There has been so much controversy surrounding the Beijing Olympics; from concerns of air quality, to the displacement of 1.25 million Chinese citizens in order to make way for Olympic-related construction, to China’s ongoing battle with the people of Tibet to free it. It seems that China has been on the hot seat for quite some time now.
But it hasn’t been just China that has been misbehaving. When Spain's Olympic basketball team posed for an advertisement prior to the Games which appears to show all its players slanting their eyes, offending its Olympic hosts in Beijing; it was not a nice thing to do. Offending or making fun of your host in any venue is just plain dumb.
And lest we forget - China IS proud.
Lin Miaoke, the cute nine-year-old girl whose solo Hymn to the Motherland at the opening ceremony, has since been rooted out as a fake after being flooded with commercial offers. It was admitted that Lin was not singing but miming to a recording by another girl, 7 year old Yang Peiyi. According to Chinese officials, Yang just wasn’t pretty enough and had crooked teeth.
So much energy has been focused on China, on Beijing and the Olympics – it’s more than obvious that China wants to leave a lasting and positive impression regardless of its difficulties and controversies.
The Olympic Games has offered China, the largest populated land on Earth, the one that has been perhaps the most shut down, perhaps least accepting of outside ways, a chance to open up. The Dragon has awakened and this time the world is watching.
But, as the Dragon awakens, it’s not fire that comes from its breath. It is a whole new awareness, a whole new understanding and a chance for the people of China to show the world who they really are. We have all watched with anticipation and wonder at this ancient land and people who have been such a mystery to us for so long; yet showing themselves to the world in a new light, proving beyond doubt that they are equal to the world’s most prosperous nations despite all the controversy and criticism it has received.
Let us hope that in the years to come, China will open up even further and allow for a higher level of understanding and awareness that perhaps it’s time to shed at least some of its old ways and make room for a new level of awareness. An awareness and consciousness that is both balanced and healthy. I am grateful to the Beijing Olympics for giving me the opportunity to see China reflected in a different light – perhaps a light of hope for the future of China but also for the world.
With the Summer Olympics almost over, it is interesting to note that China has won the most gold medals to date with a total of 46 (at the time of this writing) - not bad for an old sleepy Dragon.
Posted on August 22, 2008, 10:32 am
As much as I detest their politics, they put on one hell of a show! I loved the opening ceremony, fake singing and fireworks included, and watched the road races not because I love cycling so much but because it gave a wonderful tour of the area. Good commentary Katarina_HD!
