When I ask my Chinese students what they think the Olympics did for China, every one of them sits bolt upright with gleaming eyes, and tells me how the big games opened China's infamously bolted gates to give the world a glimpse of 'the real China'. In their opinion China has shifted its image of being an oppressive bully, pumping out pollution and poor quality goods, to being a proud, fair and green nation.
The financial hardships that come with being an overcrowded, developing country were given the elbow for the 2008 games to make way for a dazzling impression on the world, which is reported to have cost billions of dollars. After all it is Chinese culture to splurge for your guests. A new airport terminal the size of Heathrow, a new subway system, more disabled access, a new sewage system, as well as planting more trees are bound to make dent in your wallet.
Unlike England, China has a reputation to throw new buildings up in a jiffy. Because of cheap labour and an abundance of employees, what was scaffolding one week is a booming hotel the next. Yes, homes and business spaces were demolished to make way for the extravagent Olympic village, but they don't waste much time with paperwork or human rights here so there wasn't really enough time or freedom to protest.
However being thrust into the spotlight meant that restrictions on media were mildly lifted. The press is state owned and edited here and foreign press need permission prior to reporting. Even some websites are barred here for fear of them promoting anything anti-patriotic. Although some restrictions were lifted for foreign reporters here at the time of the Olympics, it is still down to the guard the reporter was dealing with on whether the authority was going to acknowledge these new rules.
Beijing also fine-tuned customs that may have offended the forigner or make Beijingers seem uncivilized. Dog meat was taken off the menus, beggars were shoed away from central streets, spitting beckoned a fine, walking to your neighbour's in your pyjamas was strictly prohibited and wearing socks with sandals was a officially unlawful.
For a Westerner in Beijing, the Olympics were a pretty light on the pockets too. Back seat tickets cost just under three quid, one Subway ride cost about 16 pence, even the overpriced and undersized refreshments in the main arena weren't a burden. For an Easterner in London for 2012 is going to be a pretty sad story. I can't imagine a 5 quid Oyester card daily top-up is going to go down too well, or a six quid bottle of Coke.
Walking around the lavish Olympic village, as crowded as Beijing is, I didn't feel caged in and every few seconds there was an English speaking volunteer to direct me. With a municipitality the size of Belgium, Beijing, unlike London, had a lot of space to play with, but at the expense of homes and livlihoods of the less fortunate. Shutting down the factories was another knock on local jobs, and eventually the country's economy post-Olympics. But the ugly smog that constantly blankets the city wasn't a healthy option for international athletes, visitors and media. Residents told me they could never before see the moon so early in the evening when it was low in the sky as it was always concealed by the pollution until it was directly above you.
It seemed they had got it all down to a tee, comitted to the point of obsession at projecting the right image no matter who had to foot the bill. The Olympics have been tagged as China's coming out party - a hefty excuse to celebrate their country's leap towards becoming an international superpower. They are eager to mask their bully reputation of minorities like Tibetans and with nations like Burma and instead to direct the global focus to their new found stardom. What extent will us Brits have to go to to live up to Beijing's star performance and who's going to take the blow? As China basks in the Olympic's fading spotlight, London crouches in the shadows. Does she have it in her to pounce and give us Brits the same pride and enthusiasm that my students display?
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