[Epoch Times, February 18, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Lin Yan comprehensive report) American-born, raised freestyle skier Gu Ailing, who represented China at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, is attracted by his athletic talent and cross-cultural appeal. The power draws attention in sports and the market. But in China, she has a difficult needle.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday (Feb. 17) that there are signs of a rebound in China, as some have begun to wonder what the sports star has to do with ordinary Chinese.
However, these doubts did not last long before they were deleted by the CCP’s Internet regulators. Behind the popularity of Gu Ailing’s public opinion is the endorsement and filtering of the CCP.
After Gu Ailing won her first medal, the gold medal in the freestyle ski flip, an online article (titled “Gu Ailing’s success, what does it have to do with us ordinary people”) resonated with readers, but made the CCP Government censors are upset.
This article was first published on WeChat, from an educational public account called “Slave Society” that is widely followed by elite Chinese parents. The article said it lacked any concrete evidence that Gu Ailing had indeed renounced U.S. citizenship, and attributed Gu Ailing’s success to her unique upbringing, which combined the liberal U.S. system and comprehensive education with China’s strict test-taking system.
After the post went viral, the account quickly exploded on WeChat, and then a familiar game of whack-a-mole erupted on the Chinese internet — each time the article was deleted, it was republished by other blogs and news organizations, even Chinese Financial news agency Caixin also reposted the article.whenAfter the links appeared to be dead for a few hours, new ones poured in.
Gu Ailing’s success “We belong to a different world”
Much of the discussion surrounding Gu Ailing on the Chinese internet is glossy, especially topics that do not involve political security and food are popular.
“Hua Ri” reported that when more and more discussions go beyond what Gu Ailing likes to eat, such as in-depth discussions on her positioning in the geopolitical competition between China and the United States, the social and educational environment between China and the United States, etc., these tend to resonate with the public. The topic has worried the Chinese authorities.
On the Instagram-like Chinese app Xiaohongshu, Zhang Cailing, a blogger with more than 140,000 followers, spoke directly about how some Chinese parents feel when they compare themselves to the Olympian’s mother, Gu Yan. Anxiety, Gu Yan is a Beijing-born, U.S.-educated former Wall Street trader and venture capitalist.
“Do you have the money to send your daughter to a private school? Do you have time to drive her eight hours on weekends to go skiing? If she falls, do you have the money to pay for such an expensive physiotherapy?” said in the video. The video has been liked 32,000 times.
Comparing Gu Ailing’s scarce upbringing to that of many in China, “we belong to a different world,” concluded Ms. Zhang.
In another widely watched video, cultural commentator Chen Xiaoyu said he was a fan of Gu Ailing, but also argued that the athlete should not be used as a success model for Chinese women. Gu Ailing has resources that are not available to most people, he said.
“Her success story is more like a middle-class American, second-generation immigrant story than a native Chinese feminist story,” Mr. Chen said in a video on Xiaohongshu. The video has been liked nearly 50,000 times.
Gu Ailing keeps silent about politics in China
Some China observers have criticized Gu Ailing’s willingness to engage in political issues in the United States, but avoiding questions about China’s human rights record.
“I’m not trying to solve political issues now…and I know that at this moment, I can’t do everything I want to do.” Gu Ailing told the media on Thursday, her answer was more straightforward than her previous remarks.
On the issue of the CCP blocking the Internet, Gu Ailing also drew ridicule from Chinese netizens.
When netizens questioned her on Instagram why she didn’t speak up for the millions of Chinese who don’t have free internet access, she retorted: “Anyone can download a VPN for free on the App Store.”
Afterwards, some netizens posted Gu Ailing’s remarks and comments with screenshots on Weibo, which were retweeted nearly 3,000 times and then deleted by the CCP authorities.
The CCP’s laws technically prohibit the use of VPNs, and it is “illegal” for individual users to use VPNs to circumvent the wall. However, there are always privileged groups in law enforcement, and some CCP government officials and party media reporters are not required to use them.over the wallLink to foreign websites.
The analysis said that while Gu Ailing is touted as the pride of the CCP, her cross-cultural identity may one day become a source of tension, and many believe that her attempt to walk a tightrope between the United States and the country she represents is dangerous.
In contrast to Gu Ailing is the figure skater Zhu Yi. Zhu Yi was also a Chinese who grew up in the United States, and then left the United States to compete with Chinese nationality. But she made a mistake during the game and finished at the bottom of the ranking. Many Chinese netizens called her “shame” and asked her to go back to the United States, but Zhu Yi and those abusive comments were soon deleted by the network administrator. Neither positive nor negative information can be seen.
The CCP’s Authoritarian Nationalism Needs Outside Elites
existClubhouse‘s online activities“Feminism talks about the Gu Ailing phenomenon instead of Gu Ailing”Among them, some guests said that Gu Ailing’s image is a“new story”。
“She is the innocent face of a younger, warmer, more beloved woman than Fei Xiang, the first Chinese-American male singer to attend the Spring Festival Gala, (but) sending the same message: even such a blond half-blood, born in the United States The girl of the 1970s, but also to reinforce such an authoritarian nationalism by surrendering by air and offering her Olympic gold medal.
“This insincere performance is so-called sincerely welcomed and accepted, because this is what the government and people at the border need. This also explains why only Gu Ailing has received comprehensive publicity from the official media from another perspective. , and the censorship machine is activated for her: whether it is for our country’s ideology or public sentiment, Gu Ailing’s value is allMuch higher than those native Chinese champions. “
In the previous Winter Olympics, China has never won5more than one gold medal in2018At the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2008, China won only one gold medal. In 2022, Beijing will become the host of the Winter Olympics. So far, China has won seven gold medals in this Winter Olympics, one of which is from Gu Ailing.
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#