With each group carrying its own flag - and a rainbow of races passing before us - we saw clearly and concretely just how diverse and colorful our world is.

In a media sphere frequently dominated by information about a few powerful nations, it was a strong reminder of both the globalization of culture and the importance of respect for the diversity of the world's peoples.

Olympic events also highlighted important aspects of China's own contemporary culture. The "Galas" in the opening and closing ceremonies integrated song, dance, and athletic acrobatics. The musical presentations shifted with almost blinding speed between Chinese pop, ethnic music of China's 56 ethnic groups, and classical Chinese music.

Such rapid oscillations between genres brought vividly to life the dynamic, multi-layered contemporary Chinese cultural scene, with its blend of the old, the new, the folk, and the futuristic.

During the seven years that went into its preparation, the Beijing Olympics have been a major theme of the Chinese government; an important area for Chinese economic activity and construction; and a lively topic of social conversation throughout China. That period is over.

But the Olympic showcasing of China - of its unstoppable rise driven by the socialist market economy, of its current transition from "low-cost producer" to "innovation society", of its ever-growing interconnection with the world, of its dynamic multi-faceted culture blending past and future - will continue to impact, and contribute, to China's development as part of an ever-more integrated world.

In the end, the Olympics cut the psychological distance between China and the world. "Remember our smile," said one of the hosts.

The author is a Canadian teacher living in Beijing