n an autumn evening twelve years ago, I wandered in the Expo 2010 Shanghai China for the last time with my mom. Savoring French fries prepared by the Belgian Pavilion and breathing the cool breeze, I felt down though, because the festival that opened my eyes to the world was coming to an end. Perhaps, an impulse to explore the unknown, a sense of the “borderless world” took roots in my heart. That might explain why I chose History and Russian language as my majors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earned Masters in Russian History at Princeton University, and started my Ph.D. program in Area Studies at Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) last fall.

I sit in front the TV broadcast of Beijing 2022’s opening ceremony with my family. We did that too on August 8, 2008. Only the world has spined upside down. For someone growing up with cosmopolitan habitus like me, the time cannot be worse: the COVID-19 flames; my motherland is under vicious attack on all fronts by those who are determined to strangle the peaceful development of Chinese people; the world is so divided that no scientific research or the humanities seems to help humankind transcend our differences and bring remedies to the pressing global diseases. 

Watching the opening ceremony and following the event soothe my anxiety. I see the smiles and joy of Olympians, spectators, and volunteers, just like what I remember from the Expo. Excitement, world records, sportsmanship, friendship, and technologies are everywhere, from skating fields to the Alpine-looking ski jumping sites, from restaurants in the Village to millions of Bing Dwen Dwen “crawling” to homes worldwide. The Winter Olympics is generating heat and bringing warmth to this icy world.  

To be sure, through a single event which brings a tiny fraction of people together, one can hardly expect the world to reverse its disintegrating trajectory overnight. Beijing 2022 is amid of global crises: the economic recovery is way beyond the horizon; the United States is trying hard to push Europe to the abyss of war; while Gu Ailing Eileen’s virtuoso performance floods the Chinese social media, the mainstream media on the other end of the Pacific stains the talented medalist with the extreme nationalistic tars and feather. Glitches are indeed present in this gathering for peace, unity, and a better future.

And yet, I do see the seed of hope being planted in the spring of Beijing 2022. This special edition of the Olympic Games has become a bay of connection. It shows that there are brave men and women who challenge themselves both on and off the field, keep each other safe by following the COVID protocol, and share the moments of success. The community of Beijing 2022 is the small yet bright flame lit during the opening ceremony. Wherever is unity, there is hope. A single spark in the early spring of 2022 can start a prairie fire. 

Speaking of connection and mutual understanding, I am looking forward to deepening my thinking of Beijing 2022 in the perspective of globalization with the help from another pair of eyes. Therefore, I have planned a post-games interview with a Canadian Olympian who is competing in Beijing 2022. She is a friend and classmate of mine at college. Stay tuned! 

The author, Yiqi Yu is a first-year Ph.D. student at Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies, Shanghai International Studies University (SISU).