This is a podcast from the archives of the BBC Reith Lectures. This lecture in the series

Chinese Vistas, given by Professor Jonathan Spence, was originally broadcast in 2008.

Hello and welcome to Lord's Cricket Ground in London for the last in this year's series of BBC

Reith Lectures. This is one of the world's most famous sports grounds,

which in 2012 will play an important part in London's hosting of the Olympic Games.

That's still four years away, but in only six weeks' time,

this year's Olympic Games will open in Beijing,

and it's that connection which brings us to the home of cricket

today. The subject of these lectures is Chinese vistas. So far, we've heard how the ancient Chinese

philosopher Confucius still influences Chinese behavior today. We've been to the oldest Chinese

community in Europe, in Liverpool Liverpool to learn about Britain's

relationship with China and to New York to try to understand how America will come to terms

with its new, powerful Asian rival. Now we bring the lectures to a close by looking ahead to the

eighth day of the eighth month in 2008, when the world will

be focusing on China more closely than ever before. By hosting the Olympic Games in Beijing,

China has opened itself up to international scrutiny. Like it or not, the games are forcing it

to the centre of the world stage, where everything about it is being judged and weighed minutely.

Our lecturer is one of the world's greatest authorities on China, and in this, our final programme, he examines China's attitudes to sport and athleticism, what he's called the Body Beautiful.

Ladies and gentlemen, will you please welcome the BBC's 2008 Reith Lecturer, Professor Jonathan Spence.

Thank you and thank you for coming.

In this, the fourth of the wreath series, as Sue said, I'll be exploring the theme,

The Body Beautiful.

...