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For 16 days, every soul around the world was watching China closely. And though that time has passed, people remain impressed, because despite a few hiccups before and during the Games, Beijing has done an exemplary job. Hopefully China learned lessons and can improve its international standing in a more sustainable way - something that cannot be done by a single event. Obviously, the Games have given it an opportunity to show its excellence in sports as well as its economic and societal development. The 51 gold medals that Chinese athletes came away with demonstrate the tradition of painstaking training - a just reward after nearly a century of dreaming to host the Games.

On the surface, the 5,000-year-old civilisation has won redemption. However, beyond the medals, the world records and the impressive ability of the athletes, China still has to achieve the impossible - improving the lives of its people. This noble goal will not be completed in a few seconds and there will be no medals waiting.

In a way, the Western media should be credited for bringing extensive scrutiny over issues related to human rights and abuses, such as the time when people were unfairly evicted to make way for officialdom.

Local media cannot report on this aspect of life because it's heavily controlled, while non-Western media remains enthralled by the miracle that is China. In fact, practically blinded by the mainland's economic development, its spectacular buildings and monuments as well as the impressive Olympics, they have forgotten to pay attention to its negative aspects.

International Olympic Committee's Jacques Rogge has already labelled the Beijing Games as being exceptional - maybe even one of the best ever. An achievement that London would have to work really hard to match in four years. Of course, it would be hard to surpass the scale of things. Backed by the state and its thousands of agencies with a huge budget of US$43 billion, China essentially staked everything on the outcome of the event and succeeded with flying colours.

From now on, the world would have higher expectations of China.

Like many previous hosts, the post-Games China can be more confident of its place in the world. That confidence should enable it to be more open and democratic. That is the new reality. It will be hard for the ruling Communist Party to block the run-away optimism, the unusual openness and transparency that has been generated by the summer games. And with such a society, China would be the envy of the world.

But it will also be under a different kind of scrutiny and the lives of its people will become a topic of debate for the rest of the world. Open discussions on the lao-bai-xing or the common people would bring pressure to bear on its leaders.

The authorities came down hard on the people, forcing them to change their habits, stop driving cars, relocate to make way for sporting sites and even have their factories moved. In fact, Rogge said, Beijing has promised to keep these factories closed.

All this was done to beautify and improve the quality of air in Beijing and its vicinity - a major point of contention over the games.

If hosting the Olympics has made China a more responsible international player in the global community, then that's the best thing the world could hope for. Now, all Beijing has to do with this newly earned status is to transform from a sports superpower into a power that helps bring peace, stability and prosperity to the rest of the world.