Beijing's Olympics vs. Hitler's Olympics

Beijing's Olympics vs. Hitler's Olympics
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
August 21, 2008

The whole world is talking about the Beijing Olympics, including Taiwan. Topics of discussion include: How good were the opening ceremony performances? Will the Olympics become an economic asset or economic liability for the Beijing government? Are the Beijing Olympics a clone of the Nazi Olympics? The answer depends on whom you ask.

The consensus is that: The Beijing Olympics weren't merely a sporting event. They were a finely-honed public relations campaign, skillfully orchestrated by the mainland authorities. It may be an indicator of the Chinese mainland's future direction.

Zhang Yimou's opening ceremony provoked some lively controversy. Those who approved praised it as "an extravaganza." Those who disapproved dismissed it as "just a bunch of people." Interestingly enough, the West seemed to adopt an "Emperor's New Clothes" position on Zhang Yimou's "Tale of China." They were afraid of accusations that they "didn't understand the Orient." But many Chinese netizens were offended and indignant at Zhang Yimou's relentless depiction of the Chinese people as armies of ants. It is of course a simple matter to use computer animation to create armies of ants. But Zhang used thousands of live performers to create something little different from computer animation. This may be something China is good at. But it is also something some Chinese think is nothing to be proud of.

Forget everything else. The very fact that there is such a diversity of opinion about Zhang Yimou personally, and that opinions are so polarized, shows that China is very different from what many people assume and expect.

In fact, widely divergent evaluations of China did not begin with the Beijing Olympics. Over the past 20 years, some have said that China is a sleeping lion that has just been awakened, or a giant that is rising to its feet. Some have touted the "Coming Collapse of China" or the "China Threat." Today Hu Jintao is in Beijing hosting the Olympic Games. Some have compared him to Adolf Hitler hosting the Olympic Games in Berlin. These two Olympics are separated by 72 years. Should such comments be seen as objective historical prophecy, or merely anticipatory schadenfreude?

Zhang Yimou has offered us a look at his hand scroll of China's history. But what does the portion yet to be unrolled have in store? In any event, Hu Jintao is not the same as Hitler. The world of the 21st century is not the same as the world of the 1930s and 1940s. The Chinese people are not the same as the German people. In short, the Beijing Olympics are not the same as Hitler's Nazi Olympics.

Hitler's Third Reich perished before Germans even got a chance to reflect upon and to oppose Hitler. Today's China, by contrast, has experienced the Cultural Revolution. Mainland Chinese know about the insanity of tyrants and the stupidity of mobs. They have witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. They recognize the dangers of secession. They experienced the June 4 Tiananmen Incident. They have had 19 years to reflect on it. Will China produce a Hitler? They are in substantial agreement about Mao Zedong's mixed legacy. Will mainland Chinese again become Red Guards? Will they drown in a sea of blood? The answer is not necessarily. That is because Hitler and the German never got the chance to regret their choices. China by contrast, has.

Forget everything else. Just take a look at mainland Chinese netizens' evaluation of Zhang Yimou's opening ceremony, and you will know that they didn't necessarily like Zhang Yimou's ant-like depiction of China and the Chinese people. Some people think Hu Jintao's Olympics is a clone of Hitler's Olympics. These people will probably not be able to influence China's domestic evolution. But they may be misled by their own schadenfreude.

For example, on Taiwan Lee Teng-hui touted "China's Coming Collapse." Abroad, he touted the "China Threat." This was the primary basis for his "Avoid Haste, Be Patient" policy and his turn to Taiwan independence. But the positive changes on the Chinese mainland over the years have not been to Lee Teng-hui's liking. Therefore observers on Taiwan must pay attention to the changes on the mainland. If they blindly equate the Chinese mainland with Hitler's Germany, and allow themselves to be carried away by their own obsessions, they risk misleading themselves.

Returning to Zhang Yimou, the entire opening ceremony stressed one word, "harmony." Thirty years ago, the Cultural Revolution denounced Confucius and praised Qin Shihuang. Now, 30 years later, the opening act in the Beijing Olympics was the grand procession of Confucian scholars. Three thousand Confucian scholars dressed in traditional robes and hats symbolized China's mainstream Confucianist values. Beijing wants to use the Olympics to demonstrate to the outside world its peaceful development, and to demonstrate to the public at home its harmonious society. Of course, the outside world and domestic opinion may not follow Zhang Yimou's script. But at the very least the Beijing Olympics theme of harmony is rather far removed from Hitler's Olympics theme of militarism. The theme of Hitler's Nazism was militarism. The theme of China's reform and liberalization, by contrast, is humanity and the unleashing of human creativity.

In fact, mainland China's peaceful development is a key variable for Taiwan. Beijing has not promised not to use force. Nevertheless, its overall trend has been toward "harmony." In recent years, the two sides have moved toward "maintaining the status quo and creating a win-win scenario." Beijing has gradually changed its thinking regarding the Taiwan Strait. Because if Beijing uses force against Taipei, it is bound to destroy internal and external harmony. The consequences would be unthinkable and unmanageable.

