Beijing Olympics: Reinforcing Chinese National Identity in a Nationalist or

Internationalist approach?

The sparks of fireworks in the darkness over the city of Beijing, the storm-like applause for

Chinese athletes on stage, the positive remarks from the officials of the International Olympic

Committee… all these images have formed the vivid memories of Chinese people for the

2008 Beijing Olympics from which they take pride of their nation. As acknowledged by

scholars, Olympic Games have the function of generating enthusiasm and national pride1,

thus influencing the host cities and citizen of the country in long term2. It is undoubted that

the Beijing Olympics has played a significant role in consolidating Chinese people’s sense of

belonging to their country and nationality, thus reinforcing Chinese national identity. It is

often pointed out that, in this mega sports event, the heightened Chinese national identity is

constructed on the basis of nationalism, by the thought of China as a superior nation above

most of the others. Meanwhile, this essay shall argue that the event has attempted to extend

citizens’ national identity in an internationalist approach, through Chinese people’s

recognition of China as an integrating part of the international community.

In the Beijing Olympics, the official promotion of the host country China as an international

country created the ideal image of their nation in Chinese people’s mind, and therefore raised

their national identity through achieving this. The type of Olympic Games the Chinese

officials attempted to organise and present is summarised in the theme slogan: “One World,

One Dream”. As the official organisation explained, the motto “fully reflects the essence and

the universal values of the Olympic spirit -- Unity, Friendship, Progress, Harmony,

                                                                                                               
1
Gordon Waitt, “The Olympic spirit and civic boosterism: the Sydney 2000 Olympics,” Tourism Geographies,
3 (2001), 249.
2
Maurice Roche, “Mega events and urban policy,” Annuals of Tourism Research, 21 (1994), 2.

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Participation and Dream”, and “expresses the common wishes of people all over the world,

inspired by the Olympic ideals, to strive for a bright future of Mankind”3. It is observed that

the organising committee had placed huge amount of emphasis on connection among people

from around the world so as to strongly highlight the feature of globalisation of the event.

China was therefore packaged as a country that could merge into the international community

and adapt to the inflow of global differences, rather than a strong country that can stand out

alone and invite others to experience its uniqueness.

Indeed, throughout the Games this internationalised image of the event and country had been

well-advocated and widespread in Chinese people’s mind. In the Opening Ceremony, for

example, one of the main scenes was British singer Sarah Brightman and Chinese singer Liu

Huan, standing on a large rendition of the globe, singing “You and Me”, with the content

stressing harmony and unity of humankinds regardless of nationality. Also, the Beijing

Olympic Education Programme implemented by the official bodies aimed at cultivating

qualified citizens of the “global village”4, including curriculum where students could portray

athletes of different countries in mock Olympic Games5. In such a context, the country

showcased its international side to its people, and definitely influenced the form in which

their national identity was built.

In the meantime, instead of insisting on its own achievements and standards, China was more

open to recognise the global values and attempt to reach them, thus establishing its people’s

national identity for its improvements and openness. Due to the pressure imposed by the

                                                                                                               
3
“One World, One Dream,” The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad,
assessed May 6, 2014, http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/beijing2008/graphic/n214068253.shtml.
4
Ren Hai, “Olympic education and cross-cultural communication,” in Hai Ren, Lamartine Dacosta, Ana
Miragaya and Niu Jing (eds.), The Olympic Studies Reader, Vol. 1.
5
Susan Brownell, “Beijing’s Olympic Education Programme: Re-Thinking Suzhi Education, Re-Imagining an
International China,” The China Quarterly, 197 (2009), 56.

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international community, China had actually made efforts in meeting up with the universal

ideals and expectations. It therefore accepted the Western ideologies to a much greater extent,

evidenced by its breakthrough in allowing media more press freedom. It further initiates

actively the policies to solve or relieve problems that would damaged its image as an

international country, such as the odd-even licence plate policy6 to tighten restriction on

emission7 in hope of improving the problem of air pollution. The policies adopted differed

from China’s long-held stance that it seldom allowed Western democratic system to intervene

and publicly recognised its deficiency. Instead of building a false perception of a strong,

perfect home country that let its people to be proud of in their mind, China showed to them a

nation that was willing to progress and learn from the others, and to prepare itself for the

participate in the global community. It therefore raised their recognition of their own country

as a compatible country in the world, rather than a self-isolating power.

In view of the nationalist side, one of the possible arguments is that Chinese people’s pride

for their country at that time was attributed hugely by its national teams’ victory over other

countries’, which showcased its superiority in sports field that encouraged the mood of

patriotism. The gold medal count of the Chinese team ranked the highest among all

participating countries, winning 15 more gold medals than the U.S. following China 8 .

Chinese athletes also exceled in quite a number of fields like table tennis and diving, almost

rendering their victory granted. It is hence argued that the Chinese national identity was built

out of the sense of nationalist pride.

