Strict compliance!: Chinese careful conformity and the Guangzhou bid for the Asian Games

This article aimed to examine whether the division of labour between the Chinese central and local officials, who came from the China General Sports Administration; the Chinese National Olympic Committee; and the Guangdong and Guangzhou governments, strictly complied with the stipulations of the Olympic Council of Asia in completing Guangzhou's bid for the 2010 Asian Games. The findings confirm Guangzhou as a rule-abiding bidder, and imply China's eagerness to be accepted by the international community and to project itself as a superpower in accordance with its wider political, economic and cultural ambition.