The Beijing Olympics and Hitler's Olympics are not necessarily comparable. Probably no one in the world wants Beijing's Olympics to become Hitler's Nazi Olympics. More importantly, political leaders on Taiwan would not find it easy to establish cross-Strait relations with Beijing if the Beijing Olympics were anything like Hitler's Nazi Olympics.

北京奧運與希特勒納粹奧運
【聯合報╱社論】
2008.08.21 03:03 am

全世界都在談北京奧運，台灣也是。話題包括：開幕表演的高下如何？或此次奧運將是中國經濟的資產或負債？或北京奧運是否淪為納粹奧運的翻版？見仁見智，不一而足。

這類議論的共同觀點是：此次京奧不只是一場運動盛會，且是中國精心設計的形象工程，也可能是中國未來走向的指標。

張藝謀的開幕式引發見仁見智的評論，可為佐證。讚譽者說，真是「大手筆」；批評者則稱，若為整個節目取個名字，就叫做「一堆人」。最可玩味的是，西方輿論對於張藝謀敘述的「中國故事」，似乎有一種「皇帝新衣」的鑑賞觀點，就怕被說成「不懂東方」；但不少中國網民，卻對張藝謀不斷強調「中國人多得像螞蟻」的手法感到羞辱惱怒；「多」與「螞蟻化」，用電腦動畫表現即可，如今卻是動輒幾千真人演出分毫不差的制式化動作，這也許是中國的專長，卻也正是有些中國人覺得無以驕人之處。

不說別的，只對一個張藝謀，就會有這類言人人殊的評價；這些迥然而異的議論，其實顯示出對中國不同的理解或期待。

不過，對中國大相逕庭的評價，並非自今日京奧始。二十年來，有人說，中國如睡獅初醒，如巨人崛起；有人則倡「中國崩潰論」、「中國威脅論」。如今，胡錦濤在北京主辦奧運，不少人又將之與希特勒在柏林主辦奧運相比；這兩場奧運相距已七十二年，這類評論應當視為客觀的歷史預言，或者只是一廂情願的政治詛咒？

歷史有如張藝謀演示的大卷軸，我們很難料定尚未展開的未知部分。但是，胡錦濤等人與希特勒等人不一樣，二十一世紀的世界與上世紀三○、四○年代的世界不一樣，中國人與德國人也不一樣；所以，北京奧運恐也未必會如希特勒的納粹奧運一樣。

主要的原因是：德國人在還來不及自我反省及反對希特勒之前，希特勒的「第三帝國」已經覆亡；但是，今日的中國，經歷了文化大革命（知道了獨夫的瘋狂，與群眾的癡昧），看見了「蘇東波」（體認了國家分裂的危機），也走過了六四（至今已有十九年的回味），中國還會不會出現希特勒（毛澤東也已三七開）？中國人還會不會變成紅衛兵（溺死在紅海洋）？答案是未必。因為，希特勒與德國人來不及後悔，但中國仍有反省的機會。

不說別的，只看中國網民評論張藝謀的開幕式，即知他們未必喜歡張藝謀所表現的「原子化」、「螞蟻化」的中國與中國人；因此，有人若認為胡錦濤的奧運只是希特勒奧運的翻版，或許未必能影響中國內部的未來演化，卻有可能被自己一廂情願的認知所誤導。

例如，李登輝對內倡導「中國崩潰論」，對外主張「中國威脅論」；這是他「戒急用忍」及轉向台獨的主要論述基礎；但多年來中國的變化卻未以李登輝的意志為移轉。由此可知，台灣必須注意中國的變化，但若一味將中國比擬成希特勒的德國，並向牛角尖裡鑽去，則恐有自我誤導的風險。

回頭再說張藝謀。整場開幕式只是要說出一個「和」字。三十年前，文革批孔揚秦；如今三十年後的京奧，卻以儒生擊缶開場，更以三千羽冠儒袍的孔家弟子來象徵中國的正統；北京要藉這場奧運，對外說「和平崛起（發展）」，對內說「和諧社會」。當然，世界和中國，都未必會照張藝謀的劇本演出；但是，至少在北京奧運的「和」，與希特勒奧運的軍國思維之間，畢竟不宜牽強附會。因為，希特勒的納粹是軍國主義主導，如今中國的改革開放，相對而言，則是人性與民力的釋放。

其實，中國「和平發展」的主要變數是台灣，亦即所謂的「不承諾不使用武力」。然而，在「和字當頭」的大趨勢下，近年兩岸走向「維持現狀／共創雙贏」的道路，北京也可說是漸漸改變了對台海的思維。因為，北京若對台動武，必將對內及對外自毀了這個「和」字，後果不堪設想、不可收拾。

看來，北京奧運與希特勒奧運未必能夠相比，世人恐亦無人會希望京奧竟變成希特勒納粹奧運；更重要的是，台灣的政治人物，也不宜將兩岸關係建立在京奧有如希特勒納粹奧運的想像之上。