China gave the world gunpowder about 13 centuries ago, so when you see the pyrotechnics of today's opening ceremonies in Beijing, yes, you could say the country has been waiting a while for this Olympic moment.

The nearly 30,000-shell fireworks display planned to put a dynamic exclamation point on the ceremonies of this most auspicious date —8/08/08 — barely hints at what these coming days mean to the planet's most populous country and the group that rules it.

A place that has long called itself the "middle kingdom" is intent on reintroducing itself as such and celebrating its progress and pride in ways that growing gross national product and trade surpluses simply cannot.

China has never forgotten the years of humiliation when it was the "sick man of Asia" dominated by colonial powers. And its rulers won't let it. At the Memorial Hall for the Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai, for example, exhibits and guides remind at every turn the period of national shame.

These Olympics, then, are envisioned as a reminder to the country of 1.3 billion itself and the world at large that today's China has retaken its place among the world powers. What better vehicle than the world's greatest spectacle, the Olympic Games? China has often used sports to express its initiatives — remember Ping Pong Diplomacy? — and with a price tag estimated at nearly $50 billion, little is being spared in this pursuit while welcoming 10,000 athletes and more than 200 countries.

For all the references to China's grand culture and history there will be nuanced reminders of modern might, too. A hefty segment of the performers in the opening ceremonies will come from the People's Liberation Army, something no doubt calculated to give the more than 75 international leaders on hand pause.

In its rising prosperity China has embraced sports with a fervor that might amaze you until the medals roll in. Soccer and basketball can rival passions that TV once showed us were reserved for Mao's Little Red Book. Some of China's most popular newspapers — apart from the Communist Party organs that members are stuck with — are sports journals. That is also where some of the most exacting reporting and frank offering of opinions take place.

Political statements are nothing new to the Olympics, of course. They've been with us in unmistakable ways since the 1936 Games in Berlin. This is just China's turn. And, after waiting so long, it is a statement meant to to be burnished in gold.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.