Ye Hailin (叶海林), a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences writes in the China Daily:
In the ancient city, we saw wonderful collective and individual performances and a harmonious coexistence between peace and the competitive athletic spirit that pursues individual transcendence amid rivalry.
In order to host such an outstanding Games, China paid a high economic price. But most of the Chinese people, whether or not they were participating in the Games, chose to take on a smiling face.
The Eastern philosophy, which stresses that an individual realizes self-value in a collective atmosphere, was shining during the Olympics, instead of being overshadowed. At the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, athletes, volunteers, the audience and even local residents all sent one clear message that the Chinese people act according to their own mode of conduct and will not succumb to any allegedly superior Western values.
