I left in 1988 after spending two years in China and I didn't come back until 1994. I was amazed at the changes in the country in those six years. When I came back there was no more Foreign exchange certificate and those segregation policies were gone. It was an amazing 13 years. After the opening up policy China is finally linking up with the outside world.
Because of the Olympic Games, there are so many foreigners coming to Beijing and more Chinese people going abroad. There is more and more communication.
Another point is that the Olympic Games is an important event where people need good communication. It's not just meeting and saying "Hello!" You need some real communication. I think the Games raises the level of communication between foreigners and the Chinese. The Games will break through superficial understanding level and make China and the outside world realize the need of deeper understanding.
I believe foreigners will not realize how friendly Chinese people are. Actually they are very open. There was a lot negative coverage about Athens before the 2004 Olympic Games. And when reporters arrived they saw how friendly Greek people were and the Games was well organized, they completely changed their opinion. I think some reporters will do that too in Beijing.
There are indeed some biased perceptions about China. You wrote in your blog posted on Jan 25, 2008 that 'Beijing is ready for us. But are we ready for Beijing?' (see Beijing Olympic FAQ #1: Politics and the Olympics posted on thechinabeat.blogspot.com on Jan 25, 2008 by Susan Brownell) How would you answer this question now?
The West does need a deeper understanding of China but we are not getting it. It improved a little, though. But I'm a little pessimistic about the powerful Western nations. I think they really are not seriously interested in developing a deeper understanding of China because of the Western centralism. They think they understand China well enough already.
How do your American friends think of the 2008 Games?
If I just make a generalization about Americans I know from different walks of life, they generally have somewhat negative attitude towards China. They are all aware that in the US many goods are imported from China. I don't know if they appreciate that because the goods are less expensive and make their life easier. I don't think they understand that's an advantage to the US. Unfortunately, Western media report negative aspects of Chinese products rather than the positive effects.
They have the negative attitude towards Chinese government as well. There is a very strong and wide-spread feeling in the US. I think the major reason is the attitude towards a communist party which is a leftover by the Cold War. It's a habit. When I was young even the word "communism" was an insult. Something like that is not rational. That's a big obstacle and an irrational habit.
I also got some friends who really want to watch the Games. They think the Beijing Games will be one of the most important moments of the 21st century. It might be the biggest Olympic Games ever in terms of money, facilities and the number of spectators. It will be a historical moment.
What has caused the misconceptions about China?
The Cold War history is a big reason. I think China has moved beyond the Cold War. I'm not sure that the US has moved that far beyond the Cold War.
But we also have to acknowledge the problem with the media's negative coverage. There are more and more good journalists writing good stories, but at the same time, there are also many reports that are generally negative. If you have an average Chinese person who wants to say "China has made a lot of progress in the last 20 years. Life is really comfortable in Beijing." It's not attractive to the reporter. That's the problem with reporting on China. They don't look for general pattern and accurate and overall understanding about China. They pick narrow areas.
