Jesse Nash "China: A Nation in Anticipation"
Grant Gallery
This event has ended.
It was on July 13th, 2001, that the International Olympic Committee put aside long-standing human rights concerns and awarded the 2008 Olympics to Beijing. The decision was seen by some as a bombshell, and by others as an olive branch.
In making the announcement, IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch predicted that the decision could open "a new era in China." Many world leaders echoed his hopes -- that the games, the world spotlight and the prestige would have a positive effect, promoting understanding and goodwill; some even suggested that the cause of democracy would be advanced.
Elsewhere, however, human rights activists reacted with criticism and disdain, saying that this extraordinary political plum is a, sort of, gold medal for bad behavior.
In Millennium Square in Beijing, the news was greeted by fireworks, songs, and thousands of flag-waving Chinese.
-from STATEMENT ON CHINA
Media
Schedule
from April 24, 2008 to May 07, 2008
Opening Reception: April 24, 2008, 6:30 pm.