Olympics Make List of China National Day Honors

Chinese president Hu Jintao also said the Games experience will carry forward China's success in respecting human rights. (gov.cn.)President Honors Olympic Spirit

The people who helped organize the Games have multiplied the Olympic Spirit in China, which will cause the nation to advance in civilization and increase its cultural influence, says President Hu Jintao.

He was speaking at a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, where some 900 individuals and organizations were formally recognized for their contribution to the Games.

He also told the audience of 6,000 that the successful Games show China's remarkable ability to mobilize collective wisdom and the strength of the nation to fulfill large tasks.

"We have stamped China's red seal in the history of the modern Olympic movement," he said.

Many of China's top leaders were in the audience, including premier Wen Jiabao and Chinese vice president and Games point-man Xi Jinping. BOCOG and Hong Kong organizing committee staff received awards, as did representatives of Games volunteers, athletes, security personnel and others.

"[The Games have] shown the world the great achievements of reform and opening and the building of socialist modernization," according to Xi.

Hu, Xi and Wen all pointed out that China overcame first the troubles of devastating snowstorms early this year then the disaster of the Sichuan earthquake in May to organize the Games.

The ceremony comes just days before the Oct. 1 National Day. This year's themes in speeches and the media are the success of the Games, China's debut space walk on Sept. 27 and the decision to mark the 30th anniversary of reform and opening-up under Deng Xiaopeng which began in the late 1970s.

Top Chinese Editorial Links Games, Politics

A long editorial in the People's Daily – the official Communist Party newspaper – says the success of the Olympics and Paralympics results from the superiority of China's one-party rule.

The Chinese flag flutters over the Olympic Green. (Getty Images)"Throughout the Olympics, the Chinese government and people demonstrated their powerful organizational strength and unsurpassed ability to mobilize society ... fully embodying the superiority of China's political system."

The author, an editor at the Beijing Daily, posits that the west was "shocked" at the excellent organization of the Games, except "some" western scholars who are knowledgeable about the Games and China's advantages but want to keep their sympathy secret.

The rambling defense of one-party rule goes on to say that the credit crunch in the west proves the bankruptcy of liberal democracy and wryly points out that Hitler was an elected leader.

The article is available in Mandarin only and was first published on Sept. 22 and put online Sept. 26.

Beijing Briefs…

China's Foreign Ministry says the upcoming Nobel Peace Prize announcement could "hurt the feelings" of the Chinese people – if the prize goes to jailed dissident Hu Jia. Before being clapped in jail for subversion, Hu wrote in favor of democracy, AIDS awareness and environmental renewal. He's also coauthor of an essay accusing China of corruption in Olympic construction, forced evictions in Beijing, persecution of media and depriving dissident athletes of the right to join the Games. His detention is proof of a Chinese crackdown on human rights in conjunction with the Games, according to some international human rights groups. The Nobel PeacePrize announcement is Oct. 10.

Written by Maggie Lee

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