China Gold: China's Quest for Olympic and Global Glory Book

On ba yue ba hao ba dian ling ba fen, the auspicious 8th day of the 8th month of 2008 at 8.08 pm, the Games begin, and China steps onto the world stage as the nation voted most likely to shape the 21st century. What an opportunity for millions of people around the world--sports fans as well as those who simply love the pageantry and global camaraderie of the Games--to learn about China and its history, culture, and customs. China Gold : China's Quest for Olympic and Global Glory is not only about the Beijing Olympics and Chinese sports but also about China itself—past, present, and future.

China Gold is written by top Chinese experts in close collaboration with U.S. and European sports writers and provides fascinating coverage of Chinese sports history, great Chinese athletes, martial arts, sports in the media, and some of the great political dramas connected with sports. And China Gold is packed with fun information and historical tidbits, as well as sidebars like these: "Why the Chinese love Michael Jordan" and "A Westerner learns to play ping-pong."

China Gold introduces Western readers to China's history, culture, and role in the global community. It takes the Beijing Olympics and Chinese sports as a platform, an easy way for people around the world to get to know the nation and its people as this crucial moment, when China steps boldly onto the world stage—not only in sports but in business, science, and technology.

The pages are packed with hundreds of unique illustrations, many from Chinese archives. In addition to full coverage of Olympic sports and events, it includes the history of sports in China, information about traditional physical activities like tai chi and wushu, and the latest on extreme and new sports.

China Gold is not just about the Olympics—though it is the guide that viewers and those who go to Beijing and the other venues need. It is full of fascinating stories like that of a half-Chinese half-British boy who returns to China every summer to train as a swimmer and of the Olympic medalist Eric Liddell, featured in Chariots of Fire, who grew up in China and died in a Japanese prison camp there.

The Olympics is about much more than sports. It is about global relationships and global change, about power and politics. In 2008, the Games (only the third to be held in Asia) offer a window on a fascinating story, that of a 5,000-year-old civilization rising to newfound influence after centuries of turmoil. In 2008, Americans want a handle on what China is like and what its rising stature in the global community means for our way of life, our jobs, our children, and our planet. This is where China Gold hits its stride. Not only a guide for the sports-obsessed, full of background history and facts you won't get anywhere else, but for anyone and everyone intrigued by China.