Bearing the weight of mankind's common ideals of being in harmony, amity and peace, Beijing has begun the countdown to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

　　The Olympic Games provides a huge stage to demonstrate the national image. By making avail of this uniquely excellent stage and window, Beijing can display China's long history, brilliant civilization, and the great achievements in terms of politics, economy, culture and social development since the reform and opening up to the world as well as China's sincere wishes to pursue peace, harmony and cooperation with other countries worldwide in order to win more understandings, recognitions and supports for China's peaceful development.

　　Hosting the Olympic Games renders an important avenue to rally the will of the people and rev up the spirit. Thanks to the passionate support of the people nationwide and the overseas Chinese worldwide, China set the record of enjoying the highest public support rate of 96% in the history of Olympics when biding for the Olympic Games. The national pride, self-confidence, cohesion and creativity are the firm guarantees for a successful Olympic Games as well as a vital source of force of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

　　The hosting of the Olympic Games offers an excellent opportunity for the development of China's sports cause and is bound to boost the substantial development of sports-related causes such as competitive sports, public sports and sports industry.

　　The hosting of the Olympic Games makes available a powerful engine to propel the fast economic development. The Beijing Olympic Games will turn many areas in China to hot destinations of international and domestic tourism for about one decade.

　　Let us act according to the Olympic ideals of peace, friendship and progress, and carry forward the Olympic spirit of being faster, higher and stronger. May Beijing successfully hold a high-level Olympic Games with Chinese characteristics, humanistic quality and the outlook of the times.

　　By Zhao Beichen

　　(Aug 5, PLA Daily)                                                         Editor: Dong Zhaohui