The relationship between the olympic movement and china

Introduction

The history of the development of the Olympic Movement is the one in which the Chinese culture conflicts, emerges and integrates with western culture. Studying the history, probing the causes of social cultures which contribute to the condition and revealing the inner law can provide a new prospective in studying the exchanges of the east and the west. It can offer references for the future development of the Olympic Movement and Chinese sports.

Methods

The paper adopts the methods of literature review and comparative analysis.

Results

1. Before 1919, the Olympic Movement was in the conflict with Chinese sports and the social and cultural background because of the difference in the 2 major sport systems. The more profound reason is the difference in the social and cultural context.
   
2. From 1919 to 1948, Chinese sports and the social and cultural background initially recognized the Olympic Movement because of the inevitability of cultural movements, the reform on Chinese society and culture as well as the development of the Olympic Movement.
   
3. From 1949 to 1978, though the Olympic Movement primarily integrated with Chinese sports in the social and cultural contexts, there were great conflicts in them.
   
4. Since 1979, the Olympic Movement have fully integrated with Chinese sports in the social and cultural contexts.
   

Conclusions

1. Since the 1840 Opium War, western sport culture represented by the Olympic Movement entered China and began the conflicts and integrations with Chinese sports in the social and cultural contexts for over a century. The process is embodied in the conflicts and integration of the 2 major cultural systems.
2. The conflicts between the Olympic Movement and Chinese sports in the social and cultural contexts are violent and profound, which happen not only in sport activities and organizational levels but also in the core of sport values and philosophies. They reflect the great social differences of industrial civilization and agricultural civilization as well as the fundamental difference in the 2 major systems. But they also trigger the great integration between the eastern and western sport culture.
3. Since China’s returning to the Olympic family, the systems of the Olympic Movement permeate in Chinese sports in a scientific and reason way, promoting the modernization while Chinese sports of thousands of years are exerting slow but profound influences on the Olympic Movement with their charming values, culture and behavior.
4. Hosting the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is an important symbol of overall integration between the Olympic Movement and the Chinese social and cultural context. The Olympic Movement will strengthen the cooperation with China for a peaceful and better world.

References

1. Baker, William J., Sports in the Western World, Cowman and Littlefield, 1982.
   
2. Ren Hai, The Olympic Movement, People’s Sports Press, 1993.
   
3. Sun Baoli, China and the Olympic Movement, Beijing Arts Press, 2000.