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Home > Jeff Schultz > Archives > 2008 > August > 07
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Celebration returns to Beijing
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Beijing - Two teenage girls giggle as they approach, asking the frumpy middle-aged guy, who is sweating in humidity beyond an Atlanta August, if he wouldn’t mind posing for a picture.
“Please, it’s OK?” asks Yangru, as her friend rushes to hold up a small camera.
She is standing in Tiananmen Square, too young to have first-hand knowledge of what happened here 19 years ago, but old enough to know her history. She has heard or read the stories.
“This is very important place for all of China,” she said. “What happened here was bad. But now in Olympics, this is where we celebrate.”
A mural of Mao faces the square, looking down, as if still keeping watch. The square is filled with locals and tourists, perhaps surpassed only by police and security. Yangru (who gives only one name) continues talking when a security man suddenly approaches from behind her, stops and listens to the conversation. She ignores him. He eventually leaves. She smiles.
“We all hope for a happy ending,” she said.
Nineteen years after pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen turned bloody, seven years after thousands of Chinese celebrated in the very same square with the announcement of the Olympics, China tries to put on its best face tonight.
Opening Ceremonies doesn’t merely commence the 29th Olympics of the modern era, it’s the beginning of a country and a government putting itself center stage and asking, “What do you think of me?”
They have tried so hard to please here. You can’t ask a question without seven volunteers trying to get you an answer.
“What do you people in the United States think of China?” the man at the airport asks. And then he offers you a Marlboro.
In an ideal world, the Olympics are about sport and competition, free of any political fingerprints. Unfortunately, we know better. This has the potential to be the most politically charged of all Games.
The people this week have been great - almost Stepford-like. It follows the government has done a nice job clearing out almost everybody else. Dissidents have either been jailed or packed and shipped to remote areas of the earth. The protests that have popped up this week have been quickly squashed. Visas of perceived troublemakers have been revoked.
Most recently turned away: speedskater Joey Cheek. He donated his $25,000 gold medal bonus to humanitarian causes, and exemplifies the Olympic spirit better than most. But because he’s a co-founder of “Team Darfur” - which seeks to raise awareness of the conflict in the Sudan and blames China for doing nothing - his visa was rejected hours before his flight to Beijing.
(Postscript: The U.S. team named its flag bearer for the Opening Ceremonies Thursday - Lopez Lomong. The distance runner is a refugee from the Sudan, and also a member of Team Darfur.)
Locals don’t understand the perceived obsession with Tibet and Darfur and other human rights issues. They were hurt by the disruptions of the torch run in London, Paris and San Francisco. China has come so far and so fast, they believe.
Shouldn’t these Olympics be more of a coronation than global nitpicking?
“Most Chinese are quite excited to show off what they have done here,” said David Hseih, 51, who lived in Atlanta for seven years and now makes Beijing his home. “Many feel it wasn’t fair what happened during the torch run in Paris and other places. They think what China has achieved is worth mentioning and, minus whatever’s wrong, there’s a lot of things that have improved. People are living better. They have a lot more freedom.”
As for things like security guards ease-dropping on a conversation? Only a minor annoyance. It’s not worth their time. Not now. Not during these 17 days. Please, not tonight.
The black eye from 1989 in Tiananmen Square may never fully heal. People protested. Tanks rolled in. Hundreds to thousands died (depending on the source, government or students).
But in 2001, they celebrated in Beijing, and they will celebrate again tonight. Who could have imagined that?
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