                                                                                                               
6
“Beijing Announces Traffic Plan for Olympics,” The New York Times, June 21, 2008, assessed May 6, 2014,
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/21/world/asia/21china.html?_r=0.
7
“Beijing Olympics Provides Rare Window into Air Pollution’s Effect on Health,” University of Rochester
Medical Center, last modified May 15, 2012, assessed May 6, 2014.
8
“Beijing 2008 Medal Table,” BBC Sport, August 13, 2012, assessed May 6, 2014,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/medals/historical-medals-beijing-2008/countries

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While it is true that the outstanding results of the Chinese athletes could lead to the rise in

people’s national pride and identity, the above argument neglects the fact that such national

identity is not merely produced out of nationalism. The athletes’ success is not very often

claimed to be the return of the nation’s investment; it is rather attributed to the self-

motivation and individual efforts of the athletes themselves. It is even the practice of officials

to promote successful Chinese athletes as heroes and role models, with praise given to them

rather than the country. For instance, the official Chinese newsagent Xinhuanet featured the

first gold-medal-winning Chinese delegate Chen Xiexia’s story of hard work and optimism

while rarely mentioning the efforts of the national bodies9. This mode of promoting national

athletes is common among this sort of reports by Chinese athletes. As a result, these

outstanding Chinese athletes are rather regarded as the Chinese individuals who are capable

of competing elites from other countries in an international sports arena and even gaining

victory through their persistence. The national identity built on that is actually hugely

attributed to their ability and excellence in the internationalised context, but not the national

team itself.

It may also be argued that the construction project for the Beijing Olympics displayed to the

world the national wealth and resources of China, and therefore led to the rise in people’s

national identity based on its economically surpassing other countries. The total cost of the

developments for the Beijing Olympics is estimated to be 44 million dollars, which makes it

then “the most expensive Olympic event”10, while leaving China no national budget deficit11.

                                                                                                               
9
“Profile: Chinese strongwoman Chen Xiexia: Save the tears, show the smile,” Xinhuanet, August 9, 2008,
assessed May 6, 2014, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/09/content_9088874.htm.
10
“Beijing Olympics to cost China 44 billion dollars,” Pravada, August 6, 2008, assessed May 6, 2014,
http://english.pravda.ru/sports/games/06-08-2008/106003-beijing_olympics-0/.
11
“Beijing Games to be costliest, but no debt legacy,” Reuters, August 5, 2008, assessed May 6, 2014,
http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/05/us-olympics-cost-idUSPEK25823820080805.

  4
It therefore showcases China’s enormous economic strength to the international community

that leads to Chinese people’s recognition of China’s economic superiority.

However, in view of the construction for the event, it is more probable to say that Chinese

people’s pride in their country is more associated with the greatness of the outcomes, rather

than spending figures. The construction itself is an international collaboration, which gathers

the architectural ideas of people around the world. For instance, the Beijing National

Stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, is designed a Swiss architecture firm with Chinese artist

Ai Weiwei as the artist consultant12, while the Beijing National Aquatics Center is a joint

project of two Australian and two Chinese architecture firms13. The construction also blends

Chinese art forms into Western architectural elements, trying to depict to the world merging

of traditions and modernity in China and represent China to the world as a modernised

country with international encounters. These features of the architectures are instead the

essential elements contributing to the heightened national identity of Chinese people, who

pay attention to them rather than the amount of spending on them that indicates the country’s

economic prosperity.

While as Brownell states that the co-existence of reinforcement of nationalism and

internationalism remains the central paradox of the Olympic Games, it can be seen that the

Beijing Olympics quite successfully shifts its long-held emphasis of building national identity

from nationalism to internationalism. It is essential for Chinese people to recognise the

country’s capability of building strong connection and cohesion with the international

community in today’s climate of globalisation, thus encouraging China to step further on it.

                                                                                                               
12
“China’s New Face: Ai Weiwei,” BBC News, March 5, 2005, assessed May 6, 2014,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4298689.stm.
13
“Welcome to WaterCube, the experiment that thinks it's a swimming pool,” The Guardian, May 6, 2004,
assessed May 6, 2014, http://www.theguardian.com/science/2004/may/06/research.science1.

  5
Bibliography

Gordon Waitt, “The Olympic spirit and civic boosterism: the Sydney 2000 Olympics,”
Tourism Geographies, 3 (2001).

Maurice Roche, “Mega events and urban policy,” Annuals of Tourism Research, 21 (1994).

“One World, One Dream,” The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX
Olympiad, assessed May 6, 2014,
http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/beijing2008/graphic/n214068253.shtml.

Ren Hai, “Olympic education and cross-cultural communication,” in Hai Ren, Lamartine
Dacosta, Ana Miragaya and Niu Jing (eds.), The Olympic Studies Reader, Vol. 1.

Susan Brownell, “Beijing’s Olympic Education Programme: Re-Thinking Suzhi Education,

Re-Imagining an International China,” The China Quarterly, 197 (2009).

“Beijing Announces Traffic Plan for Olympics,” The New York Times, June 21, 2008,
assessed May 6, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/21/world/asia/21china.html?_r=0.

“Beijing Olympics Provides Rare Window into Air Pollution’s Effect on Health,” University
of Rochester Medical Center, last modified May 15, 2012, assessed May 6, 2014.

“Beijing 2008 Medal Table,” BBC Sport, August 13, 2012, assessed May 6, 2014,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/medals/historical-medals-beijing-2008/countries.

“Profile: Chinese strongwoman Chen Xiexia: Save the tears, show the smile,” Xinhuanet,
August 9, 2008, assessed May 6, 2014, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-
08/09/content_9088874.htm.

“Beijing Olympics to cost China 44 billion dollars,” Pravada, August 6, 2008, assessed May
6, 2014, http://english.pravda.ru/sports/games/06-08-2008/106003-beijing_olympics-0/.

“Beijing Games to be costliest, but no debt legacy,” Reuters, August 5, 2008, assessed May
6, 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/05/us-olympics-cost-
idUSPEK25823820080805.

“China’s New Face: Ai Weiwei,” BBC News, March 5, 2005, assessed May 6, 2014,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4298689.stm.

“Welcome to WaterCube, the experiment that thinks it's a swimming pool,” The Guardian,
May 6, 2004, assessed May 6, 2014,
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2004/may/06/research.science1.

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