At the Olympics, Nathan Chen and Other Chinese Americans Asked to Make a Choice


BEIJING – Figure skater Nathan Chen Olympic gold medal winner For the United States, state media in China, the birthplace of his parents, almost ignored his victory.

California-born figure skater Beverly Zhu stumbled on ice When he first arrived in China, Chinese social media users told him to “go back to America”.

When Eileen Gu wins gold skis for china, people in china congratulated him as the pride of the nation. But in the United States, where he was born and educated, some conservative political pundits called him ungrateful.

To be a Chinese-American-born athlete on the sport’s premier global stage is to be patriotic, some say nationalist, a lightning rod for emotions. Chinese-American Olympians—and their successes and failures—once seen as bridges connecting the two nations are increasingly seen as proxies in the superpowers’ broader geopolitical struggle.

A resurgent nationalism in China meant that anyone who made the slightest criticism, even among citizens, could be accused of disloyalty. But Chinese-American scrutiny is often harsh in other ways.

As part of a perceived extended Chinese family, they are expected to show loyalty, but they are also not to be trusted as outsiders. Depending on the time and mood, they may be ostracized as traitors or embraced as heroes who bring glory to the nation.

For athletes, choosing which country to compete for is often a personal or practical decision. Having ties to both the United States and China is also natural for Chinese-Americans, many of whom grew up between two cultures, geographies, and languages.

18-year-old Ms. Gu often said in response to questions about her decision to compete for China, “I’m Chinese when I’m in China, and I’m American when I go to America.” Ms. Gu, whose father is white and whose mother is Chinese, was born and raised in California by her mother. She speaks Chinese fluently and visited Beijing often as a child.

But worsening geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Washington have made it difficult for such athletes to continue the balancing act.

“We can see the growing expectations and demands for these young athletes to choose a side, to prove their loyalty in some way,” he said. Ellen WuAssociate professor of history researching Asian American history at Indiana University.

Many countries have been foreign national athletes To increase their chances of winning medals at the Olympics. Now China is also looking for talent abroad.

Around 30 athletes competing for China at this year’s Games naturalized Chinese citizens, most play on men’s and women’s ice hockey teams. Still, none attracted as much scrutiny as Ms. Gu, who won two medals at these Games in the United States.

Ms. Gu said her decision to compete for China stemmed from her desire to grow the sport in the country. She thanked both the US and China for grooming her. However, some commentators on both sides treat the Olympics as a battleground and use the words “betrayal” and “loyalty” to describe the athletes.

Fox News anchor Will Cain said it was “ingratitude” that Ms. Gu “betrayed the country that not only trained her but turned her into a world-class skier”.

But in China, Ms. Gu quickly became a superstar. Many Chinese are obsessed with reports on her strong Beijing accent, her success as a model, and near-perfect SAT scores. JD.com has received numerous lucrative endorsements from top Chinese brands such as Bank of China and Anta.

Despite the excessive praise in China, Ms. Gu also walks a fine line. She has so far refused to answer repeated questions about whether she had surrendered her United States passport. (China does not allow dual citizenship.)

Hu Xijin, the recently retired editor of the Global Times, a brash nationalist Chinese newspaper, warned To soften their praise of Ms. Gu, Chinese propaganda outlets on Sunday suggested that it was unclear which nation she would identify with as she got older.

Referring to Ms. Gu by her Chinese name, she wrote, “China’s national honor and credibility cannot be compromised in the Gu Ailing case.”

What this means is that heritage alone is no longer enough for Chinese-American athletes to be embraced by China. Rather, it now depends on China’s ability to meet increasingly demanding, some unrealistic expectations.

The first blow to California-born figure skater Beverly Zhu, who competes for China under the name Zhu Yi, was her inability to speak Chinese fluently. He was subsequently dropped several times during the contest, causing Chinese social media users to unleash a wave of attacks against him, many of which were outrageous.

Many online users called her “embarrassing” and suggested, without proof, that Ms. Zhu was given a spot on the Chinese Olympics team instead of a Chinese-born figure skater because she was given the spot because of her father, a computer scientist, who stood out. Peking University from the united states. The attacks were so intense that Chinese internet censors stepped in to suppress the vitriol.

Negativity is partly frustration With the perception in the US and China that Washington is unfairly fueling hostility towards Beijing to try to thwart the country’s rise.

“There was a time when people thought it was great to be an American,” said Hung Huang, a Chinese-born American writer living in Beijing. “But as politics between the two countries tumbles down the rabbit hole, the Chinese feel that they shouldn’t – or can’t – admire a country that always points to them.”

The Chinese response to some athletes has been indifferent at best and cynical at worst. Last week, Chinese state media was remarkably silent on the gold medal win of American figure skater Mr. Chen in the men’s individual competition, focusing instead on Japanese Yuzuru Hanyu and Chinese figure skater Jin Boyang, who finished fourth. who was ninth. Chinese social media users posted reviews He dismissed the American athlete’s success as not remarkable because, according to them, he insulted China.

When Mr. Chen shifted to the music of “Mao’s Last Dancer,” a 2009 movie about a defected Chinese ballerina, he initially listed the Chinese people at the 2018 Games. (Mr. Chen said last week that he was unaware of the wider context of music when choosing the music.)

Then, in October, Chen drew further criticism in China when he supported teammate Evan Bates by voicing his concerns about China’s human rights record.

“I agree with what Evan said,” said Mr. Chen at that time. “I think there has to be a force beyond the Olympics for a bigger change to happen. It has to change on a remarkable scale. ”

Twenty years ago, China hired athletes like figure skater Michelle Kwan and tennis player Michael Chang as cultural ambassadors.

David Zhuang, a Chinese-born table tennis player competing for the United States, recalled his lowly welcome when he returned to Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Mr. Zhuang, who moved to the United States in 1990, said in a phone call that during a match he was playing, a group of Chinese fans gathered and shouted words of encouragement.

Mr. Zhuang said, “Can you guess it, I left the country 18 years ago and they were cheering me up here.” “I couldn’t play after that, I was so touched.”

He said that while watching the Games this time, the atmosphere was completely different.

“When I look at the relations, the politics and the rivalry between the two countries today, it hurts a little bit,” Mr. Zhuang said. “What a shame.”

joyful contributed to research.



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