Journal 2
Hugo Barbosa
Tanner, Intro and chapter 1-
It’s very fascinating why China decided to start the Beijing Olympics at 8:08 p.m. on the 8th day of August (the 8th month of the year) in 2008. I always knew that the Chinese people were very superstitious compared to other cultures but never to this extent. The author mentioned that for the chinese audiences, the opening ceremony and the games themselves symbolized a recovery of all the glory they had lost. As the son of two portuguese immigrants and having very close and intimate ties with Portugal, I understand what point the author was getting at here. Portugal hosted the European Cup in 2004 and this was a great opportunity to put the country out there and advertise itself as a growing nation. China using the olympics to show the world that they’re back was a very smart plan in my opinion. Sports is becoming more and more influential in today's economy and politics. It’s important that China begin to dominate and develop consistency in the world of sports. A lot of money can be made in this market and a lot of power can be gained as well. Since the olympics we have seen China grow and develop into the power that it is today.
The Grandeur of the Qing-
The Qing dynasty lasted around 250 years and was controlled by the rule of...