By Qiu Kaijun

For years, tourists have paid to don imperial robes and have their picture taken on a fake emperor's throne in the Forbidden City. Today, at the Bird's Nest, the 2008 Olympics sports stadium, tourists can pay 200 yuan to dress up as a member of the Chinese delegation and stand on the podium with gold-and-jade Olympic medals, holding "V" for victory up to the camera.

Since it opened to the public, the Bird's Nest has brought in about 210 million yuan, which covers its operational cost. When it first began construction, we in the media were concerned about what to do with the gigantic stadium after the 2008 Olympic Games. To my surprise, the problem has been solved through tourism.

Tourists pose as Olympic medalists at the Bird's Nest

Sites of joy are not the only kind to become tourist destinations. The Office of Industry and Commerce Management in Yingxiu, the epicenter of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, estimates that the town will see over 2 million tourists this year, which will bump its tourism revenue up to 400 million yuan.

Tourism at both sites has strong government support. In most reports, apart from enjoying the pleasures of travel, tourists express admiration for the nation and party, pride to be under CPC rule and even allegiance to the country and commitment to its development. In other words, as the government sees it, the success of the Olympic Games and earthquake relief effort should be attributed to the nation and party. As for the huge cost of the Games, that's spun as the generosity of a great nation. And the tragedy of the earthquake? That's chalked up to the wrath of nature.

A view through the destruction in Yingxiu: smiles for the camera

We've already been exposed to terms like "earthquake culture," "earthquake economy," "the earthquake [site], a rare resource." We shouldn't find it strange that “earthquake" has become an adjective here. The government has made similar use of words like “landscape," "cultural relics," "customs," and "ancestral graves" – to make a profit. Selling our countrymen's sorrows and fears is now far from uncommon.

What the Bird's Nest and Yingxiu tell us is that: on the one hand, the authorities are strengthening the orthodox interpretation of major events and dismissing objections. On the other hand, economic activities are undermining our traditional values or indulging destructive whims under the banner of development and prosperity. Will we be the so-called patriots with fat paunches and thin principles?

Qiu Kaijun is a copy-editor at Caijing.

All opinions expressed in this blog are those of  the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Caijing Magazine.

Full Article in Chinese: http://blog.caijing.com.cn/topic_article-25-1046.shtml