Five years ago on August 24, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, described by the International Olympic Committee as "exceptional," ended successfully.

The Beijing Olympic Games left many rich legacies. When the century-long dream of China holding the Olympiad on its own land was eventually realized, something is here to demonstrate that China has its own central dream to be shared by the rest of the world.

The very core of this dream is to construct a harmonious world where the peoples of all countries, rich or poor, big or small, are one family.

The most valuable heritage left to the world of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is undoubtedly its motto of "One World, One Dream."

The remarkable significance and rich connotation embedded in it does not fade away as time goes by. On the contrary, its far-reaching impact has been amplified, verified and specified by the concept of the Chinese dream proposed and promulgated by the new Chinese leadership headed by President Xi Jinping.

The essence of Chinese dream as officially interpreted is the realization of the magnificent revitalization of Chinese nation through the path of peaceful development.

A more specific element of the magnificent mission of the Chinese people is to be evidenced by a wealthy, democratic, civilized and harmonious China which internationally should appear as a responsible state, and domestically it is endeavoring to complete its grand task of building a well-off society in which rule of law should reign.

To fulfill such a glorious mission, China needs a peaceful international environment and a stable domestic situation to wholeheartedly devote itself to economic and social construction.

The road to the realization of the Chinese dream is never smooth and it can be very rough, which has been defined by the nature of its past history and its unique present circumstances.

For a century between the First Opium War in 1848 and 1949 when the PRC was founded, China was marked by humiliation brought by external invasions and exploitation.

For 100 years, China was beset with wars, internal strifes and poverty. If there were ever a Chinese dream then, it must have been one that could have been easily turned into a nightmare.

It was impossible then for China to even cherish a dream of a peaceful and stable social environment in which what common people could expect at best was having enough to eat and a job to do. 

The founding of the PRC terminated the humiliating and war-torn history of China being constantly invaded and exploited by foreign forces, even though for many years China was not free from disasters.

In 1978, a new chapter of history was turned open when former leader Deng Xiaoping, having realized the invalidity of the old-fashioned way of economic construction based upon the Soviet model, boldly and sagaciously initiated his milestone policy of reform and opening-up to the outside world.

This epoch-making move provided the Chinese people with an unprecedented opportunity to open their eyes wide enough to observe what has been going outside China.

For the first time in history, China has removed its own barriers to communicate directly and openly with the rest of the world, and for the first time, common people can dream of their own future.

They can design and imagine their own life path and realize their own dreams through personal efforts and wisdom.

For any dreams to be realized, real actions rather than empty talks are more important. Something beautiful and fruitful must be attained through hard efforts.

It is a universal truth that to realize a dream, one must work laboriously, persistently and smartly. That is true whether it is related to the Chinese dream or the American dream.

China has the dream to create a fair, equal and harmonious society and to build a wealthy, democratic and civilized country through inclusive economic growth and sustainable social development.

There is little doubt that peace-loving people of the world want to share this dream and would be glad to see its realization.       

The author is an associate professor and research fellow of the Center for American Social and Cultural Studies at the China Foreign Affairs University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn