Introduction: What the Olympic games mean to China -- Europe and the people without sport history, or what hosting the Olympic games means to China -- The clash of body cultures : martial arts and Olympic sports -- Symbols of state power : stadiums and national identity in Beijing -- What women's sports mean to China -- Mixing sport and politics : China and the IOC -- "China bashing" at the Olympic games : why the Cold War continues in sport journalism -- Will the Olympics change China, or will China change the Olympics?
"Han passat cent anys des que es va fer la pregunta que avui és famosa a la Xina: 'Quan podrà la Xina convidar el món sencer a Pequín per a una competició internacional olímpica?'. Al 2008, els Jocs Olímpics es duran a terme a la nació menys 'occidentalitzada' on mai s'han celebrat. Serà la tercera vegada que els Jocs Olímpics d'Estiu se celebrin fora d'Occident o d'una de les seves antigues colònies, i serà la trobada més important entre Orient i Occident en temps de pau. Serà un moment crucial quan la Xina comenci a ocupar el seu lloc com a peça fonamental de la política mundial, en l'economia i en la cultura després de gairebé 170 anys de subordinació als poders occidentals i al Japó. Per als xinesos, l'eslògan olímpic 'Un món, un somni' significa que tota la gent del món vol un bon nivell de vida i seguretat, i que totes les nacions desitgen modernitzar-se i arribar a condicions polítiques i econòmiques estables (.)". ; "Han pasado cien años desde que se formuló la pregunta que ahora es famosa en China: '¿Cuándo podrá China invitar al mundo entero a Pekín para una competición internacional olímpica?'. En 2008, los Juegos Olímpicos se llevarán a cabo en la nación menos 'occidentalizada' en la que se han celebrado hasta ahora. Será la tercera vez que los Juegos Olímpicos de Verano se celebren fuera de Occidente o de sus antiguas colonias, y será el mayor encuentro entre Oriente y Occidente en tiempos de paz. Será un momento fundamental cuando China empiece a ocupar su lugar como pieza fundamental en la política mundial, en economía y en cultura después de casi 170 años de subordinación a los poderes occidentales y a Japón. Para los chinos, el eslogan olímpico 'Un mundo, un sueño' significa que toda la gente del mundo quiere un buen nivel de vida y seguridad, y que todas las naciones desean modernizarse y alcanzar condiciones políticas y económicas estables (.)". ; "One hundred years have passed since the question now famous in China was asked, 'When will China be able to invite all the world to Peking [Beijing] for an International Olympic contest…?' In 2008 the Olympic Games will be hosted by the least 'Westernized' nation in the world to yet host them. It will be only the third time the Olympic Summer Games have been held outside the West and its former colonies, and it will be the greatest-ever meeting of East and West in peacetime. It will mark a pivotal moment when China begins to take its place as a major force in global politics, economics, and culture after nearly 170 years of subordination to the Western powers and Japan. For Chinese people the Olympic slogan 'One World, One Dream' means that all the world's peoples want a high standard of living and a secure life, and all the world's nations want to modernize and achieve stable economic and political conditions (.)".
AbstractStarting in 2005, the largest "Olympic education" programme ever implemented by an Olympic host country was carried out in schools in Beijing and across China. By looking at the ways in which the policies for this programme were created and implemented, this article challenges the common perception that there was a "master plan" surrounding all aspects of the Beijing Olympics that was imposed by the party-state from the top down with the singular goal of promoting nationalist and communist ideology. It makes the point that by contrast with the suzhi ("quality") education that preceded it, Olympic education contained a de-politicized patriotic education that linked national identity with sports heroes rather than political systems, and re-situated Chinese national identity within an international community in which it would now take its place as an equal partner.
With Beijing set to host the 2008 Olympic Games, interest in Chinese sports has increased. Due to the greater successes of Chinese sportswomen in the international arena compared to Chinese sportsmen, interest in women's sports has been particularly keen. There are only a few books in English on Chinese sports, and this is the first book focusing on women's sports, and so it will be useful to journalists and instructors n sport studies seeking basic background information. The author performs the valuable service of pulling together nearly 300 Chinese articles and chapters. She reviews all of the available relevant official statistics, but – as is often true of such statistics – it is not always clear what they mean. For example, there is the tantalizing fact that Sichuan's sports system seems to have more gender parity than Guangdong's and Beijing's. This might provide good insight into the differential effects of the inland and coastal economies on women's social status, but this analysis is never fully carried out. The problem of interpreting the statistics is partly corrected by the 48 semi-structured interviews with sportswomen of varied backgrounds, but the content of the interviews is slightly disappointing, as many of the quoted responses seem to repeat the official picture without offering much in the way of deeper insights.
