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Overview
There were many short-term and long-term impacts of hosting the Olympics, as there are with any city that hosts. However, China’s effort to perfect the Olympics made the 2008 Beijing Olympics one of the most impactful Olympics of all time from a political standpoint. The main impacts that I analyzed were its impact on China’s global perception, citizens’ nationalism, and economic and infrastructural benefits.
Global Perception
The main goal of the Chinese government in hosting the Olympics was to improve their global power and image. Looking at the aftereffects, it is clear that they were wildly successful in this task, with the 2008 Olympics being seen as a sort of coming out party for China as a global superpower. Through their grand opening ceremony, beautiful, high-tech infrastructure, and their spending being the most ever in Olympic history, China showed off an aura of modernity, economic strength, and rich culture. These aspects received global praise and helped China’s culture reach an international audience that could possibly spark interest in Chinese history and culture. However, their main message of global harmony with the motto “One World, One Dream” received mixed reactions. While these ideals sounded appealing, the controversies with Tibet, Xinjiang, and mass displacement diminished the impact of these messages greatly. Nonetheless, the event could still only be called a massive success in terms of improving China’s global perception and power, with China now firmly sitting as one of the most powerful nations in the world.
Map Showing the Percent of Favorable Views for China Around the World
Nationalism
Chinese Supporters Cheer During the Torch Relay
As discussed earlier, prior to the Olympics, China was not seen as a first-tier world power, and the citizens’ thoughts reflected that. China was seen as merely a global producer not a leader, and there was a narrative that they were still catching up to western superpowers. However, the Olympics completely shifted that mindset, and the sentiments of the citizens followed suit. In contrast to on a global level, domestically, the messages of harmony among people and between subject and ruler were relatively successful. National pride and unity were increased, with a post-Olympics survey showing that over 90% of citizens reported feeling proud of China. In addition, the opening ceremony caused many to reignite their pride in Chinese culture and history.
Economy and Infrastructure
In Beijing specifically, the infrastructure created for the Olympics has had a great impact as it is still being used today. Renovated buildings, wider roads and sidewalks, and nicer public facilities were all welcomed changes. In addition, the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube remain popular tourist attractions, possibly drawing in some revenue from that. However, all in all, there was no significant long-term economic growth to be seen as a result of hosting the Olympics. While there was an increase in GDP in the short term and approximately 77,000 new jobs were created for the Olympics, these were just temporary improvements. After the Olympics, these jobs were no longer needed, and the economic growth returned to around its baseline level.
Beijing Infrastructure in 2015
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