For people around the world, the 2008 Olympic Games will provide a window through which they can see and understand China. Chinese people are extremely proud and honored to have been chosen as the Olympic site. Construction related to the events is well under way, and the new Number 4 Ring Road, the Bird Net, and the National Stadium have already been built. Advertising continually promotes the Olympic spirit, which permeates almost every aspect of Beijing. A giant clock in Tiananmen Square, the heart of the city, counts down the minutes to the opening ceremony.

However, the Olympic window into China still has dirty spots. A large population in Beijing lives a difficult life in a substandard environment. In migrant neighborhoods you see telephone numbers scrawled on walls that promise new arrivals false identity papers; living quarters often have no plumbing. The government is working to solve these problems, since they degrade the scene that the world will see. We know that every society has people at the bottom, but we can make their situation better.

Through the centuries, Chinese people have balanced two major values: religion and national pride. The two have not always coexisted peacefully. In the early years of the People’s Republic of China, the government looked on religion as backward and superstitious. Even today, religious belief and membership in the Communist Party do not go together.

However, temples of many faiths fill Beijing and the country, including Buddhism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religions. They do not ask for the exclusive allegiance of their members. A person can burn incense and pray in front of a Buddhist temple but live by Taoist principles. It is estimated that a quarter of Chinese are Buddhists, making China the country with the world’s largest Buddhist population.

Every Chinese is called upon to show national pride, from an early age.