北京奧運會曲終人散。作為這場裡外通吃的盛會的批評者，我們製作了專題給京奧評分，看看我們的批評是否得到證明。極權政府最善於利用絕對的權力，製造排山倒海的氣勢和激情澎湃的場面，借此動員群眾、矇騙天下，他們才是最大的民粹主義。中共建國之後，就不斷地使用和完善這種手段，這次奧運，天賜良緣，他們當然不會放過。除了會前會後全過程的嚴密控制外，開幕式、閉幕式兩場大型文藝表演展現的官方意識和時代精神，讓我們看到集中體現在一九六四年周恩來「總導演」的音樂舞蹈史詩《東方紅》的傳統赫然猶存。那就是運用一切手段，露骨地或者巧妙地使藝術為政治服務。
當年整個大陸剛從餓死數千萬人的大飢荒中緩過氣來，億萬民眾仍然可以因那樣一套為獨裁者塗脂抹粉的演出感動流淚。再兩年，無數青少年唱著《東方紅》裡面的歌曲衝上一場殺人如遊戲的文革戰場。天安門廣場演出一場場上百萬人的紅色激情戲。暴君出場，又是多少人歡聲雷動，山呼萬歲……因此，在財大氣粗的今天，用狂暴的煙花和高科技聲光包裝，超限度刺激感官的掩飾下，使用大量軍人出場，高調捧出毛時代的主題曲〈歌唱祖國〉，這樣瞞天過海的盛裝演出，為鞏固政權服務，便是易於反掌的事。當運動員享受著美食美女的招待，當東方式的闊綽媚俗令人手足無措時，中國的人權問題，連同奧運中明目張膽的造假違章行為、壓制新聞自由、也就睜隻眼閉隻眼地「擦身而過」了。
本期報導的奧運成本，破紀錄的天文數字，也只有敏感的同胞們才會高度關注，因為只有他們才知道中國的教育、衛生、環保、住房等方面是何等貧乏落後而又極不公平。而他們沒有選票、沒有輿論，沒有法律保障，只有背後罵皇帝，無語問蒼天。千言萬語便滲透和折射到境外自由社會的反對運動、異見團體和獨立評論上，這是海外杯葛和批判北京奧運的來源與依據。
好心的人，期盼中共當局借奧運的風光，啟動一點對政治體制明顯保守陳腐部份的改革，可是，京奧從頭到尾已經顯示他們不僅不會觸動和權力糾結不清的制度，而且有可能更加強化早已僵硬的體制。因為他們自我感覺超好——奧運的成功正是高度集權的結果，而且這種集權有了毛時代不可想像的優勢﹕有一流的經濟力的支撐。豐富了他們的統治手段，高壓之外還有軟的一手，擺平國內外的需求，讓精英層先洗腦，精英再洗民眾之腦，讓密佈國內外的統戰和特工系統更多樣化、更有效地達到目標。
最令中南海心花怒放的是，西方社會對中國這一套出神入化的功夫莫名其妙、束手無策，甚至給予認同，甘於被綁架、融入利益共同體。
以上這些是爭取中國進步的人士，在北京奧運之後面對的困局，不容低估。
（2008年8月28日香港）
The Post-Olympics Plight in China
by Jin Zhong
The Beijing Olympic Games have come to an end. As critics of the much fawned-over event, we present our special feature “Scoring the Beijing Olympics” to justify our criticism. Totalitarian governments are good at leveraging absolute power to create scenes of great momentum and passion to ignite the crowd and deceive the whole world. Such a government is the embodiment of populism. The Beijing government has been adopting and optimizing this kind of artifice since the establishment of the PRC. It would certainly never miss the heaven-sent opportunity to demonstrate that artifice through the Olympic Games. Besides the strict controls imposed before and after the Games, the two mass productions for the opening and closing ceremonies also reflected official ideology and Zeitgeist.
The tradition embodied in the musical epic “The East Is Red” in 1964, with Zhou Enlai as the “Chief Director,” still exists in today’s China. It is all a means to barely or cunningly distort art into a political tool. At that time the whole country was just recovering from the dire famine that had caused millions of deaths, but the people were still moved by the dictatorship’s whitewashing production. Two years later, China’s teenagers were marching onto the battlefield of the Cultural Revolution singing songs from “The East Is Red.” A number of “red hot scenes” with casts of millions took place at Tiananmen. When the tyrant appeared, the people burst into thunderous applause, whooping “Long live!” with excitement…Today, China is becoming stronger with a flourishing economy. It is thus able to varnish over its evil deeds with spectacular fireworks, high-tech effects and sensory stimulation, accompanied by Mao’s theme song “Ode to the Motherland” performed by teams of stalwart soldiers. To consolidate China’s political power through such a deceptively grand performance is a piece of cake. While athletes were enjoying the delicious food and fine service from Chinese beauties, the Oriental-style lavishness spread a veil of silence over the country’s problems, such as human rights conditions, violation of the principles of the Games and suppression of press freedom.?
This issue of Open Magazine reports on the cost of the Games, a record-breaking astronomical figure that sensitive compatriots have expressed concern about. These people are the best informed about the poor, backward and extremely unjust conditions in China in terms of education, hygiene, environmental protection and housing. They have no vote, no right to voice their opinions and no legal protection. They have no choice but to merely express their criticism from the background. Increasing government restrictions have prompted numerous protest campaigns by dissident groups and independent commentators overseas, who have become the source and basis of calls for a boycott and criticism of the Beijing Olympic Games.
With the prestige China gains from the Olympic Games, well-meaning people hope that the authorities might implement some needed reforms to the obviously conservative aspects of the political system. However, it is already overwhelmingly clear that the Beijing Games will not cause the government to change China’s outmoded and perplexing system, but rather will reinforce its inflexible structure. The authorities are buoyant -- the success of the Games has resulted in even more consolidated power. Supported by strong economic power, the government has built up an unimaginable advantage similar to that in the Mao era. Beyond high-handed governance, some conciliatory measures were also adopted to meet demands inside and outside of China and to brainwash the elites, who in turn brainwashed the public. This has helped diversify the United Front and secret agent system, which has blanketed the world to reach its target more effectively.
The leaders in Zhongnanhai have been unable to conceal their elation over the way the West’s bedazzlement and approval of China’s spellbinding trickery as it willingly fell hostage to shared interests.
The plight that China’s rights defenders will face after the Beijing Games should never be underestimated.
28th August 2008, Hong Kong
(Translated by Isabella Lam)
