The year 2008 will be remembered with mixed feelings by the Chinese, not only because of the impending Beijing Olympics and the many crises in the run up to the event, but also because of the totally different reaction of the Western world toward China over these tragedies, through which they have come to know how much they are divided and how much they could have in common.

Just a few weeks ago, China was fiercely attacked by those who didn't have the slightest idea of the truth of the secessionist riot in Tibet. The nation's feelings were offended by seeing a wheelchair-bound woman torchbearer attacked by those who sought to sabotage the Olympic torch relay.

The Chinese, like any other people, were offended and humiliated at being called "goons and thugs" and having part of their territory called "a country".

Over more than 30 years of reform and opening up, China has been reaching out to the world through consistent and extensive engagement, with an expectation that its political system, its way of development and its people should be gradually known, understood and acknowledged.

But what happened in the last few months made the average Chinese wonder how the Western world can be so opinionated that riots, arson and murder could be interpreted as the government's "crackdown" on a "peaceful protest" by Tibetan monks.

The worldwide protests against the Western media's biased and hurtful reports and the Western world's indifference toward China's indignant defense also made the Chinese people ponder: is there any chance that China and the West can make peace with each other, given the huge misunderstandings and the vast gap in their political, cultural and social backgrounds?

But in less than two months' time, the Western stance toward China shifted in the face of another disaster, the Sichuan earthquake. The death toll from the disaster could exceed 80,000 and the event plunged the whole nation into grief.