The Beijing Olympics and their run-up are leaving a lasting impression on many people in the Chinese capital. I've invited some to write guest blogs about the implications of the 2008 Games. This commentary comes from Daniel A. Bell, professor of political theory at Beijing's Tsinghua University, which has long been referred to as China's MIT .  He recently published a book titled China's New Confucianism: Politics and Everyday Life in a Changing Society (Princeton University Press, 2008), and offers these insights into Confucius and the Olympics:

The spectacular fireworks display in the form of giant footsteps leading straight from Tiananmen Square to the new National Stadium at the opening ceremony should dispel any pretense that the Olympics are apolitical. But what exactly was the political message?

Without having seen anything, critics were quick to sharpen their knives. "When the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games begins this week, viewers will be presented with a minutely choreographed spectacle swathed in nationalist kitsch," wrote commentator Nina L. Khruschcheva a few days before Friday's festivities. She went on to lump China with other "totalitarian" regimes like Nazi Germany and predicted that "the world will once again be made to witness a triumph of the totalitarian will". It makes one wonder if we're supposed to expect genocide and world war after the Olympics.

The choice of legendary film director Zhang Yimou as creative director of ceremonies was indeed cause for some concern. Zhang directed the movie Hero which seemed to endorse the brutal and totalitarian ways of the Legalist-inspired first Qin emperor, who buried Confucian scholars alive in his drive to build a unified and powerful state. Zhang seems especially fond of spectacle which dwarfs the individual; he hired more than 10,000 performers for the opening ceremony who came mainly from the army and armed police.

But the Olympics symbolize a change of vision. For most of the twentieth century, China viewed itself as a weak and vulnerable country that has been denied its historical place in the sun. It was bullied by foreign powers and drew upon the Legalist tradition, self-consciously so in the case of Mao, to ruthlessly strengthen the state and mobilize the people for that purpose.

Now that China is more powerful and has begun to reestablish its "deserved" place in the sun, it can relax a bit -- and the traditional ways of Confucian "soft power" can begin to reassert themselves. Here government relies primarily on moral example, rituals, and persuasion to win the "hearts and minds" of the world's peoples. The ideal is a society regulated by care and compassion, where particularistic love begins with the family and is then extended to the nation and the whole world.

It's no coincidence that the glossy "Introduction to China" brochures distributed to 21,000 foreign journalists at the Olympics left out communist party leaders of the past. Instead, they extol Confucius, who is the figurehead of China's new national identity.

The ceremony clearly aimed to celebrate Confucian values rather than send a xenophobic and totalitarian message. Marx and Mao were left out and the themes emphasized openness to the world and its peoples. Children were prominently displayed, including a nine-year-old who helped to rescue victims of the Sichuan earthquake. The diminutive kid walked next to towering basketball player Yao Ming -- to somewhat comic effect -- and other children lent an air of charm and unpredictability to the proceedings.

The Confucian themes were explicit. Such Confucian sayings as "The world's peoples are all brothers" and "Isn't one of life's greatest pleasures to have friends visiting from afar?" were beamed to billions worldwide. Instead of Maoist anti-intellectualism, we had a tribute to the gentle scholarly life as depicted by "the four precious necessities" -- pen, ink, paper, and ink grinder.

And the Confucian-inspired civility campaigns seemed to be paying off. For the past year, Beijingers have been urged to treat foreigners with kindess and civility; spectators to cheer for opposing teams; and winning athletes to treat losers with respect and dignity. At Friday's ceremony, the cheers for the Chinese athletes were relatively restrained, and there were loud cheers for the American and Russian teams -- China's main competition for gold medals.  There may not be too many displays of chauvinistic nationalism at these Olympics.

But perhaps its an unfinished transition to Confucianism? The Chinese ideogram representing "harmony" was prominently displayed. But the famous saying from the Analects of Confucius that "exemplary persons seek harmony but not conformity" seemed to be one of the few missing from the ceremony. Could it be that the government worried about political implications? The contrast between harmony and conformity owes its origin to the ancient text Zuo Zhuan, where it clearly referred to the idea that the ruler should be open to different views among his advisors.  Today, social critics draw on the phrase to argue for more political openness and urge the government to be tolerant of different views. Such themes should be more present the next time the Olympics come to China.