China Has a New Political Strategy for the Olympics
China is getting ready to host the Winter Olympics after some countries, including the U.S., announced a diplomatic boycott of the games. Above, the emblem of the Chinese Communist Party on display in Beijing last month.
Photographer: Andrea Verdelli/BloombergThe spectacular Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics, billed as China’s coming out party, told a story of the country’s dazzling imperial past and its promising high-tech future.
Mao Zedong didn’t get a mention. The epic narrative, choreographed by the celebrated movie director Zhang Yimou, jumped straight from Confucius, scroll painting and Tai Chi to Chinese astronauts. Zhang blacked out most of the 20th century—including Mao’s revolution and the tumultuous years that followed.