An Olympics review

The Chinese journalist Li Datong has been writing a
column for openDemocracy for two years in which he casts a mordant eye
on China's political elite, the workings of power, and the unfinished
business between the people and those who govern them. These essays are
notable for their coolness, confidence, sense of the long term, and readiness to draw on international experience (including from the rest of the Chinese world) to help explain Chinese events for a global readership. This makes even more impressive the warmth and enthusiasm in
his latest column
which discusses the effect of the Olympic games on China. In an echo of Kerry Brown's
article written while the games were in their last week, Li Datong is
optimistic that the very fact of China's hosting of the Olympics
signifies a change in the country's relationship with the rest of the
world.