At the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, the People's Republic of China was awarded the hosting of the Games on July 13th, 2001, beating out four other competitors for the honor. To prepare for the event, the Chinese government invested heavily in new facilities and transport systems, with 37 venues being used to host the events, including twelve that were built specifically for the 2008 Games. The equestrian events were held in Hong Kong, while the sailing events were held in Qingdao and the football events were held in various cities. The logo for the 2008 Games, titled "Dancing Beijing", was created by Guo Chunning and featured the Chinese character for capital (京) stylized into the shape of a human being. As 3.5 billion people around the world watched, the 2008 Olympics were the most expensive Summer Olympics of all time, and the longest distance for an Olympic Torch relay was run.

Hu Jintao's administration received a great deal of attention due to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This event, which was meant to be a celebration of the People's Republic of China, was overshadowed by the March 2008 Tibet protests and the demonstrations that met the Olympic torch as it made its way across the globe. This prompted a strong resurgence of nationalism within China, with people accusing the West of being unfair to their country.