A Chinese student’s perspective on the Games
Cathy Chang, Editor-in-Chief of The Peking Globalist
Cathy Chang, Editor-in-Chief of The Peking Globalist, offers a Chinese student’s perspective on the Games.
Do you think the Western media provided a fair depiction of the political issues associated with the Olympics?
In terms of the Games themselves, the Western media did provide a fair depiction. Most of the comments were positive and appraising. But as for the issues outside the venues, like those troublesome incidents that happened during the torch relay, some of them were unfair. The Chinese government tends to screen the negative depiction, that is true, but before the Olympics even began, some Western media seemed to relate the Games to politics deliberately, producing pseudo-events or exaggerated news – for example, about the Tibet issue.
What do you think of Beijing’s decision to restrict the information that foreign journalists could access while covering the Olympics?
In fact, foreign journalists could receive much more access during the Olympics than during normal times. The Chinese government is trying extremely hard to build a bright image for itself and the whole country. The government did not open access to information to 100 per cent to the world, because such a big, developing country certainly has many problems that may harm its national image. At the same time, I think the Chinese government put a little too much emphasis on censorship. Most of the journalists covering the Olympics would not concentrate on those issues that are unrelated to the Olympics.
Do you think the Olympics changed China? If so, how?
The Olympics will change the national image of China and people’s confidence in the country. It will not change much regarding the economy and China will not become a superpower simply because of the Olympics. What is important is the legacy: new venues, more utilities, and a big improvement on people’s inner quality. Chinese people believe their country is strong enough now and are willing to make it even stronger.
