Some Chinese and even British commentators have voiced their impression that London is not going to match the extravagant opening ceremony of 2008.

But how do we define whether one event is better than another? First of all, the Olympic Games are a moment for the host city. Therefore we need to answer which city could make the best use of the event to surprise the world.

The Beijing opening ceremony won lavish praise from the global media. The nature of the London opening ceremony is still a surprise, but the director Danny Boyle has promised that they will spend less to do big things, and that details will show why London is a creative city. Netizens have been saying that there's no point in comparing the two, as long as each event represents the host city.

But the bigger question is whether the host city benefits. Beijing hoped for an Olympic economic boom, but it spent huge amount of money to construct the Bird's Nest and other Olympic landmarks.

The London authorities have been praised for doing a strong job under tight economic limits. The UK's National Statistics Bureau just revealed that the UK was in the worst double-dip recession since records began, with the economy an astonishing 4.5 percent smaller than in 2008. Against this grim backdrop, efforts to create jobs and shopping malls in east London to accompany the games have attracted praise. But the long term sustainability of the Olympic spending remains to be seen.

Have Beijingers benefited from the Olympic legacy? David Gray, a photographer from Reuters, recorded pictures of the Beijing Olympic "ruins" earlier this year. From these pictures, some have claimed that how to make the best use of its legacy is a tough job for Beijing, although Gray was slated by many commentators for deceptive angles and misleading descriptions.

Yet after all, the games still remain a fond memory for the majority of Beijingers. In the end, the question is not what impression the games make on outsiders, but what memories and spirit they leave behind in the host city. 

The author is a journalist based in London. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

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