China at Rio 2016: It’s OK, We’re Human Too
In China’s worst Olympic performance in 20 years, there will be a lot of soul-searching to do in order to rebuild in time for Tokyo 2020. However, amidst the disappointment, unlike in previous tournaments China’s young generation of athletes have shown their humanity to the world
With 2 days until the closing ceremony, it is fair to say this hasn’t been an enjoyable 2 weeks for Team China. To add to the frustration, Team GB are punching well above their weight, propelling the nation of 64 million firmly into 2nd place.
With this, officials and media used to touting sports prowess as a symbol of national strength are turning to introspection. Some have even called for a change in sporting mentality.
“We would like to see China face the vicissitudes of the Olympics with greater peace of mind,” Nian Wei wrote in the state-run Xinhua News Agency. “We would like to see the gold tally no longer attract so much of people’s attention.”
Even secretary-general and deputy head of the Chinese Olympic delegation added that, “gold cannot be used wholly as the constant standard”, suggesting a refocus on how China pursues medals.
However sports aside, there has undeniably been a significant shift in how China has presented itself to the world at Rio. In a way, this whole tournament has shown the nation’s human side.
Breaking social taboo
As I have said before, experiencing periods is a completely normal and healthy physiological process for women. The fact that we make them feel ashamed of it, IS something to be ashamed of.
However, the unlikely hero in liberating taboo subjects into mainstream discourse is Fu Yuanhui. Fu probably did not intend to cause such attention, as she is often known to playfully say what is on her mind with all the good intentions. Nevertheless, she had used her voice to effectively break a prevalent taboo and now everyone is talking about it. And why not?
Showing emotion, proposing live on air
Just another live TV marriage proposal. But this time, it’s by a non-Western couple. With Chinese Olympians being stereotyped as stone faced, emotionless drones. This proposal has done a lot to challenge this image, stirring up quite a heated discussion on whether the marriage was really about male control. As I know very little about Chinese culture/society, I’ll leave that one for you to decide, however I suspect that we would not be having such discussions had they not have been Asian (or any non-white)… But I digress!
Showing self-deprecation & light-heartedness
Before the remark about menstruation, Fu Yuanhui was making headlines for her quirky antics at the games. And immediately the internet fell in love with her.
Finally… Nobody’s perfect
China in several events had earned themselves the reputation of something of a juggernaut. However, Rio somewhat tore that down, bringing the nation on the same playing field as many of the other nations. Therefore, in exchange of gold medals, these games have helped China to rebuild its image to the world.
“There is victory, and there is defeat,” People’s Daily quoted Mr. Gao as saying. “This sort of experience is good for the development of Chinese sports.”
All of this has earned China greater ‘soft power’ than Beijing ever did in 2008. And as a younger, more liberal generation of Chinese emerges, a spotlight is placed on the future of China and its relationship with the world.
As someone who firmly believes in human rights, and the greater protection of minorities in China, such as Tibetans. I welcome such news greatly. This is a nation that has a third of the world’s population — they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. And so, we must look at how we approach this new China. Especially as the Dalai Lama has stressed on numerous occasions, only through dialogue and peaceful intentions will the future be bright for humanity. My message has been the same for our relationship with isolated countries such as North Korea. After all, one cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.
The Olympic spirit lives within us all.
Ash is a graduate in Cognitive Neuroscience with a keen interest in international relations in the Asia-Pacific region. He has written several articles on North Korea, Japan, China, and Tibet and is interested in promoting peace and stability.
