China Law Blog

It's both amusing and sad to know that Chinese think that their country is acceptable as is.

As much as the Chinese care about face, they don't necessarily "expected the Olympics to change foreign perceptions of China for the better". Western media have collectively labeled the Olympics China's "coming-out party", which is hardly accurate. They want to do a job hosting the games that will impress the world. Certainly they want to look good, but if you think they are doing this to please foreigners or merely to improve their image, you are wrong. I think they, like everyone else just wanted to have a piece of the what Olympics bring, the whole package (attention, fame, money etc.) But increasingly they realized this is the monkey on their back. I have sensed that they are saying now "to hell with the Olympics, let's get it done and get it over with". The problem is that they care too much about "foreign perceptions", I am glad more people are learning to deal with them, live with them and ignore them.

I'm thinking of your previous post and the lines "the best, jerry, the best." As Imagethief has pointed out plenty of times, China needs a good PR person and this is especially true when it comes to the Olympics. In politics and law (and I'm sure its the same in PR), its all about lowering expectations. If you guarantee the client a victory, you've put yourself in a pretty rough spot. China has been talking about how these would be the greatest Games ever, how these would be the greenest Games ever, blah blah blah. Giving the world such high expectations was hard enough for China, but with events like last week? Forget about it! And at this point its too late to start lowering expectations...

Good points about lowering the expectation.

But first, Chinese government should lower its own expectation and its people's expectation.

Fifteen years ago, when China first bid the Olympics, it was hugely disappointed when its bid failed; seven years ago when it succeeded in getting the Olympics, it was a huge boost to the morale of Chinese people (at the time, China was also bidding to join WTO). Seven years have passed, China has splashed onto the world stage, achieving astounding success and winning world-wide recognition in many areas.

Does China still need an Olympics to "show off" to the world? Isn't it funny that people talk about Olympics as China's "coming out party" as if China still had not emerged? China's achievements and global influence have far exceeded what hosting a successful Olympics can prove. What possibly hosting Olympics can show to the world that people don't already know about China? Its economic success? Does it need the home court advantage to be a sports power? Its capability and efficiency in building world-class infrastructure?

Fact is, China has passed that stage to use an Olympics to be recognized (like South Korea). It's a testament how fast China has developed and emerged.

Because Chinese government cares so much about Olympics, it gives all kinds of people/actors/actresses/factions/organization/countries with various agendas a leverage/chance to embarrass/humiliate China - I don't separate Chinese government and Chinese people here since they're almost one and the same when it comes to Olympics.

The wise strategy for China should be to just be a good host to Olympics and players all over the world. And I agree it's kind of too late at this point.