President Hu Jintao spoke of unity prior to China's gala opening ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.“The world has never needed mutual understanding, mutual toleration and mutual cooperation as much as it does today.”
Jintao's sentiments seem to echo the Olympic emblem of reciprocity through competition. It is ironic then that these Olympics are preceded by China's cultural and religious suppression of Tibet. As a host country, China becomes a focal point and a global ambassador for good will. Their continued grip of Tibet indicates anything but. Protesters are right to voice concern. Especially during an event that is founded on freedom. The correlation between a sovereign contest and nation's autonomy is clear. However, the excessive criticism heaped upon leaders who've chosen to support their country's athletes by attending the ceremony is far too bias and misses the point almost entirely. This is a time to pause in humanity, as the games begin.
(Ceremony note: Director Zhang Yimou conducts a fluid precision of true spectacle in scoping China chronology. The colors, costumes, and set design pop with vibrant grandeur. To comprehend the detail of choreography is to defeat it's magic. This is easily the most technically impressive opening ceremony of the Olympiads. And it deserves it's own isolation in Chinese History. Though somewhat distracting is NBC's Bob Costas, whose cavalier commentary is more burden than praise. Some things are better left unsaid.)
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