China business blogger Bill Dodson talks about the sad feeling that laowai (non-Chinese) were unwanted at the Suzhou torch relay. Dodson’s posts are always insightful, and this post is so telling and so complete that I can’t cut it down to a soundbite. Here is the entire post:

My grandchildren will one day ask me where I was when the Olympic Torch passed through Suzhou, literally just a couple blocks from my apartment. I鈥檒l probably lie, and tell them I was one of the guys running the length of Modern Avenue encouraging the torch bearers onward to the Run鈥檚 conclusion at the Science and Technology Museum.

Instead, I was shuffling around the apartment in my slippers, looking forward to drinking a coffee and reading the Sunday edition of the International Herald Tribune (online, of course). From the panoramic view of the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) and Old Suzhou, I could see the traffic paralyzed and enthusiastic flag bearers weaving through the congestion. A bright sunny day was not enough to lure me out to Suzhou鈥檚 Olympics party. I had even bought a couple flags the evening before 鈥� small nylon affairs, one of the the Chinese national flag, and one the flag of the Olympics. I hadn鈥檛 bought them for myself, but instead to give them to my Chinese partner. Indeed, I encouraged her to part in the party that morning.

Recent events surrounding the torch relay around the world as well as portraitures in Chinese news about us devil-worshiping foreigners simply made the event, well, a non-event for me. Plus, I just couldn鈥檛 be bothered with a testosterone-fueled group of youths with too much energy and too few opportunities through which to channel their emotions other than to say annoying things about 鈥渢he laowai鈥�. I鈥檓 sure there were other Westerners out there, mixing with the crowds, waving the Chinese flag 鈥� or even their own country鈥檚. I wasn鈥檛 one of them.

I simply didn鈥檛 have the feeling this Olympics was the world鈥檚 Olympics. Yours, mine, the Lithuanians鈥�, whomever.

It鈥檚 China鈥檚 party, they鈥檝e made it clear. And I wasn鈥檛 invited.

It’s a sad, honest look at the way recent events have made many people feel. Besides one shop assistant asking if I’m French, I haven’t felt a lot of anti-foreigner sentiment directly. (There are a lot of “Love China” t-shirts, and so forth) But it was pretty hard for average people — Chinese and expats alike — to see the torch in Tiananmen Square as it passed through Beijing.

I have such hopes for the Olympics, obviously I’m a Beijing Olympics FAN!, but I’m worried that China isn’t showing its best side.

Via This Is China! Blog