The opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo were opportunities for China to showcase what they have achieved in both technological and cultural aspects. The 2008 Beijing Olympics was directed by Zhang Yimou who had put together a spectacular ceremony for the world to see. Zhang Yimou incorporated the latest technology into traditional Chinese culture utilizing huge LCD screens, complex dance choreography, and awe-inspiring visuals. However, it seems as though behind all the spectacles and bright lights were massive amounts of controversy regarding human rights and preparations for the ceremony.
Liu Yan, known to be a famous Chinese dancer, fell from a platform that was 3 meters high during rehearsal and as a result sustained spinal injuries. Due to the injury Liu Yan is now paralyzed from the waist and downward even after a six hour operation. Even though Zhang Yimou is apologetic towards this incident, I still see that China as a whole is to blame for the fate of Liu Yan. I understand the pressure that China must have been under in order to produce a performance that will wow the audience and viewers worldwide, but I believe because of their yearning to achieve this, they were careless in preparation thus Liu Yan having to face this accident.
Another controversy with the opening ceremony deals with the singer Lin Miaoke who lip-synched to the song Ode to the Motherland by Yang Peiyi, who stood behind the scenes during the performance. It is reported that this decision was made last minute and I wonder how devastated Yang Peiyi was after much preparation and excitement to show the world her own talents. Instead it was masked over by Lin Miaoke only because of her better appearance. I believe this is a direct representation of the dark side of China that they still are trying to cover up. Just like how they are faking the truth behind the singing with a beautiful girl, China is also trying to cover up its wrongdoings by showing us this extravagant ceremony.
China already had been under much controversy ever since the Tienanmen Square incident and during the opening ceremony, there seems to be no acknowledgement of those who died in 1989. It seemed as though China had purposely tried to cover up any of the controversies that either happened in the past or was happening the time. I believe showcasing such a spectacular and brilliant ceremony only puts China into much more scrutiny. Though as if China is going to great lengths in order to “make up” for its wrongdoings, it further shows how big the wrongdoings were if we were to compare it to the size and detail to the opening ceremony.
I personally thought the opening ceremony was brilliant and beautiful – never considering the fact that all these tragedies had occurred. To viewers like me, whom had no knowledge of what went on behind all the preparations, will most likely receive the ceremony positively. However, we should always consider if something is so beautiful and perfect, there must be something to hide.
Your point about the glamor of the ceremony masking the serious human rights issues still rife in China today reminds me of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. During that particular summer games, Hitler and his Nazi party successfully pulled off the appearance that all was right--indeed, flourishing--even after all the reparations Germany had to concede after World War I. They tore down signs of anti-Semitism and were able to come off as almost an enlightened society. However, for all the beauty and wholesomeness of their presentation, the truth was that the Party only had members of the Aryan race participate on behalf of Germany and they arrested all the Gypsies in the city to keep them in a camp away from international eyes. Of course, we all know the tragedy of the Holocaust that occurred soon after the completion of the games.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm certainly not saying that China is to become the next Nazi Germany, the issues that you bring up about human rights definitely have merit. The Chinese government is consumed with having a positive image to project to the global community at whatever cost. It's easy to be blinded by the glitz and glamor of such massive displays of culture and grandeur and it's even easier to ignore (willfully or not) the multitude of issues that under-gird such performances. Like you said, I thoroughly enjoyed the opening ceremony and thought it was artistically beautiful. Still, I think that a healthy dose of awareness and wariness is necessary in handling the outer majesty of any ceremony aimed at global audiences as the Opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
The point of the pressure that the Chinese government/nation puts on the people is very salient. Everyone knows the stereotype of the Asian parents that pressure their children to be the best and most people laugh, but all stereotypes come from the truth. Not just limited to the controversial events of the opening ceremonies, the athletes during the Olympic games themselves had to be feeling the weight of a nation on their shoulders. The government was so fixated on medal count, that they cheated by having underage gymnasts compete. Possibly the most famous Chinese Olympian, Liu Xiang, pulled out of his best event because he was feeling sore, very likely due to overworking himself. China is trying to show everyone how great it can be, but still taking too many shortcuts trying to get there.
ReplyDeleteThe notion that China is trying to cover things up is a good point. Yet, I feel that they did not have to address the darker parts of their recent history such as Mao or the Tiananmen Square incident of 1989. This is because these would be depressing moments in a ceremony that is supposed to celebrate the opening of the Olympics games. In my view, this avoids creating a double standard for Olympic ceremonies where China is expected to include such moments while other countries do not have such expectations.
ReplyDeleteAs for China deliberately misrepresenting something, such as the girl who lip-syncs while another sings speaks to the good image that China wants to represent. What is more telling is the children representing the 56 different ethnicities in China were mostly Han people. Like there is this concept of harmony that the government is constantly promoting in hopes that people (Chinese or non-Chinese) would eventually buy into the idea.
About the girl, Lin MiaoKe, she looks very prety and beautiful than the real child-singer but she has a poor singing skill. The CCP wants to show the most great and perfect aspects to the world even though a child-singer that western audiences could barely remember and discuss. I feel sorry to the real child-singer, Yang Peiyi and dislike the way that CCP arranged this little girl as lip-synched, which will cause bad effect to her future values. From this, we could figure out that Chinese still can't get equal human rights from CCP.
ReplyDeleteThe controversaries that you bring up definitley play a large role in how I view the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. Although there were issues such as lip singing and covering up the violence at Tiannenman Square, I fully understand why the ceremnonies were played out that way. This was a huge step forward for China in terms of Global recognition and with that much pressure involved, I don't blame them.
ReplyDeleteDaniel, your review was very eye-opening and made me think twice about the ceremonies. I didn't know about those issues that occurred behind the scenes and I'm pretty sure there were countless other mishaps we just didn't hear about. China definitely has some human rights issues to work on, especially with the case of Tibet.
ReplyDeleteBinh-Young, I agree with your comparison to the stereotype of strict Asian parents. Chinese culture definitely has a reputation of obeying elders and strict discipline, which is where I think the stereotype stems from. Modern Chinese parents have been obsessed with their children getting ahead so that they can reap the benefits of being taken care of when their children are older and making money. I strongly feel these aspects resonate with the Beijing Olympics where it had to be perfect at all costs.
Austin, I agree that China probably had a lot of pressure in showing the world that they have developed and grown significantly, but I do no believe it is an excuse for glossing over human rights. I personally feel the Chinese government is too concerned with its appearance to the world as a growing power rather than the concerns and needs of its own people. In a way, it reminds me of the the film Hero where I got the message that it is okay to sacrifice the lives of a few for the better of the entire nation.