Attic

Beijing Olympics Closing Ceremony

Last night I stayed up to watch the Beijing Olympics Closing Ceremony. It wasn’t as technically spectacular as the Opening Ceremony, however it showed a different side of China. 

The Ceremony displayed the sheer joy and euphoria of the Chinese people for the success of the games in Beijing. The performances were more of a celebration than an exhibition which seemed to be the style of the Opening Ceremony.

Last night, I was actually about to go to bed early and watch the highlights of the ceremony the next day. Nestled in bed i tried to get some sleep until the buzz of my mobile woke me from underneath the pillow. One of my Chinese friends texted me to announce that the Closing Ceremony was about to start!

I knew this meant a lot to many of my Chinese friends seeing as the Olympics has been at the apex of our conversation for the past month, and so I dragged myself out of bed to the TV to watch the ceremony.

Throughout the program we were volleying texts back and forth about our thoughts on the Ceremony. 

‘Ah so Chinese la..’

‘Yeah how many drinks did she have before she left the house in that?’

‘Yeah, you know in China she is famous for flirting with the previous Chinese president?’

‘Seriously? Those poor children’s cheeks must be aching so bad, their smiles r frozen rigid.’

Our senseless dialogue continued pointlessly until the conclusion of the ceremony where it reoccurred to me how important this was to not just this one Chinese friend of mine, but to Chinese people everywhere.

‘I’m so proud to see my country is growing. Every time seeing Chinese people’s smiling faces on TV. I know it’s so real from deep inside with confidence. So happy to see every little change. Still there’s a long way to go for China, but I do believe Chinese people can make it.’

As cheesy as it may seem, I guess this is the Olympic spirit or part of what it can bring to people around the world. Surrendering controversies and differences for the moment, it is nice to see how Beijing 2008 has become the genuine and true ‘Great Leap Forward’ for a country that in the last 100 years has been through an extremely rough and hostile journey.