China's Olympic Hopes Take A Beating

Earthquake, Tibetan Riots, Foreign Criticism Have Dampened China's Olympic Spirit, Image

(AP)  The short, catchy film commissioned by the Chinese government was designed to plant a new, positive image of China in foreigners' minds for the Beijing Olympics.

But instead of airing worldwide more than two months ago as planned, the 30-second TV spot is only now about to reach viewers, having been delayed repeatedly by Tibetan riots, a devastating earthquake and foreign criticism buffeting the games.

China's hopes that the Olympics starting Friday will be a pivotal moment in national glory and global acceptance have been battered by unforeseen events. The disappointment has left some in China hurt and feeling unjustly treated.

The Chinese "tried hard to impress the world and to prove the country deserves respect and appreciation," said Xu Guoqi, a China-born historian at Kalamazoo College in Michigan. "But the West used the Olympic torch relay and the coming games to shame the country and frequently remind the Chinese they were not good enough."

The August Olympics still may appear picture-perfect on global TV, despite concerns about air pollution, overbearing security and media restrictions. Enthusiasm among Chinese for a strong showing by Team China remains high. But where officials once spoke of hosting the greatest games ever, they now seem ready to settle simply for an incident-free event.

"A safe Olympics is the biggest indicator of the success of the games," Vice President Xi Jinping, the senior-most Communist Party leader overseeing preparations, told a rally of volunteers last month.

Worries about terrorism and protests have come to the fore. Beijing has taken on a strange air: Its new venues, skyscrapers and roadways hung with banners sparkle in anticipation while police expel political critics, some migrant workers and foreigners deemed suspect.

The Olympic letdown stands in contrast to the ambitious buildup. From the outset, Chinese leaders saw the games as a chance to boost China's image, to redefine it as a worthy, humane global partner - and not a menacing behemoth. Ordinary Chinese thought it a ripe opportunity to mark the tremendous strides made in casting off poverty and totalitarianism and building the fourth-largest economy in the space of a generation.

In their bid for the Olympics seven years ago, Beijing officials said the games would increase interaction with the international community and spur improvements in human rights and media freedom. The Chinese government called on party image-makers to devise ways to appeal to foreigners and on officials to stoke popular enthusiasm at home. "Integrate with the world" became a catch-phrase.

The longest ever torch relay was planned. In a US$40 billion makeover, Beijing invited top foreign architects to design futuristic sports venues, a new airport and other eye-catching modern landmarks. Residents were told not to spit in public and to obey traffic rules.

The country rolled out the most extensive Olympic education program ever, developing a special curriculum taught in more than 550 schools and encouraging tens of thousands nationwide to teach Olympic values and take part in sports meets and signature campaigns.

"The Olympics is about unity," said 10-year-old Miwei Ruoye, a fifth grader at the Nanjing Road Primary School in Nanchang city, 1,250 kilometers (780 miles) south of Beijing's Olympic venues. "It's all about peace and friendship," said her 11-year-old classmate, Wan Zhao.

In the school courtyard sits a meter-tall (three-foot-tall) model in bamboo and spray-painted silver of the new National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest.

"We're teaching them that the Olympic spirit is international, that it doesn't just belong to one country," said Zhang Renzhi, a teacher and pingpong instructor in charge of the Olympic curriculum. "It's an international, humanitarian spirit."

The promotional film was a key part of this effort and the first ever commissioned by the government for overseas markets. Dubbed "a national image film," the government planned for a May airing on CNN, the BBC and other broadcasters with international reach. The piece would mix images of ancient picturesque towns with shots of ultramodern Beijing and Shanghai.

"At the time we thought we were making history," said one participant who, like several interviewed, requested anonymity because of a confidentiality agreement signed with the government agency overseeing the project. "They said this was the first time that China was communicating to the outside world rather than waiting for the world to come to us."

Then events intervened. Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg withdrew as an adviser to the opening ceremony to draw attention to China's support for the Sudan government, which is waging a civil war in Darfur. The uprising by Tibetans brought a tide of critical reporting by the foreign media and turned the torch relay into a melee of protests.

Suddenly, the talk overseas, especially in the West, was of boycotts and Beijing's suitability to host the games.

"We hoped that the Olympics would help people understand our country's achievements, that this ancient civilization has started a new chapter," said Luo Qing, a media expert in Beijing specializing in China's national image. "But from the torch relay, we suddenly realized that we were preparing to open the nation's front door to welcome people who do not wish us well."

Even ordinary Chinese felt spurned.

"Here, we build sports venues, fix rail lines and construct airports, hurrying like a raging fire to prepare. There, people use Darfur one day and Tibet the next to fan the flames of protest and boycott. What's going on?" Liu Songjie, a 24-year-old Beijing railway department employee, wrote in late March in his online diary, where his usual musings are about movies and pop culture.

