An anthropological analysis of Olympic ritual, the Beijing Olympics and the realization of the ‘China Dream’

Chinese President Xi Jinping first announced ‘China Dream’ on 29 November 2012. It refers to the governing philosophy and goals of the new generation of leaders. Since then, rippling out from Beijing, the ‘China Dream’ has become globally important as a world language that can across borders and cultures. The realization of the ‘China Dream’ is linked to the acquisition of cultural and national identity. Therefore, choosing an appropriate platform upon which to overcome the differences between languages and cultures in order to acquire international recognition is the most valued commodity for the future development of China. As an example, this study takes the case of the Beijing Olympic Games and explores the relationship between ritual and cultural and national identity from an anthropological perspective. The paper analyses China’s national forms of behaviour that construct a ‘living image’ in order to form a collective memory by means of the function of ritual. The aim is to summarize this useful experience for the better realization of the ‘China Dream’ and also for the future development of Olympics.