China's deep insecurities cast shadow over grand spectacle

BEIJING — China opened on the glory of its past and closed on the promise of its youth.

It was the question punctuating a remarkable Olympics: how to take its ancient culture and traditions and meld them into a modern global identity.

The ceremony featured a dazzling fireworks show and a stylized version of Chinese culture — 200 Chinese drummers in gold bicycle helmets, a troupe of bouncing and flying men wearing silver body suits, young women playing the erhu, a traditional stringed instrument, to accompany a pop song.

The celebration capped 16 days that brought visitors from around the world to China, and the stories and images of China to people watching in more than 200 countries.

I think back on my first year in China, in 1990, when people here were astonished at the sight of foreign faces on the street. Now they're seeing all the world's faces on Beijing streets and on Chinese television. It has to be acknowledged how far the country has come, from shutting out the world to embracing it.

But it's a tentative embrace, still at arm's length. The Games did little to promote interaction between young Chinese people and visitors. Scores of smiling volunteers blanketed the venues, but time and circumstances (and possibly the language barrier) prevented deep exchanges.

The closing ceremony simulated a big party, full of youthful energy, athletes mingling on the field and celebrities singing on stage, including Jackie Chan in a volunteer's uniform and Jimmy Page strumming "Whole Lotta Love." But this party was never allowed on the street.

By contrast, the street scenes in Jamaica shown on TV included crowds of people watching the Games together, and then jumping around and cheering spontaneously after Usain Bolt's incredible run. In London, a free concert outside Buckingham Palace attracted thousands of people welcoming the arrival of the Olympics in 2012.

No doubt the Chinese have been gracious hosts. Examples of extraordinary individual kindness abound. We won't forget the day that Times columnist Steve Kelley and I were invited into the homes of several longtime Beijing residents after getting lost in their neighborhood.

Volunteers showed the promise of Chinese youth. I met college students who submitted to tests and interviews and worked weeks without pay, just for the privilege of making the same three-mile bus trip back and forth between venues all day long while standing up. The same is true for volunteers who showed people their seats or collected their breakfast trays day after day. They simply wanted the chance to help the country host the Games and learn about the world.

On a larger scale, Beijing organizers, confronted by questions from critics and the media, failed to see what is commonly accepted by other governments — that questioning can strengthen the country. Beijing's version of interaction was one-way communication.

To counter criticism, officials told us that people in China are all very happy with the way things are. But the argument ignores the basic logic that people won't complain unless they're informed about problems, and they can't complain if they are arrested the moment they speak out.

"The world today is in need of mutual understanding, inclusiveness, cooperation and harmonious development," Beijing Olympic Committee President Liu Qi told the closing ceremony audience. He's right, and those are the best of intentions.

The mistrust of outside critics may stem from China's history of Western powers carving up the country for their own benefit. But that's not the case now, considering how strong and powerful China has become. Yet two women in their 70s trying protest a property dispute so frightened the government that they were arrested and handed a year's sentence of "re-education."

Chinese young people will have different attitudes than their parents. The world should hope it's one of healthy confidence, not insecure nationalism. A Chinese editor I met recently contrasted athletes Liu Xiang and Yao Ming. While Liu kept his injuries hidden until he ultimately disappointed the public, Yao can live openly with his own imperfections, she said. The lesson also applies to the Olympics.

So I am leaving Beijing as I arrived — ambivalent. I can't help but conclude that the Games were impressive but fell short of what they could have been — open, inspiring and amazing. The country put on a grand spectacle, but its deep insecurity has not gone away.

"The government should have trust in people," said Wen Bo, an environmental activist with Pacific Environment and an Asia Society fellow. "The Olympics is proof that people do support the country and what the country is pursuing. The government should allow citizens to have a louder voice."

For the past eight years, China's sense of purpose has revolved around hosting the Olympics. But what's next?

One obvious theme of the closing ceremony was bicycles, perhaps a nod to emerging environmental awareness in China. That could become the next cause for China to rally around, Wen said.

But in order to make that a success, he said, "citizens have to be actively participating and the government has to allow that."

Kristi Heim: kheim@seattletimes.com