China Year in Review: The China Gap
(I'm still on vacation, and reposting some of my more popular stories and blogs. This one was first posted April 15, 2008, and I probably received more email responses about this particular blog and the overall topic than any others this year.)
It's no secret that the tales of Tibetan and torch relay traumas gracing the media headlines look drastically different inside and outside of China.
Inside China, Chinese are boycotting Carrefour and The Body Shop, two huge international companies with ties to the Dalai Lama. Outside China, individuals are calling for Olympic boycotts.
In the U.S., the House and Senate have made resolutions condemning China's "disproportionate and extreme" crackdown in Tibet. China has condemned these criticisms, and called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "disgusting."
Overseas, thousands of protesters have flanked the Olympic torch relay with signs of "Free Tibet" or "Genocide Olympics." Within China, wheelchair-bound torchbearer Jin JIng, who almost had the torch stolen from her in Paris, has become a national hero. "I would die to protect the torch," she told China Daily, who heralded her "a smiling angel in a wheelchair."
I could go on and on with multiple examples of the conflicting perceptions and reports between the way the outside world sees China and the way that China sees itself. This disconnect is nothing new, and doesn't necessarily have to be cause for conflict.
The problem, however, lies more in the conflicting expectations. Many outside of China hoped the Olympics would be a catalyst for human rights and democracy, which was a condition for China's successful Olympic bid. China hoped the Games would vindicate a potentially unfair depiction abroad, and that the world would bask in its culture and booming economy.
Ironically, instead of creating a bridge between conflicting views of China, the recent press about China has actually expanded the chasm.
Nationalism is on the rise within China, and internal opinion of foreign media and many foreign governments (including the U.S.) have taken a downturn. There seems to be a direct correlation between outside criticism of China and Chinese nationalism.
In the short-term, athletes can harness their political frustrations, and focus on winning Olympic glory. But if we just keep a short-term Olympic perspective, we ignore some deep-seated issues that aren't going away.
Those who are hopeful for a quick, clean resolution before August 8 will be sorely disappointed. Like it or not, most human rights activists are not going to see eye-to-eye with Chinese leadership in the near future.
On the other hand, exposing some of these cultural differences and working through these issues, however long it may take, will ultimately be a far greater prize than hundreds of gold medals.