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The London Olympics began much the way the Beijing Olympics went – with China dominating sports few knew existed. This time, it was the women's 10 metre air rifle, won by Yi Siling, writes Simon Rabinovitch in Beijing.
倫敦奧運會的開局在很大程度上和北京奧運會類似——都是中國主宰沒有多少人知道的體育項目。這次是易思玲贏得女子十米氣步槍金牌。
No matter, gold is gold, and the nation rejoiced. The state broadcaster interrupted programming for the anchor to read a congratulatory message from a senior Communist party official. She exhorted Chinese athletes to "win more honour for our homeland and our people".
無論如何，金牌就是金牌，中國舉國歡騰。中國國家電視臺中斷節目，由主持人念來自一位中共高官的祝信。這位高官勉勵中國運動員"為祖國和人民贏得新的更大榮譽"。
More than any G20 meeting or UN summit, the Olympics illustrate the tension at the heart of Chinese foreign policy. "Conceal our brightness and avoid attention" has long been the guiding principle. But the newer and often contradictory objective is to get the world to give China respect. So when the Olympics arrive, Chinese officials are forced into an awkward shuffle between humility and pride. "We must be modest and unassuming in learning from others," said Dai Bingguo, China's top diplomat.
比起任何20國集團(G20)會議或聯合國峰會，奧運會更能展現中國外交政策核心的矛盾。"韜光養晦"長期以來是中國外交的指導原則。但更新、而且往往與之相矛盾的目標是中國要獲得世界的尊重。因此當奧運會召開時，中國官員們陷進了在謙虛與自豪之間徘徊的尷尬境地。中國外交政策高級官員戴秉國表示："我們要始終保持謙虛謹慎……虛心向其它國家學習。"
Yet back home, it is in fact all about the winning. China has perfected a blend of Soviet-style training and market incentives for athletes. Scouts fan across the country to measure children's bones and assign them to sports based on their anticipated height. If they survive the country's sports schools, they can earn up to Rmb1m ($150,000) for an Olympic gold. In the case of Ye Shiwen, the 16-year-old who set a world record in the swimming 400m medley on Saturday, her career began when her kindergarten teacher noticed she had large hands.
然而，在中國國內，事實上一切圍繞著"贏"這個目標進行。中國將蘇聯模式的訓練與市場激勵完美地結合在一起。選拔者們在全國各地測量孩子們的骨骼，并根據他們的預期身高安排他們專攻的體育項目。如果他們在體校脫穎而出，他們獲得一枚奧運金牌就能獲得至多100萬元人民幣（合15萬美元）的獎勵。就葉詩文而言，這位上周六在女子400米個人混合泳比賽中打破世界記錄的16歲女孩，她的職業生涯始于幼兒園老師發現她的手大之后。
The tug-of-war between humility and pride was on display in the way Chinese media talked about the opening ceremony. Some commended London for giving its show a more human touch than Beijing's bombast. But others could not conceal a pride verging on arrogance. "The fireworks and mass acrobatics of Beijing delivered a clear message: China's time has come," declared the Legal Evening News, a popular newspaper. And what message did it take from London's ceremony? "This is not a rising city. It is in decline."
中國媒體談論奧運會開幕式的說法就體現了這種謙虛與自豪之間的角力。一些認為，與北京奧運會的高調相比，倫敦奧運會更有人情味兒。但還有一些媒體則無法掩飾一種接近傲慢自大的自豪感。人氣頗高的《法制晚報》(Legal Evening News)撰文稱："北京奧運會開幕式上的煙花和集體舞表演明確傳達出這樣一個信息，屬于中國的時代已經到來了。"它從倫敦奧運會開幕式中獲得了什么信息？"這并不是一個新崛起的城市，它正處在衰退中"。
