China's hosting of the 2008 Summer Olympics thrust the Asian nation into the international spotlight and is viewed by many inside the country as a way to showcase how far the communist regime has come in opening up to the world over the past few decades.

On the infrastructure front, China spent tens of billions of dollars to build a new stadium and aquatics center, expand Beijing's subway and airport, and provide other logistical support and services in time for the Aug. 8-24 games.

While some commercial enterprises in China may benefit from the games, the overall expenditures involved in hosting the Olympics will likely make it far less of an economic boon and more about improving China's international standing.

The Chinese government had observed how the Olympic Games elevated the standing of other Asian countries, such as Japan and South Korea, and wanted the same for itself, said Ming Wan, director of the global affairs program at George Mason University.

"The whole thing is about China's image and international prestige," agreed Cheng Li, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

The Olympics loomed large in the country and were the primary focus of the Chinese media until a powerful earthquake hit the country's central Sichuan Province on May 12, killing tens of thousands.

The earthquake itself likely will not hamper the Olympics logistically, but appears to have had a rallying effect in China, at least in the short term, said Wan. Since the disaster struck, the Olympic torch relay, already given the theme "journey of harmony," has started each day of its run inside China with one minute of silence in honor of the quake victims.

In addition to the prestige factor, China also sought the games to help solidify its stance as a sports powerhouse and to gain international recognition for progress made since the country opened up to the world in 1978, said Minxin Pei, senior associate in the China Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"Having always felt that they have not got much respect from the international community, the Chinese public feels that hosting the Olympics will give them such an opportunity -- an opportunity to demonstrate China's confidence, achievement, and status as a rising power," he said.

Winning the Olympic bid brought with it the underlying assumption that the games would help the country "open up" and be on the right course politically, economically and in the area of human rights, said Li.

"The Olympics can be seen as a turning point for China," he said. "It's a coming of age party."

The country has made progress economically and politically, Li continued, along with the areas of labor safety, travel freedoms and economic rights.

But the issue of human rights -- much debated when China first sought to host the games -- again came under intense scrutiny when the protests broke out over China's rule of Tibet in the months leading up to the games.

Additionally, on the media front, efforts to loosen restrictions on foreign journalists in the country were not adhered to in some quarters.

"It was generally understood that the Olympics would help make China more open," said Wan. "Now people debate whether China is living up to that promise, and many thought it was falling short."

When a March 2008 crackdown on protests in Tibet prompted an international outcry and threats from various world leaders to boycott the Olympics Opening Ceremony, it was considered a "huge embarrassment" to China, said Li.

"It's like a family having a wedding, and then at the last minute seeing a boycott of the wedding," he said. "It's an insult of their feelings."

A cycle was emerging -- people thought China should be more open and tolerant, then the government would take a tough stance, invoking international criticism, which would lead to further tightening by the government, explained Wan.

The Olympics will undoubtedly be a high-stakes event for China internationally -- but domestically as well, since the Chinese government considers them a way to prove its legitimacy to its 1.3 billion citizens.

"The Communist Party is very eager to demonstrate to the Chinese people that their government has international respect and legitimacy. That's why the Chinese government has spent so much political capital to try to get practically all the foreign leaders to attend the opening ceremony on Aug. 8," said Pei.

Most Chinese support the Olympics, said Wan, whether they feel strongly about their country or just about sports. Whether the Olympics lead to more freedoms of press or speech, only time will tell, he said.

"Even though this seems negative, this could be the start of dialogues," said Wan. "All political discussions will lead to political openness."

-- By Larisa Epatko, Online NewsHour