(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-04-22 07:28

The events of the 2008 Olympic torch relay and the Western media's biased coverage of China have forced us all to face a new test of patriotism.

The hysterical protests the anti-China agitators staged in order to obstruct the torch relay and the way Western media reviled China show the true colors of Tibetan separatists and their sponsors.

On the other hand, these developments have led to the flame of patriotism being lit in the hearts of the Chinese at home and abroad. From Beijing to Wuhan and from Atlanta to Berlin they have been taking to the streets, opposing "independence of Tibet" and exposing the demonization of China in the Western media. The red-heart icons that Chinese messenger users put before their names demonstrate their love and support for the country that is coming under attack from those supporting the Tibetan separatists.

They have every reason to let the world know of their love for their country - that they do not allow the separatists and their foreign patrons to take away an inch of ground from their motherland.

In the backdrop of the protests against the French supermarket chain, Carrefour, spreading to more cities in the country, it is no surprise that patriotism dominates the discussions.

It is time we pondered what it meant to be patriotic and to love our country.

Patriotism means love for one's native land and a concern for the welfare of one's countrymen.

A stubborn insistence that those who do not join the protests and boycott Carrefour are not patriotic is false patriotism.

Patriots are supposed to adopt a tolerant attitude toward others and be broad enough to see what is good and what is bad in them. Over-the-top nationalism is not constructive but can do harm to the country.

If we want to improve things, we will have to encourage responsible patriotism.

A saying has it that it is the tall tree that catches the wind. As the country becomes the locomotive of the world economy and plays a bigger part in global affairs, it draws more attention from the rest of the world. It should be ready for criticism - even based on fabrications. It does not mean, of course, that China will take it lying down.

Patriotism consists of multiple, positive actions on behalf of the country - uniting for its stability, working hard to keep its growth on the right track and protecting its interests.

That is patriotism.

(China Daily 04/22/2008 page8)