Students positive about prospects for China as 2008 Olympic host

Firecrackers exploded in the air and dishes smashed in the streets. On July 13 the Chinese people were celebrating the International Olympic Committee announcement of Beijing as the 2008 Olympic host. This is the first time China will host the Olympics.\nWhile criticism of the choice flew in the United States and other countries, many Chinese people around the world are "delirious about (the news)," said Hanwei Tan, a doctoral student at IU.\nDiana Kuang, a graduate student from Beijing, was in China on the day of the announcement.\n"People didn't sleep," she said. "People were banging dishes, making lots of noise." \nFreshman Ying Wang was also in China and had friends who traveled to Beijing to participate in the celebration. She watched from home. \n"I believe millions of Chinese people were watching television that night," Wang said. \nMany nations expressed concern over China's human rights record, but Wang said human rights are not a big problem. She said reported problems are isolated incidents and the United States and other governments have blown the issue out of proportion as a result of cultural misunderstanding.\nHuman Rights Watch, a U.S. based non-profit organization that monitors human rights throughout the world, sent a letter to the IOC. The letter requested assurance from the Chinese government that human rights will be guaranteed to all attending the Beijing Games. \nTan believes the government will comply with this request and will be working to improve the human rights situation. The letter also addressed concerns about the freedom of the international press during the games, as China is known to restrict media coverage. Kuang, whose father is a playwrite, fears the government will restrict media coverage to sports, censoring coverage of social and political issues.\nWhile Kuang has doubts about openness in China, Tan said the U.S. media may have warped many Americans' perspective of China, causing a negative reaction to the choice. He said China will greatly improve political, economical, and human rights issues by the 2008 Games.\n"Political reform will be on the way at that time," he said. "President Jiang Zemin will be ready to retire. There will be a movement toward democracy."\nChina will also use the games "to prove their economics and life standards to the United Nations," Tan said.\nKuang agrees that China's economic and political situation will be better by 2008. She said it is the perfect year to have the Olympics in Beijing.\nBoth Wang and Kuang believe China will showcase traditional China and modern China during the Games. Beijing is an old city with ancient structures and new technology.\n"Lots of Americans will come to Beijing and see it is different than what they see in textbooks or on TV," Wang said. "They will like that city"