Just over a month ago, a smiling Chinese President Hu Jintao launched the Olympic torch relay at a televised ceremony in Tiananmen Square, hailing it as the “journey of harmony”. Liu Qi, president of the Beijing games’ organising committee, went even further, proclaiming: “The burning Olympic flame will spread the message of peace and friendship and unite all people under one world, one dream.”

As the torch returns to Chinese territory this week for the Hong Kong leg of the relay, the image of Olympic harmony has been shattered. Coming a few weeks after riots in Tibet were quashed by the Chinese military, the torch relay was disrupted by demonstrations in numerous world cities. In turn, those prompted angry nationalist counterblasts from many Chinese at home and overseas.