Diana Fu writes about a friend, one of thousands of Olympic volunteers, and on the impact of the Olympics:

“Training a massive army of volunteers is not just about showcasing China’s might; it is also a great medium for extending patriotic education. Through volunteering, students are learning a political lesson about China’s place in the world. Olympic student training manuals include sections titled ‘China’s Olympics journey is the classic text of patriotic education’ and ‘Patriotism is the core spirit of Zhonghua sports.’ Every volunteer can track China’s journey from humiliation to triumph. Here’s an extract from the training manual which every student volunteer is required to memorize…”