The "Olympic Spirit" with Chinese Characteristics Resembles Child Abuse
-- World watching China's actions

Wednesday, August 8, 2007 - 12:00 AM

Olympics | World watching China's actions

By Seattle Times news services

XINYAN, China ― Zhang Huimin skips, walks and jogs along National
Highway 107, an impish 8-year-old in an undersized red tracksuit. She
has been running since 2 a.m. and it's close to noon, but she's keeping
a steady pace, driven by a goal: to complete the 2,150-mile trip from
her hometown in southern Hainan province to Beijing's Tiananmen Square,
the political heart of China.

Her quest has caught the attention of a nation filled with pride at
playing host to the 2008 Summer Olympics, which open a year from today.

It also has brought scrutiny of a less-welcome sort as her father, Zhang
Jianmin, garners criticism for pushing her too hard at a time when her
bones aren't fully hardened and most children her age are playing at home.

"How can he treat his daughter like that solely for his own money and
fame?" asked an anonymous posting on Sina.com, a major Chinese Web portal.

As the one-year countdown begins to the 2008 Beijing Games, China also
is discovering the dark side of the international limelight it bid for
and craved. On 8/8/08, at a time chosen to maximize China's belief in
lucky 8s, the opening ceremony, starting at 8:08 p.m., will erupt in
fireworks and glory, stoking the nation's ambitions and solidifying its
growing role on the international stage after a century of humiliation
and weakness.

But the coming-out party also is focusing unwanted Klieg lights on the
dark side of China's booming economy and authoritative government, as
the world examines the pollution, labor exploitation, food and
product-safety issues, human-rights violations and its practice of
cozying up to repressive, oil-rich regimes.

By most conventional measures, Beijing will be amply ready for the
Olympics. Its one-party state does mass mobilization superbly and has
been in planning overdrive for years. Few expect the sort of scramble
that marked the lead-up to the Athens Games in 2004.

All but one of the 37 venues are scheduled for completion by year's end,
eight months ahead of time, with the $3.9 billion, 91,000-seat "bird's
nest" National Stadium likely to be finished in March.

"The bird's nest is expensive, but in the long run it should put the
city on the international map," said Shen Shizhao, a professor with the
Harbin University of Industry, an adviser for the building. "Without its
opera house, Sydney wouldn't be so impressive."

In an era when cities compete to pull off economical, debt-free
Olympics, Beijing spared little expense, scouring the globe for the best
architects and most innovative designs. All told, it will lay out nearly
$40 billion on Olympics infrastructure, compared with the $15 billion
spent in Athens, and an additional $25 billion on projects timed around
the event.

More than 1.5 million Chinese and foreign visitors are expected, and
they will find six new subway lines, a 26-mile light-rail system, a
third airport terminal and runway, and 25 million square meters of
property development.

While China long has been adept at hardware, this coming-out party is
meant to showcase its softer side as well, including its history,
hospitality and civility. Unfortunately, manners and niceties often were
condemned during the Cultural Revolution as a bourgeois affectation,
creating a lasting legacy that doesn't respond to a quick makeover.

"It's easy to build a skyscraper quickly, but a civilization isn't built
in a day," said Qu Wenyong, dean of the sociology department at
Heilongjiang University. "Our software problem can't be tackled in the
short term."

Among its greatest challenges is human rights. A host of international
civic groups, including those concerned about labor rights, arbitrary
detention, neighborhood destruction, press and religious freedom and
greater autonomy for Tibet and the far western province of Xinjiang,
says China has not lived up to its commitments. Several groups say they
plan to use the next year to pressure and embarrass Beijing.

Another touchstone issue is the environment. Again, some say, China has
set itself up for trouble by promising too much.

"When you try and make something perfect, you create all sorts of
expectation problems," said Joseph Cheng, a professor with the City
University of Hong Kong. "China largely brings this on itself."

Beijing adds 1,000 cars a day and remains among the world's most
polluted cities. This will be heavy on the minds of top athletes in
quest of medals.

Zhang Huimin says she's not turning back in her bid to reach Beijing.
She has been running an average of 50 miles a day for 20 days and
expects to reach the capital Aug. 28, giving her enough time to return
home before school starts.

"My dream is to have my own Olympic gold medal in 2016," she said.
"Gold, of course."

Copyright (c) 2007 The Seattle Times Company