"This is a hot face pressed on a cold rump," Liu wrote, using a coarse saying for unrequited love.

China's standing tumbled in at least three polls overseas. A spring survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found that favorable views of China slipped in nine countries out of 21 over the past year, the steepest in France and Japan, while "there were signs of apprehension about the country and its growing power."

The uproar made poor timing for global outreach, and the promotional film was temporarily shelved. After more than 69,000 people died in the Sichuan earthquake in May, the broadcast was delayed again.

"It was because of CNN and BBC's attitude so we did not broadcast at that time," Guo Changjian, the State Council Information Office official in charge of the project, said of their critical reporting of the Tibet riots in March. "It was because the earthquake happened, the March 14 beating, smashing and looting incident happened. The timing was up to us."

Guo said contracts with CNN and the BBC have been reached to air the film just before the Olympics opening on Aug. 8; both networks declined comment.

Still, the mood has shifted sharply from the friendly internationalism Chinese leaders hoped to display. Many Chinese are casting a critical eye on Western governments and media for what they see as tarnishing the Olympic moment.

"These Olympics will perhaps hurt the feelings of other countries. But it will be good for Chinese," said Wu Jiaxiang, a former government researcher and now a blogger and businessman. "We care less about human rights than other countries and more about sovereignty. That's bound to create an awkward feeling among other countries."

[wcreader]

Re-send: It seems that AP and some western journalist will be happy to see China to fail in holding the Olympic game. See the title: "China''s Olympic Hopes Take A Beating", "Earthquake%u2026Foreign Criticism Have Dampened China%u2019s Olympic Spirit, Image". Ignoring Olympic is a world sporting event, some western journalists continue to selective, bias reporting on China, thus, to dampen/demonize the country and to make political attack. Why politic has to mix with the sport? When the Chinese are trying hard to prepare for the Game, some negatively interpreted as "to PLANT a new, positive image in foreigners%u2019 mind%u201D. Why should they have to do that? China has already impress the world in the past 30 years by improving lives of 1.3 B people from nothing to ,now, the 4th economy body of the world. Are some non-professional journalist still lives in the old 19xx century or lived in the cold world? If one just ignores the noise, one can easily find how much Beijing and the citizen of China have been changed due to the assignment of holding of the 2008 Olympic game. Instead of %u201CDampened.. Image%u201D as some wish, Olympic has changed and improved China to be more international and to be more integrated with the world, and at the same time, the old ancient civilization has change and enrich the world as well.

[wcreader]

It seems that it will be very happy for AP to see China to fail in holding the Olympic. See the title: "China''s Olympic Hopes Take A Beating Earthquake,.., Foreign Criticism Have Dampened China''s Olympic Spirit, Image". Ignoring it is an world sporting event, some western journalists continue to selective, bias reporting on China, thus, to dampen/demonize the country and to make political attack. Why politic has to mix with the sport? When the Chinese ate trying hard to prepare for the Game, some western media interpreted negatively as "to PLANT a new, positive image in foreigners'' mind. Why should they have to do that? China has already impress the world in the past 30 years by improving lifes of 1.3 B people from nothingto the 4th economy body of the world. Is some non-professional journalist still live old 19xx century and in the cold world? If one just ignores the noise, one can find easily to find how make Beijing and the Chinese citizen have been changed due to the assignment of holding of the 2008 Olympic game. Instead of %u201CDampened.. Image%u201D as some wish, Olympic has changed and improved China to be more international and to be more integrated with the world, and at the same time, the old ancient civilization has change and enrich the world as well.

[deacon20081]

I have no doubt the Games in China will have the lowest attendance in history. Why spend money to have you hotel rooms bugged and video taped, your conversations listened to and taped and the internet access blocked?
I personally will not even bother to watch the games.
I hope the USA wins every Gold and am proud of our athletes, but China has brought a failure on it''s self.

[yongamerica]

Chinese Communists still have a third world mentality. Swamped in genocide, paranoia and carefully controlled propaganda Only when the Chinese government grows up can its people grow up too.

[gobluesstl]

Well CBSnewsrocks....In the United States of America , if you live benieth the poverty level , more often than not , you''ve made choices that have kept you there . I grew up on a Hog farm , in Southern Missouri . 3 brothers and my grand parents , scraping buy on my grand fathers pension . I never saw any Bentleys pull up to our door handing out money . Where exactly were you then ? You sound like America does''nt do anything for the planet , other than kill innocent people . We are the worlds greatest donor . What sociopath leaders of corrupt regimes , and the like , do with that aid is more often than not seize it , and feed their fighters with it , sell whats left on the black market . So that by the time said aid reaches the mouths of it''s intended recipients , it is rotting , and costs them a month''s pay . We give their governments money , and they go to China , N. Korea , Iran .....and buy weapons , and then turn their people against us . So....CBSnewsrocks......How Do We Help Them . Because if you have all the answers.....Step on up....why don''t YOU...be the first to donate .

