Originally Posted: Thursday, 11th September, 2008
The utter contempt that I once felt for the national anthem and its lyrics makes me cringe and shrivel up by myself in a corner now doesn't seem that bad; I mean the opening lines "Stand up, the people who no longer want to be slaves" is actually starting to sound grandiose and dramatic. Admittedly the last line "using our bodies as shields marching into enemy fire" is something that will never sit right with me, ever.
I probably would've cried my eyes out because how much I was moved and how proud I was during the opening ceremonies if not thanks to a rather irritating commentator (Sportsports) that kept ruining the moment for me with irrelevant and often incorrect facts. Then again not surprising considering that the opening function involved over 1300 performers and costs over US$300million. This is rather incredible considering that China is rather well known for it's cheap goods and labour...well actually in this case free labour (or sunk cost labour) because vast majority of the performers were from the Peoples Liberations Army (PLA) and when they are not threatening Tibet and Taiwan or the aftermath of an Earthquake; they're used as free extras in huge budget Chinese movies such as Hero and Curse of the Golden flower. Really the Chinese are nothing if not pragmatic.
The Olympics was China's coming out party, admittedly a very belated one and their (our?) final round defeat to Sydney to host the 2000 Olympics were recalled with much bitterness; but that is very much behind them (us?) now that the 2008 Olympics are over with enough splendour to match its anticipation. In fact I doubt that another country will ever put this much effort, manpower, political and economic might into the organisation of the Olympic games. With a price tag of over US$42billion it is easily the most expensive Olympic games ever held, over 3 times the amount spent on Athens. Security measures during the games (for whatever reasons) were almost unprecedented, with anti-aircraft missiles integrated into the "Bird's Nest" and some sources claims that over 400 000 soldiers were on standby within 200km's radius of the countries' capital, really one has to wonder that kind of scenario were being considered by the PLA? A sudden invasion of China by another country?
All in all, despite protests, politics and a dodgie start to the Olympics I believe that future historians will probably look back to these games and mark it as an important point in history. Whether it be the marker for the rise of a dictatorial states whose policies cause more bloodshed than the Americans. Or the rise of a truly splendid culture that has once again reintegrated itself into the global village.
Whatever happens now and whatever has happened before for the first time in my life, during and after these games I'm truly and utterly proud to be called Chinese. Truly proud and not just some strange loyalty towards your country of birth, and a somewhat fleeting sense of patriotism. Something for those of you who knows about my family history will understand.
No comments:
Post a Comment