From “Being There Is Everything” to “Go Big or Go Home”?: Comparing the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing
From “Being There Is Everything” to “Go Big or Go Home”?: Comparing the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing
Julia Gurol-Haller
From “Being There Is Everything” to “Go Big or Go Home”?: Comparing the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing
Mega Event Planning | 2025
Abstract
This chapter discusses the rationales behind Chinese soft power projection by comparing the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics. It shows that the Chinese party-state managed to instrumentalize both sporting events to its advantage by using the attention of millions at the opening ceremony to craft narratives of global development, to perform sleight of hand regarding international tensions, and to signal enhanced standing on the world stage.
