BriefingAsia-Pacific

Westerners and Chinese Alike Criticize Beijing Opening Cermonies

Westerners and Chinese Alike Criticize Beijing Opening Cermonies

BEIJING -- In the aftermath of a dazzling opening ceremony dubbed by the world's media its "coming out party," China appears to be experiencing a premature hangover. Less than a week after Beijing claimed center stage for the inauguration of the 29th Olympics, a growing chorus of Chinese and foreign voices is criticizing the ceremony, albeit for slightly different reasons.

Among Chinese critics, the consensus is that the the ceremony did not live up to artistic and cultural expectations, while Western commentators have tended to focus on the symbolic meaning of the ceremony, and the methods by which it was produced.

"Ordinary people had been hearing about this for so long that when it happened, they expected it to be more spectacular," Lulu Wang, an English translator in Beijing, told World Politics Review, reflecting the Chinese view.

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