Chinese Diaspora, the Internet, and the Image of China: A Case Study of the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay

Abstract

On April 9, 2008, along the Beijing Olympic torch relay route in San Francisco, tens of thousands of pro-China demonstrators were waving Chinese flags, singing the Chinese national anthem, and chanting slogans such as “Go Beijing, Go Olympics,” “We Love China,” “The Dalai Lama, Liar,” and “Stop Media Distortions.” While two aircraft pulled pro-China banners in the sky, a large number of Chinese supporters on the ground attempted to obstruct views of Tibetan flags and drown out voices of Tibetan supporters. Some Chinese were wearing “I Love China” T-shirts, red-heart facial stickers, and Chinese flags, and others were performing waist drum dance (yaogu) to create a festive atmosphere. If the torch relays in London and Paris represented a triumph of pro-Tibetan demonstrators, the relays in San Francisco and subsequent cities (e.g., Canberra, Nagano, and Seoul) witnessed an overwhelming number of pro-China supporters and a red sea of Chinese flags. Chinese diasporic communities seemed to make concerted efforts to rally around Beijing and assert their Chinese identity on a global scale.