Beijing 2022 and China’s National Image

As one of the most important global sporting spectacle， cultural ceremony and media event， the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games is bound to create a unique， beautiful historical memory in the development of human civilization. Looking through wide-angle lens of history， it is held in multiply complex historical context as the COVID-19 pandemic has been raging across the globe for two years and more， the wave of globalization encounters estrangement and interruption， and the technological revolution continues to build on uncertainties for modern civilization. A successful and splendid Winter Olympics will provide no less than the best opportunity on this special cycle of history of civilization to lead people away from COVID-19 grievances， global risks and changing uncertainties. It happens at the period when China’s Two Centenary Goals converge and the country’s key juncture in its process of building a strong socialist country in all respects and achieving national rejuvenation， coming as a precious gift presented by China to the whole world. This gift shines with the Olympic spirit and comes to life by a Chinese heart. A heart that swells with the Winter Olympics， attaches to the people， is intimate with the way of nature， and cares about the common values and destiny of humanity. It is necessary to introduce to the wider world this heart-to-heart gift， doing a good job in telling China stories.

Let Sport Be Sport， Tell Stories of Sporting Events

As the Winter Olympics is an international snow and ice sports event， sport is its bottom-level framework of narration. Legend goes that Plato took part in an Olympic Games and won a gold medal， who believed that sports could create man’s primary wealth， namely health. Not only bodily health， the ancient Greeks also consigned to the Olympics approaching transcendental value such as “the will of Greek gods” then or “pure idea” ， and achieving life’s ideal that gives the same weight to the strength of physical constitution and that of personality. Such a grand event carries the possibilities of life value， that by rising up can transcend mediocre life and integrate supreme value， and by moving downward can guide secular spirit and call for individual and group courage to dauntlessly advance towards the unity of soul and flesh， towards life’s path featuring higher， faster， stronger and together.

As the Winter Olympic flame is ignited once more in Beijing， the first city in the world ever to host both the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games， it is necessary for us， first of all， to hand in an answer sheet of sport itself that satisfies the people of the world on snow and ice facilities， event management， general service and sports level. As there are stories in the event， and sport carries values， let lens and pens focus on athletes and sports venues， let stories unfold in full， and let values of sport itself show in a natural way. The athletes， and possibilities displayed in their competitive process， conditions and level are in fact precisely the possibilities given to life by sport. In this regard， in presenting excellent sporting events with advanced communication technology and outstanding communication ability lies the axle of Winter Olympics communication， and indeed the construction of China’s national image.

“Let sport be sport” speaks volumes for confidence of a major country and demeanor of China’s millennium ancient capital. From the 2008 Summer Olympics to the 2022 Winter Olympics， an ascending transferal has happened to China’s value expectations in hosting the Olympics： the Socialism with Chinese Characteristics has entered a new era， and the construction of socialist modernization with Chinese characteristics has entered a new stage， having created a historic miracle in human history of eliminating absolute poverty and completed the construction of a moderately prosperous society in all respects， and moving towards the goal of fully building a strong， modernized socialist country; China is reconstructing its relations with the wider world， building a community with a shared future for mankind having become a common pursuit of a pluralistic civilization. As a modern， culturally advanced and progressive major country， China has the confidence， the aspirations and the capacity to overcome the impact of complex factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and to hold a grand Winter Olympics that raises high the banner of humanism and humanitarianism， calls for athleticism， sports passion and health awareness， and directly invokes human subsistence， freedom， and all round development.

To let the sporting events speak for themselves and to reduce burden for Winter Olympics communication is also a basic stratagem to counter the biased narrative and malicious rendition by some of the Western countries. As the Beijing Winter Olympics approaches， some of the politicians and media in the West use the same old playbook to apply their constant biased narrative framework of ideological antagonism， national interest competition， and the issues of human rights， ethnicity， environment， and gender and to come up with defaming and boycotting interpretation of things. It is necessary to maintain strategic focus， do a good job in telling stories of the Olympic sporting events， and let sports values lead communication values so as to eliminate and deconstruct value prejudice as held by such malicious interpretation. In fact， since its establishment， the modern Olympic Games has been carried forward in spite of over a century’s political， diplomatic and war winds and storms， the source of its driving force resting with the enchantment of sporting events and their latent life’s spirit and values of endeavoring， enterprising and surpassing.

Be People-Centered， Tell the People’s Olympic Stories