Continued: An Olympic dream

BEIJING - Outside of glistening Olympic National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, workers race furiously to put the finishing touches on real estate that was mere farmland 10 years ago but, come August, will hold the world's most prestigious athletic competition.

The city, indeed the entire country, seems to be under construction, a reflection of China's astonishing growth over the past decade. But that ascension has come with consequences; I could barely see through the dirty haze that chokes the skyline.

"Actually, it's not that bad today," one of my Chinese hosts cheerfully noted.

If you say so.

I was one of 12 journalists who traveled to China for two weeks in May to study growth and economic development in the city and countryside under the auspices of the Hawaii-based East-West Center. Our journey began in Beijing, home for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

Being host of the Olympics is a major undertaking, especially for developing countries. But for the Chinese, the Games take on extra significance. There is a palpable sense of pride here that a country that could barely feed itself 25 years ago has accomplished so much in so little time.

"China is a developing country," said Sun Weide, a spokesman for the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. "Beijing will be the third Asian city to host Olympic Games [after] Tokyo and Seoul [South Korea]."

Yet that pride comes with a hard edge. China is like an adolescent aching to sit at the grown-ups' table. The Chinese see the Olympics as a triumph over centuries of exploitation and domination at the hands of Western imperialists and Japanese aggressors.

"The Olympics mean a great deal to China, to both the government and average people," said Peter Hessler, an author and journalist based in Beijing. "The Chinese are incredibly patriotic, even more so than Americans. A major difference, though, is that there is a strong element of shame in Chinese patriotism.

"The standard perception of history emphasizes the indignities of the post-Opium War period, ranging from being forced to grant treaty ports to Westerners, to suffering greatly under the Japanese invasion [of World War II]. The Chinese believe that they were wronged during this period. And ever since Mao, it has been the nation's goal to gain respect in the eyes of foreigners."

I was impressed the moment I stepped off the plane at Beijing International Airport. The new international terminal China built specifically for the Olympics is enormous, blindingly bright and immaculately clean.

1,000 new cars a day

Clean, however, is not a word I would use often to describe Beijing. Rapid economic growth has resulted in severe air and water pollution.

"I do think that natural resource scarcity and environmental degradation is the single biggest challenge that China faces," said David Dollar, a top World Bank official based in Beijing. "The Chinese have made some progress, but there are some quite serious problems."

Every day, about 1,000 new cars hit the streets of Beijing. The city attracts millions of rural migrant workers seeking jobs, a worrisome development given the region's limited clean-water resources.

According to the World Bank, health costs associated with air and water pollution consume nearly 6 percent of China's gross domestic product, the amount of goods and services the country produces in a year.

Beijing's solution? Plant trees. Lots of them. The city has planted millions of trees, including 28 million in one year alone, Weide said.

He wasn't kidding. No matter where I went, a new tree was to be found, on the sidewalks, in front of buildings, even between busy highways. The government has also shut down or relocated polluting factories and limited traffic entering the city.

"We have been experiencing difficulties and challenges in organizing the world's premier sports event," Weide said. "There's no doubt about that. Traffic management, air pollution ... those are huge challenges.''

Still, he said, "I think we are confident we will be able to ensure clean air for the athletes during the Games.''

Beyond the Olympic Games, I detected a strong feeling of optimism throughout the city, even for a country that faces so many growing pains.

Take Hou Jinrong. The 47-year-old mother of three is one of 4 million to 5 million migrant workers who have fled the poverty-stricken countryside to find jobs in Beijing.

Nothing has come easy to her: She spent her first few years in Beijing illegally, hardly sleeping at night for fear that the police would arrest her. One night, Jinrong escaped a raid by jumping off a roof.

Today Jinrong has a temporary residency permit and earns 1,200 yuan ($175) a month cleaning houses. She hopes to save enough money to return to her home village, build a house and retire.

"For sure, my kids will have a better life," she said through an interpreter. "Time will not flow backwards and China will not go backwards. Things will move forward."

Thomas Lee • 612-673-7744