不管是熱望、是批判，甚至是抵制，大家都明白北京奧運從頭到尾都是個盛大無比的政治工程。「百年圓夢」口號，指的不僅僅是中國申奧倡議的百週年，更是百餘年來中國人的自強夢。

於是，圍繞著北京奧運，我們看到了太多的「史上第一」︰經費、參賽國與運動員數字、志工服務，無法確切統計的是，這也可能是史上迫遷、驅趕最多底層百姓的奧運。為奧運而建的北京首都機場 T3 航站樓，據稱是世界單體面積最大的航站大廈和有頂建築，比起同類型航站樓， T3 的工期之短也是世界第一。

八日的開幕式更創下許多第一︰最多元首政要出席、最昂貴的煙火秀、最多的演員、最龐大的中國體育代表團 ...... 。於是，國際奧委會主席雅克．羅格說了︰「北京奧運的額外意義是最盛大的奧運會」。對很多中國人來說，他們心中可能更希望中國的獎牌能成為世界第一。

但是，這一切的「世界第一」，究竟告訴了世界什麼，「國富」？「人多」？「現代化」？威權政體的「高效率」？在奧運之後，中國還能用什麼來持續增強它對世界的吸引力？

八日晚上的開幕式，就是很值得解剖的樣本。在張藝謀的操作下，巨大的投資、現代的科技、眾多的演員與中國悠久的傳統（當然是選擇過、重新詮釋過的）結合在一起，再加上被稱為「超現實主義」的鳥巢，固然是壯觀的戲碼，但無法掩飾在炫麗聲光效果下的空洞。畢竟，能持久征服人心的，主要不是「傳統」，而是現實與未來。即使是傳統的嫦娥奔月連接上現代的太空人，中國似乎還是無法提供給世界新的想像。

為了思考「大國崛起」戰略，中國知識界早就在問︰「為什麼美國這個只有幾百年文化史的國家可以利用全球的文化資本，而中國這個千年的文明古國卻用不上？」中國學者也很清楚，除了政治支配、軍事實力、跨國資本、商品消費、傳播媒介外，美國更靠著（西方式）自由民主和「美國夢」的輸出，成功的建立了自己的文化霸權。

如今的中國要對世界輸出什麼呢？毛澤東主義的理想嗎？文革熱火朝天的激昂烏托邦理想已然褪色，代替革命輸出的是國際資本的流動進出。「有中國特色的社會主義」嗎？連中共宣傳部門官員都承認，這個揉雜史達林主義教條和資本主義市場經濟現實的「理論」，早就左支右絀，缺乏真正的吸引力。

張藝謀的大戲中，秀出了「和」字，大概有和平與和諧的多重意義。從儒家到中特色社會主義的理論家，很多人說中國和西方文明的重大差別就是「和諧」與競爭的對立。暫且不論這種觀點能否解釋中國歷史，當代中國是否能和平崛起，世界還在觀望，而「和諧社會」在威權政治、金權腐敗和兩極分化的中國，始終是個口號，承受全球化和市場經濟下的嚴酷競爭，才是中國老百姓所面對的現實。「和」，要成為崛起中大國的意識形態武器，還是條遙遠的路。

奧運過後，中國人可能真的「百年夢圓」，但是這個夢，還不是能真正感染世界的「中國夢」。

載2008.8.10 中國時報

英文版載8.14台北時報

Games fail to win over the hearts of the world

By Yang Wei-chung 楊偉中

Thursday, Aug 14, 2008, Page 8
Regardless of the enthusiasm and criticism surrounding the Beijing Olympics, it is clear these Games have been a massive political project. Beijing’s slogan of fulfilling China’s “100-year dream” of hosting the Olympics refers not only to its Olympic bid, but also to its onging to become a world power.

The Beijing Olympics have represented many world firsts, from the highest spending and highest number of participating countries and athletes to the unmatched service of Olympic volunteers.

Beijing International Airport completed its Terminal 3 especially for the Games, said to be the world’s biggest terminal. However, Beijing may also be remembered as the Olympics that expelled the most people from their homes.

The opening ceremony created more world firsts: the largest number of national leaders in attendance, the most expensive fireworks, the most performers and the biggest sports team China has ever put together.

What do all these world firsts tell the world? Do they reveal China’s wealth, manpower and modernization, or indicate the efficiency of its authoritarian rule? It is also worth asking how China will seek to improve its image after the Games.

The opening ceremony deserves consideration. Choreographed by renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou (張藝謀), the celebration was a combination of money, technology, countless performers and carefully selected Chinese traditions. Still, all the visual and audio effects could not cover the lack of content. The present and future are the only things that can truly capture the hearts of a people, not history. China seems unable to provide the world with new ideas and imagination and failed even when it tried to link the legend of Chang E (嫦娥), the fabled lady who ran to the moon, to astronauts.

In considering China’s “peaceful rise,” some Chinese intellectuals ask how the US, with only a few hundred years of culture, can make effective use of the world’s cultural assets, while China, an ancient civilization with thousands of years of culture, cannot? They know that apart from political dominance, military strength, the economy and mass media, the US has built its cultural hegemony by exporting Western democracy and the “American dream.”

So what should China export to the world — the ideals of Mao Zedong (毛澤東)? The sensationalized utopianism that swept China during the Cultural Revolution has faded and revolution has been replaced with the flow of international capital. And what ever happened to “socialism with Chinese characteristics?” Even Chinese officials now admit this “theory” — a combination of Stalinism and capitalism — is embarrassing and unattractive.

During the opening ceremony, Zhang used the Chinese character he (和), meaning “peace” or “harmony,” as a centerpiece. Many proponents of Confucianism or socialism with Chinese characteristics claim that the most significant difference between the Chinese and Western civilizations lies in the competitiveness encouraged in Western societies and the harmony encouraged in China.

Regardless of whether this theory applies to Chinese history, the world is watching China’s self-proclaimed “peaceful rise.” Under an authoritarian government, a “harmonious society” is merely a slogan. In reality the Chinese need to face the tough competition brought on by the global market economy.

There is still a long way to go if China wants to use peace and harmony as ideological weapons in its rise to power. Soon China will have fulfilled its Olympic dream. But this dream is not yet a “Chinese dream” that will win the admiration of people across the globe.