Beijing Olympics, Chinese style

The Beijing Olympic Games will kick off in August and last a month. We want to know how to make this Olympics unforgettable and enrich it with Chinese characteristics. “Brilliant Chinese traditional culture combining with Olympic culture will highlight the Beijing Olympic Games.” said Jiang Xiaoyu, the Executive vice-president of Beijing Olympic Games.

We should have a new expression for the Humanistic Olympics. When a nation hosts the Olympics it always tries to present its traditional culture to the world, and the idea of Humanistic Olympics is put forward by China. A modest and objective attitude is needed in expressing the Humanistic Olympics, according to Liang Xiaosheng, a famous writer from China. Liang said, it is not so important that how many cultural and artistic works will capture the eyes of foreign athletes, journalists and visitors, the important thing is our Chinese will express the friendly and peaceful wishes to the world through such cultural elements.

Cultural Elements in Olympic Village

Harmony is a quintessence of Confucianism, and is in common with Olympic culture. The premise of fulfilling harmony is mutual understanding that depends on getting to know each other. It is unreasonable to judge foreigners’ attitude toward China only by their words and behaviors. If we want to win their friendship, mutual understanding is the key.

During the Olympics, we should comply with the rules and respect each other. There are no losers at the Olympic Games, as long as everyone participates, said Wang Guoxin, a famous painter.

In the opinion of Zhang Wu, designer of the Chinese seal, the Chinese seal fully expresses the connection between the traditional Chinese culture and Olympic culture. The Olympic culture emphasizes speed, power, and peaceful competition. In the Chinese seal, the dragon figure is concealed within the lines, and the dragon, to some extent, is an embodiment of hero worship.

The figure of the Chinese seal is a dancing person expressing a happy theme, which coincides with the Olympic spirit; in the Olympic Games, happiness is more important than competition itself.

A series of simple symbols such as the Chinese seal and the lucky cloud pattern on the Olympic torch are all appealing for peaceful competition, which represents the Chinese spirit.

Oriental culture has always been appealing to westerners, including Chinese folding fans, lanterns, cheongsams and blue and white porcelains, but the most impressive thing is our spirit, customs and cultures, and not these material things.

As our society develops, the quintessence of traditional Chinese culture has been undermined. The Olympics is a good chance to revive and develop our traditional culture. During the Beijing Olympic Games, China has two traditional festivals, the Chinese Valentine's Day (Double Seventh Festival or Qi Xi Jie) and Mid-Autumn Festival. We will organize a series of activities including chanting poems and appreciating the moon, which provide an opportunity for Chinese and foreigners alike to enjoy traditional Chinese culture together.