shape of laurel vine. Despite the rain on Saturday, someone placed a bouquet of lily by the graves.

A marble tablet was positioned on the wall of the church just inside the door. It was made by the town hall in 1896 for Brookes posthumously, for "what a wonderful person he was and how helped the town," said Chris Cannon, archivist of the Wenlock Olympian Society.

"It carried the words of physical education at the center, because that was what he advocated throughout his lifetime," Cannon said.

"If you notice, it doesn't mention the word 'Olympics', because after he died, the Games in 1896 was very small, people didn't realize what important thing he has done."

This seemed unbelievable today, when the town pride itself so much in its connection with the Olympics.

Normally tranquil and idyllic, it was suddenly lit up recently with revelry as the Olympic Games are approaching.

Bands were singing at the central square of the town while vendors set up tents along main streets and canvassing. Roaming in the town, you might bump into a "doctor Brookes", who, with a white-whiskered mask, would greet you warmly, and "diagnose" for you.

Five students from the William Brookes School, in Victorian dresses, drafted a role play of the doctor's life story and were performing outside his former residence. "He was a great man and through this play, we want to tell people how he helped the community and spread his idea internationally," said 18-year-old Genny Copper, who played Brookes.

ANNUAL CARNIVAL

Although this year's pomp was especially for the Olympics, the Wenlock Olympian Games were undoubtedly an annual party for people inside the town and beyond.

"We have 24 sports and 3,000 competitors this year," said MacVicker, adding that the competitors, mainly local people, do include foreigners like Brazilian, Japanese, Swiss and French.

The games were held in the William Brookes School, which everybody, young or old, can enjoy. Due to the size of the venue, the organizers put a top on the total number of participants, as they should register on a first-come-first-served basis.

"Nobody was paid for the games, and this is 100 percent volunteers," Vicker said.

Over decades, sports at the games kept changing to meet the need at different times. "We added marathon this year, and last year we started to have hockey and biathlon," he told Xinhua.

Saturday saw the youth biathlon event at the 126th Wenlock Olympian Games.

Maddie Wong, a 14-year-old girl from the Thomas Telford School, was waiting for her result. "I enjoy the atmosphere," she said. " Last year there was a small amount of people, but this year they have more participants, maybe because of the Olympics."

Wong's mom was born in Hong Kong and the girl with a pony-tail had a face as a Chinese. "I'd like to see more Chinese participants here in the future," she said.

Unlike Wong, 14-year-old Oliver Preece came to the games to win. He competed in national championships last year, and now receives training for swimming seven times a week.

"There is a bridge between this (Wenlock Games) and the Olympics," he said. "It is good for juniors and other people who cannot participate in the Olympics to come here."

Actually, his dream was not unrealistic.

In the museum of Much Wenlock there was a corner with many photos. One of them was Harold Langley from Birmingham used to compete in the Wenlock Games, before representing Great Britain in the triple jump at the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Another photo was Alisen Williamson, who won the bronze medal in archery at the 2004 Athens Olympics. "She competed here in Much Wenlock in 1981 at the age of 10, so we are very proud of her," said Tim King, tourism officer of the Shropshire council.

A hand-written letter by Sebastian Coe, President of the Organising Committee of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. " We hope that you are as proud of Wenlock as we are," he wrote to the people in the town. "Thank you for letting us share your story. "

Preece is looking forward to write his own story on the Olympic arena one day. "I am working really hard," said the determined boy. "Hopefully I am on my way."