No going back?
The Olympic flame may have been extinguished, but 11 days after the closing ceremony, Beijing is yet to return to normal.
The streets are quiet, with traffic restrictions introduced in the run-up to the Games remaining in place until the conclusion of the Paralympics on September 20. Construction sites remain eerily silent, with the migrant labourers that have helped to transform the Chinese capital also unable to return to the city until the end of next month. Factories within the city limits remain idle, or working at reduced capacity. Over the past few days, the air has been incredibly clear, the sky a deep blue and the Western Hills visible in high-definition from the city centre.
This situation is unlikely to remain permanent. After September 20, the pollution measures will be lifted, cars will stream back onto the city's broad highways, the migrant workers will return, building work will recommence, and the smog will almost certainly return.
But having had a taste of clean air and congestion-free streets, Beijingers are understandably reluctant to countenance a return to the bad old days.
Hundreds of thousands of message board posters and bloggers have been actively calling on the government to keep some of the pollution and traffic restrictions in place for good.
An opinion poll conducted by state news agency Xinhua, found 56% of Beijing residents in favour of at least some of the restrictions remaining in place permanently. Xinhua, the state news agency, reported that an opinion survey of 10,000 people found 56 per cent in favour of retaining some restrictions. An op-ed piece in the city's most liberal daily newspaper (I use the term hesitantly, this is a one-party state after all) called for the special Olympic lanes - the third lane on many highways has been reserved for official traffic during the Games - to be converted into bus lanes after the Games to speed up journey times and encourage Beijingers to leave their cars at home. The fact that the tightly controlled state media is being given the freedom to debate these issues means that the issue is at the very least being considered at a governmental level.
Politicians are acutely aware of a rising sense of activism among the urban middle-classes over environmental issues in China, and of the dangers of not responding to these concerns. Over the past 18 months, there have been a number of large-scale public demonstrations against factories, landfills and other large-scale polluting industries - see my previous blog post on the issue. Whereas in the past, such public gatherings would have been quickly, and if necessary violently, dispersed by the police, all have largely been allowed to pass off peacefully, although organisers were reportedly questioned and harassed after the event.
Just last weekend, an estimated 500 residents of Changying, in the city's eastern suburbs, took to the streets to protest against the continued operation of a large waste disposal facility close to their homes. According to Hong Kong-based human rights groups, two protestors were injured in clashes with security officials, while another is reported missing. However, eyewitness reports suggested that the protest was peaceful and well-behaved.
In a couple of weeks, the Paralympics will be over, the Beijing 2008 bunting will come down and, in all likelihood, most if not all of the temporary pollution restrictions will be lifted. But the Games have undoubtedly emboldened Beijingers - both helping them to believe that they are now living in a truly a globally recognised and admired city, but also in giving them the confidence to stand up for their rights.
In the aftermath of every Olympic games, there is plenty of talk about legacy. From an overhauled infrastructure to the dozens of new venues and hundreds of shiny new hotels, shopping centres and apartment complexes that were rushed to completion in time for the Games, the Olympics has most definitely left its mark on Beijing.
The 1988 Games in Seoul ushered in a period of rapid political liberalisation and reform. I do not see this happening in China. But by empowering citizens at a local level to express their views and stand up for their interests, these Olympics have changed Beijing society. And if the end result is a realisation that the heavily polluting, heavy industry growth model that has fuelled China's economic transformation over the past 30 years is unsustainable, then these Games may have left the most important legacy imaginable, not just for China's 1.3 billion citizens, but for the world as a whole.
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