[cbsnewsrocks]

Gobluesstl, if you read the message, you''ll note that the comment about atrocities was allegedly made by a Turkish human rights commissioner, and that I was critical of it.

Take care to carefully read a message before you make comments showing that you haven''t.

[cbsnewsrocks]

Australia''s Prime Minister recently apologized for his country''s treatment of its indigenous peoples: "Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivers an emotional speech to the House of Representatives on Wednesday apologizing to the Aboriginal people for their sufferings in past due to laws and policies of the country.

''''''We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation,'' he said.

"He added that he made this apology to remove great stain on the soul of the nation."

When did our Congress make such a formal apology?

You might claim in response that what Australia does is its own business. But if that''s so, why is it so different with China?

No one supports the authoritarian measures taken by the Chinese regime against protestors in Tibet. But, by the same token, a convenient lack of historical memory about the atrocities committed in the West against peoples with even greater claim to sovereignty in land that was forcibly taken away from them is as hypocritical as it is offensive. Rather than accomplishing the constructive goal of effecting change, such hypocrisy can only harden attitudes against the West and drive ordinary Americans into a course of war and conflict against their counterparts in other parts of the world.

[cbsnewsrocks]

Gobluestll wrote, "Are you trying to compare the American Indian, to the Atrocities done by China to it''''s people . Well lets start by saying it''''s not 1860 .It''''s 2008 , and I''''d say that we''''ve come a long way since then ."

We have? Why do Native Americans have the worst life expectancy in America? Why are they at the bottom of nearly every social indicator? What has the U.S. government done to address persistent inequities that have made Native American reservations pockets of the Third World in midst of the richest nation on Earth?

You refer to 1860 as if it was a thousand years ago. What is the arbitrary cut-off point for historical grievances? The Tibetans have not had a true independent nation-state for centuries. Why should their claims for independence be heard?

[gobluesstl]

I realize that I''m speaking to an absolute idiot , however .....Your comment what is happening in the middle east has never been seen before . Have you ever read a book ? Or were you educated from a news paper ? Never seen this type of genocide , not even hittler, not even in the time of the pharaohs . I guess Mass slaughter and persecution of Christians and jews don''t count huh You D-BAG .I would love to show you some numbers sometime .

[gobluesstl]

And one more thing CBSnewsrocks......on your next comment....how would you propose that we hold up these poor people who support these terrorists . Hide them in their homes , feed them , help them kill all who just happen to disagree with their way of life . You sound like a pie in the sky liberal , who hasn''t one clue . Here''s wher our energies should be invested . AFGHANISTAN wher we can finish the job . You can not stop the war until you eliminate the jihadi''s. PERIOD....thats the reality of what is happening in the middle east . Innocent people can avoid being killed by NOT HIDING JIHADI''S .

[gobluesstl]

CBSnewsrocks ...What? Are you trying to compare the American Indian, to the Atrocities done by China to it''s people . Well lets start by saying it''s not 1860 .It''s 2008 , and I''d say that we''ve come a long way since then . Also , why would you compare America''s war in Iraq with genocide ? I am an American veteran of the Cold War and of the war on terror . I don''t believe I''ve ever committed genocide or slaughter of innocents .I''ve seen American soldiers and our allies ,locked in a struggle for the hearts and minds of a generation , I have seen our enemies slaughter innocents , I have also seen them commit genocide . You really should educate your self , before you spout your psyco-babble all over the planet . You have NO right to judge what is happening in the middle east ...Unless youve been there . And it''s painfully obvious that you haven''t.......

[cbsnewsrocks]

The energy we have is best invested in lifting up the millions of those in live in crushing poverty as a result of Western colonization of the Americas than in pointing fingers at what happens thousands of miles away across the ocean.

[cbsnewsrocks]

Of the "atrocities" alleged against the United States in Iraq is allegedly stated, with exaggeration, as follows: "''Never in human history have such genocide and cruelty been witnessed. Such a genocide was never seen in the time of the pharaohs nor of Hitler nor of Mussolini'' ~ Mehmet Elkatmi, head of Turkish parliament%u2019s human rights commission on Bush%u2019s genocide in the Iraq war. 2004-11-28, originally reported in the Sunday Times of Australia, since withdrawn." See: http://mindprod.com/politics/iraqatrocities.html#ATROCITIES

If one asks those who criticize Americans which country has most violated human rights throughout history, it is an unfortunate (and untrue) opinion that is often expressed stating that the United States is that country. Such exaggerations, of course, should not give lease to critics of China to engage in similarly styled exaggerations, although it is would be difficult to dispute that China''s current regime is, in fact, authoritarian.

