China looks forward to making its mark

As the date of the Beijing Olympics draws nearer, the buzz around the Games is increasing. Events of such magnitude will have some problems. As is the custom nowadays the media seems to be focusing predominantly on the controversial bits during the lead up to the sports festival.

The IOC is meeting trying to address the row over internet access for foreign journalists. There is concern about the air quality over the host city and the issues around doping are already making some noise. Testing will be done to determine the sex of athletes. And China is disappointed that some video of the rehearsals to the opening ceremony have been leaked on to YouTube.

It was the latter point that got me dashing to YouTube to see what the fuss was about. After all, China had shown its intent at the closing ceremony of the Athens Games as to how important this event would be for the country. The short programme they put on was incredibly beautiful.

There wasn’t that much I could find on the opening ceremony. But there was a fair amount on the water-sport stadium, the Water Cube and the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest.

Both buildings are amazing in their complexity and, as one would expect from such a hardworking and highly focused people, finished way ahead of schedule.

The Water Cube had its first major meet in February 2008. One reflects back on the Games in Athens where the insta-grass was still being laid in the athletes’ village on the day competitors started arriving and the access roads were still being graded around the new stadium a very short while before the opening ceremony. This will not happen in China.

Most of the world, and I include myself in this observation, has perceived China to consist of the Wall, dragon and lantern festivals, martial arts and Communism. Many of us think of China as the country of cheap labour and restricted freedom of speech for its citizens. It’s a society of hard working peasant farmers, we presume. And that’s just the start of the stereotyping.

However, looking at videos of the two main sports stadia facing each other I found myself discarding those prejudices mighty quickly. This is a country with huge capabilities which can deliver on the same level as the West. And yes, some of the expertise was brought into the country, I’m sure. But then every country has its share of external experts.

More than the technological advances, what impressed me was China was prepared to go with innovative design. The Water Cube is amazing not only for its energy-saving features, the material used to cover the cube-type structures, the multimedia visuals, but also for its sheer fun design.

For three years, thousands of participants have been working on the opening ceremony. Beijing locals have had the pleasure of viewing the rehearsals of the fireworks displays. To think all of this effort will be over in three hours.

What won’t be lost will be the benefit of the nation-building exercise. The queues of thousands waiting to buy tickets — and it seems to any event they can get into — is an indication that the Chinese just want to take part. They’ll be basking in the fact that they have been there, no matter at what event. Finally, an Olympics where every event will be packed.

Just to get myself back into the Olympics vibe I watched the videos on YouTube of the Chinese part of the Athens closing ceremony again. And the commentary by the American commentators really hit home. It was “if the Athens Games were all about the little country that could” than “China will be about the big country that will”.

The commentator reflected on the first gold medal that China won in the track and field events — one of 63 medals they picked up in Athens. It will be interesting to see how many medals they will achieve this time. I’ll be surprised if they don’t lead the medals board.

Yet, the achievements China will attain at their Olympic Games will be a reflection of its overall progress. Not only will China arrive on the sporting world stage with this event, but it will surely make the point to the rest of the world that this is the future powerhouse of the world.

As we see the decline in economic power of the United States and the West, there is a shift of focus to the East. Eventually, probably sooner than anticipated, economic power will translate into political power.

Quite frankly, I think it could be for the better. The cheating, lying and killing that the United States government has instigated, or at the least condoned and ably assisted by Tony Blair in the UK, makes any evils China may have committed fade into insignificance.

As for freedom of the individual, the citizens of the West are almost as curtailed in their personal freedoms as the Chinese. The West is just more circumspect about it, more underhand. Well, I suppose not always. The CCTV cameras in the UK are fairly obvious! And fly into America from any country and your airport experience will be hair-raising, especially if the colour of your skin is a bit browner.

Whatever the pros and cons of this world power shift, it is here. China’s leaders are only flexing their muscles. It’s just a matter of time though. The world’s future will be determined in the East. Not the Middle East either. America’s last little foray into world dominance will die in the Middle East and the final outcome will see both regions destroyed.