When first clued-in to this ¡°Expats for Olympic Torchbearers¡± campaign, my first response was, ¡°Am I even an expat? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve logged in the prerequisite hours at Sanlitun!¡± And my second thought was to remember just how nervous I was the first time I was interviewed by CCTV¡ let¡¯s just say that cameras don¡¯t exactly do wonders for my Chinese.
So why am I entering? I guess it was a combination of my love of sport, which prompted me to check out the website, and something I saw there. When I say sport, I don¡¯t mean bright lights, million dollar contracts, and merchandising, but rather the stuff of nameless backyard football games, the exhilaration and humbleness of standing atop a mountain, and the satisfaction of giving 100% on the court, be it pride in defeat or humility in victory. Perhaps most important is sport¡¯s ability to bridge divides. Of course, for me the latter will never be more than watching the label ¡°ÀÏÍ⡱ give way to ¡°ËÎ˼Äꡱ and eventually ¡°Ëθ硱 after a few games of pick-up basketball on a Sunday afternoon at Ditan Park, but I feel this is where the true significance of international sport and the Olympics lies: the shattering of walls, with gaps of culture, class, or ¡°politics¡± giving way to mutual understanding and respect. After all, it was the drop of ping pong ball that ushered in the warming of relations between my country, the United States, and the People¡¯s Republic of China in 1972, the year I was born.
What grabbed me on the website was the phrase ¡°unsung heroes¡±. Next August, the physical face of Beijing (from the Olympic stadium to the modernity of this cosmopolitan center as a whole) will wow the world. But by itself, by itself, this represents only the tip of the iceberg. If the national and international torchbearers can help introduce to the world this country, its cultures, and its people¡ªyes, including the unheralded postman tirelessly pedaling up mountains¡ªthen this is something I¡¯d be proud to be part of.
On the topic of ¡°China and I¡±, I¡¯m afraid that nothing I could write in 500 pages, to say nothing of 500 words, could do justice to the depth and diversity that is the modern ¡°Middle Kingdom¡±. When I started studying Chinese language midway through my graduate studies in development economics ten years ago, I recall being asked about my interest in the PRC and Chinese culture. In terms of my discipline (development economics), the answer is simple: since the launch of reforms in the late 1970s, the PRC is almost undeniably the most striking example of a development miracle.
Progress in goals such as poverty reduction driving global figures, while also propelling the PRC¡¯s emergence as a leader on the global stage. At the same time, the country¡¯s unprecedented pace of development has brought complex challenges, continued progress against which will be key to achieving national aims of social harmony, and lessons from which will continue to have global significance. But beyond this rather ¡°academic¡± answer lies a litany of less tangible reasons for my interest, ranging from millennia of recorded history, to rich and diverse cultural heritage, to the tremendous warmth of hospitality I have received.
Since then, as an economist working for the Asian Development Bank, I have had the great privilege of working in development projects in the PRC for the last 5 years, including 3 years based here in Beijing. The saying that ¡°If you¡¯ve stayed here one week, you can write a book; after one year, a chapter; after a decade, perhaps one page¡± is very true: the more I learn, the more I realize I have yet to learn.
At the same time, I have been blessed by tremendous experiences and deep friendships. While only scratching the surface, I have grown a deeper appreciation of the culture and heritage. Through work on grant-based projects ranging from rural poverty reduction to health, nutrition, and education, I have had the opportunity to travel broadly and been exposed to this vast country¡¯s diverse peoples. Through these projects and policy dialogue, I have had the great honor to have played a very small part in working with partners in the Government and a range of stakeholders in joint efforts to push forward the nation¡¯s dramatic new paradigm of balanced and people-centered development, and witnessing firsthand the pace of change in areas like the historic elimination of fees for rural compulsory education, exploration of ¡°win-win¡± partnerships between government and nongovernment organizations in national poverty programs, and establishment of a new rural minimum living standard protection system (dibao). In working with all of these partners¡ªfrom senior central officials to poor farmers in remote rural areas¡ªperhaps it is the sense of commitment and drive for change I¡¯ve seen that has left the deepest impression on me.
When the world visits Beijing next August, I hope that it will catch a glimpse of this diversity and vitality. I am neither a foreign dignitary, nor a CEO, nor a celebrity. But I would be very proud to help play a small role as ambassador in welcome the world to this intriguing city and country.