Further, regarding the aspirations of humanistic Americans, charity begins at home. First let''s clean up the conditions in our own Native American reservations and, a bit further off in the Americas, the terrible plight of indigenous peoples in countries south of our border. As a country and an interconnected region, we have far more in common and far more responsibility to fellow occupants of this continent than we do to anyone in Asia, Tibetan or Chinese.

[yongamerica]

Communist Chinese Politicians are working hard to get the message out to others not to politicize the Olympic games. Yet the Communist Chinese are working on a huge political campaign based on the Olympics trying to sell Communist China.

It is not free, nor is it open minded. China''s boarders are it''s prison walls and every Chinese citizen is treated as a criminal and a prisoner, even those that have been chosen to live in the international production zones and the official tourist locations.

[gobluesstl]

China is the worlds greatest oxy-moron . Their treatment of peoples most basic human rights is dispicible . They are so afraid that the world will see them for what they really are . If the Chinese really want to impress the world , then maybe they should start acting like a world leader . Free their people of the chains of totalitarian ism . DO SOMETHING ABOUT THEIR POLLUTION PROBLEM .(not that most western countries don''t have pollution problems either) However China''s pollution is at apoctoliptic proportions .China ..if you think the world is going to accept and respect you because you threw a big party , and built some big glitzy venues .Then your insane . HOW ABOUT TACKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR A CHANGE . FOR SOMETHING......ANYTHING.....ANYTHING AT ALL!!!!!

[cbsnewsrocks]

Urumqi suffers from the fact that it appears no Western airlines service it. The sole major non-Chinese airline servicing that city seems to be Korean Air. One must also consider the infrastructure. How many major hotels are there in that city?

[cbsnewsrocks]

Various government have supported countries whose leaders have committed horrific acts against their own people. Saddam Hussein, for example, was for a long time supported by the United States government even though -- to put it mildly -- he was hardly an angel.

It seems that there are interests who are conveniently bashing China for doing things that many other countries have done throughout the years. I''ll cite one example of a country many believe is at the frontfront of human rights that has nevertheless sent troops out that have fired on peaceful protestors on a college campus. Google "Kent State Massacre" and you''ll find out which one.

Let''s be more even-handed in our criticism of China. Its regime is tyrannical, to be sure, but there are other things about the country one should be aware of. Just as the United States cannot be judged solely by its actions in its quarter-century war in Vietnam and its current quagmire in Iraq, so, too, China cannot be judged solely by Tiananmen Square (1989) or Tibet (2008).

[lloydbest1]

"By the way,
I think the choice of Beijing as the host city was done by voting, not just from western countries, but also many developing countries. It is a "democratic" process.
You may not like the result, but you have to respect it. It is a sport event for all countries, not just for a few developed countries." Posted by toxinb at 09:14 AM : Aug 03, 2008

Yeah, maybe....But why wasn''t a relatively pollution free and thriving metropolis such as Urumqi even considered? It''s not that hard to get to.

[hypnotoad72]

Rangdrol --- China has had MFN status for far long before 2000.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/asia/may97/mfn_5-19.html

And I quote: "PRESIDENT CLINTON: I have decided, as all my predecessors have since 1980, to extend Most Favored Nation status to China for the coming year. Every Republican and Democratic President since 1980 has made the same decision. This simply means that we extend to China the same normal trade treatment that virtually every other country on earth receives from the United States. We believe it''s the best way to integrate China further into the family of nations and to secure our interest and our ideals..."

China is a country where they bring people out into the streets and shoot them in the head; they do that to their own. The Tibetans and Muslim minorities, and others, suffer the same hostility, torture, and imprisonment. The US and Canada are both responsible, in part, for not trying harder years ago to curb or outright outlaw these actions. Suppression of Buddhist practice, the kidnapping of a six year old boy and his family and their imprisonment in...1995, the torture and use of machetes and dogs on Tibetan nuns and monks, this is China''s idea of "peace". China is a Communist country: that says it all. Instead of granting them a permanent "Most Favoured Nation" status in 2000, the US should have put it''s foot down. I am an American, but given the atrocities we as Americans committed against the First Nations, and against African Americans, Jews, and gay men and women, it is clear that America''s real interest is in financial gain, at any cost, even if it means turning away from the bloodbath of Communist China. Fortunately, many humanistic Americans do not agree with those who wield power. Hopefully we can make a change in 2008.