China Might Make One Wrong a Right During the Closing Ceremonies on Sunday

Yang Peiyi (right), the voice behind the face of lip-synching Lin Miaoke (left) at the Beijing Opening Ceremonies, will likely be a part of the closing ceremonies, according to games organizers.

"It will be like a statement to the world that both the inside and outside qualities are important," she said. "Now that everybody knows about it, they should both appear on stage. It will also help end the controversy and the negative sentiments."

I really can't express what a huge gesture this is on the part of the Chinese, since responding to external furor can't possibly be the reason for the change. This is the same government and the same power apparatus that refuses to apologize for anything, since they represent "the will of the people," and gets even huffier with foreign critics who "meddle with the internal affairs of China" when they make the slightest criticism.

The likely reason for the reversal: the Chinese people hated it, and raised such a stink that the organizers' hand was forced. Don't let go of what a small but significant moment this is, a tiny moment of democratic crankiness resulting in a change in a national event is a huge thing for China, where just in the past decade millions have been relocated for the Three Gorges Dam without any real choice and whole factories were relocated to clear the air in Beijing.

The image of the Chinese in these games has been one of uniform, mechanistic perfection: the whip-thin divers, the impossibly disciplined gymnasts, the synchronized mass precision of the opening games.

In this moment, however, we can bond with the Chinese over one key element: a mutual hatred of bull***t. And if that doesn't bring you closer to your fellow man, be they Chinese, American, or what have you, then you're beyond hope, in my humble opinion.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.