Today is the day of the Opening Ceremony. The entire country has been on a national countdown to this moment. The tension and excitement is almost palpable. Two years ago I remember sitting in the back of a taxi cab staring at the Olympic rings, or in a gym where a TV had been set up with a special news station dedicated to progress made on the Olympic venues. Everyday when I walked to school I would pass by a large sign, ticking off the seconds to today. To the most populous country in the world, today is one of the most important days in living memory.

Outside my window, today 8/8/08, a heavy smist (a phrase I’ve coined after being here- smog and mist mixed together- because it seems no one wants to call it smog, or even fog. Even news stations like BBC call it a mist. In actuality, a lot of it probably is smog. A mist would most likely burn off during the day, but this stuff clings to the air and burns your lungs when you run) hangs over the city. Yesterday I had the chance to go to the Great Wall with the US Olympic wrestling team. The smist was just as heavy, I couldn’t see past the first set of rolling hills, no more than 100-200 meters away. It was actually a shame- because this is what will be most memorable about the games. People will return home saying “Wow, Beijing is amazing, except for the smog.” Part of me just wants people to say “Wow, Beijing is amazing.” In this respect, I won’t deny that I’ve been acculturated. I’ve lived here for well over a year- lived with a Chinese family and currently work with five Chinese for a small, non-profit charity organization. I actually feel uncomfortable around large groups of laowai (foreigners). I’ve traveled from BJ to Hong Kong to Tibet, and seen the spectrum of China’s bustling cities and destitute countryside. There’s a warmth in the hospitality I have received from the Chinese people. It is a sincere, heartfelt welcoming to a guest in their home. And this is how I view the Olympics.

Don’t get me wrong- I believe Tibet should be a sovereign state (I’m from Boulder, come on…) Xinjiang is an illegally occupied territory, and Taiwan can be more or less an independent country. In this respect, I fulfill every one of the criteria of a meddling foreigner. But the way I look at it- we are walking into someone’s home for the Games. They have welcomed us with open arms to see their new city. The progress made in Beijing is astounding. It literally transformed overnight into a modern metropolis, which is no easy feat. Rome was not built in a day, but modern Beijing seems like it was. There is some respect due here. The Chinese people are extremely proud of this accomplishment; we can give them that. Yes, China has human rights abuses. Yes, a large toll was paid both by the people and the government to create today’s Beijing and China. But why is it, when China wants to be accepted by the international community and welcomes us into their home that we need to point out their faults. In my opinion, this will have the opposite effect. Why would they want to be accepted by an international community that will never say “Well done”?

I frequently talk with my Chinese friends here about these issues. I am very direct and very honest about my opinions. And my friends are the same, and their opinions cover the entire range of political ideas and beliefs. But, an overwhelming consensus is that change takes time and today is far better than it was ten years ago, and ten years from now it will be far better than it is today. This is a general consensus- so at least people feel the country is moving in the right direction. And I tend to agree with them.

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