(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, February 7, 2022) The American Chinese mixed-race female freestyle skier Gu Ailing, who represents China, has received much publicity and attention from Chinese fans and official media, but has once again raised embarrassing discussions about her nationality. (Associated Press)
The American Chinese mixed-race female freestyle skier Gu Ailing, who was born in the United States and now represents China, participated in the Winter Olympics for the first time in Beijing, which attracted much publicity and attention from Chinese fans and official media, but also raised embarrassing discussions about her nationality.
Reuters reported that 18-year-old Eileen Gu is not only a fashion model, but also about to enter the prestigious Stanford University (Stanford University). After she officially joined the Chinese team in 2019, she was quickly seen as the best-known Chinese Winter Olympic athlete.
After Gu Ailing arrived in Beijing at the end of January, Chinese media reports and her active use of social media have further increased her popularity. The headline of China's official tabloid Global Times read on the 3rd: "Freestyle skiing star Gu Ailing represents true sportsmanship and is a super idol for young Chinese."
Gu Ailing, whose mother is from Beijing, represented China for the first time at the age of 15 and is now regarded as an Olympic gold favorite. In the Beijing Winter Olympics freestyle skiing, she will participate in three events: the big platform, the slope obstacle, and the U-shaped pool. The first competition is the big platform qualification on the 7th.
Topics related to Gu Ailing have been discussed on Chinese social media in recent weeks, from when she was in the front row when the Chinese team entered the field at the opening ceremony, to the choice of dumplings for her first meal after arriving in Beijing. The number of followers of Gu Ailing's Weibo account surged by hundreds of thousands within a month, reaching 1.7 million.
Chinese media have focused on Gu Ailing's fluent Chinese, her mixed-race face, her proud embrace of Chinese culture and her academic excellence as reasons for her popularity with the Chinese public.
However, the topic that Gu Ailing raised was also accompanied by controversy, especially when she transferred to the Chinese team after playing for the United States, the country where she was born and raised for many years.
Some Chinese netizens questioned whether she played for the Chinese team in the Beijing Winter Olympics and has given up her American citizenship. China does not allow dual citizenship; the local media has avoided discussing the topic.
The hashtag "Gu Ailing's Nationality" surged on Weibo from the 2nd to the 4th, accumulating hundreds of thousands of views. Netizen Tomson wrote: "Most British and Chinese people keep the passports of the People's Republic of China, but they are very careful not to be caught, so as not to have their (Chinese) passports cut... Compared with the dignity of the law and the gold medal of the Winter Olympics, which is more precious?"
There are also many fans of Gu Ailing who argue for her. Netizen mynameisliuxiaohun said: "Who cares if she has dual nationality! In any case, she is representing China and she is carrying the Chinese flag! The glory she has won belongs to China, will it be another country? Isn't that bad? "
Gu's sports agent, Tom Yaps, told Reuters that Gu could not be interviewed because the competition schedule was too full, and he did not respond to written questions.
(Source: Compiled from Online Information)
(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, February 6, 2022) In the Beijing Winter Olympics short track speed skating mixed team 2000m relay final, the Chinese team competed fiercely with the Italian team. Wu Dajing (pictured above), the last team of the Chinese team, narrowly defeated the Italian team in the final sprint by one foot, won China's first gold medal at the Winter Olympics. (Photo from Associated Press)
China's first gold medal in the Beijing Winter Olympics was released on the 5th, Beijing time. The Chinese team surpassed the Italian team by a distance of one foot in the short track speed skating event, narrowly winning the gold; on the other hand, Norwegian cross-country skier Dre Therese Johaug wins double pursuit event to win first gold medal at Beijing Winter Olympics Win a silver medal in a skill event.
The Beijing Winter Olympics short track speed skating 2000-meter mixed relay quarter is the first event set up after the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Chinese team members Qu Chunyu, Fan Kexin, Ren Ziwei and Wu Dajing set a record with a score of 2:37.535. Keep the first gold medal in this project in China.
In the final, the Chinese team, Hungary, Canada, and the Italian team competed for the championship glory; in the last five laps of the game, the Canadian team and the Hungarian team collided, and only the Chinese team and the Italian team continued to sprint.
Although Pietro Sighel of Italy sprinted hard in the last lap, Wu Dajing finally won the championship with one foot, and the team finally won the championship with 2:37.348.
Beijing resident Cheng Hongwei said: "It's very exciting, exciting and emotional, I watched the Chinese team step by step to the finish line, the glory belongs to China”
(Source: Compiled from Online Information)
Dining with Asian Food & Wine
The Lantern Festival and Vietnam’s Perfume Pagoda Festival
By
Ronald Jan, M.D.
February 15, 2022 marks the 15th day of the first lunar month of 2022 and the end of the celebration of the New Year with the Lantern Festival in China and a day for the young people to find romance and begin courtship. On the same day in Vietnam similar romantic themes play out…. but also marks the beginning of the “Perfume Pagoda Festival” which celebrates the site where Buddha (Sakyamuni) washed himself. (Photo from IIove-vietnam.blogspot.com) The Pagoda also displays a footprint of Quan An (= Chinese Guanyin). While we cannot all go to the Perfume Pagoda in Vietnam, we can enjoy Vietnamese food and celebrate the occasion. Quan Nem Ninh Hoa is just such a restaurant in Sacramento. Their signature dish is Nem Cuon which literally means “meat roll,” a rice paper wrap of meat (chicken, pork, or shrimp) and fresh vegetables.
Photo of Nem Cuon at Quan Nem Ninh Hoa Restaurant (Courtesy of Ronald Jan, M.D.)
The freshness of the vegetables is the key. Everyday Sonny Nguyen, owner, and manager, goes to the market to select the best fresh produce—cilantro, mint, green leaf lettuce, Vietnamese coriander, cucumber, and then combines these fresh ingredients with pickled Daikon carrots and crushed egg roll wrap for texture. These fresh vegetables are combined with the choice of meat into a roll wrapped with rice paper…then with each bite the roll is dipped into a wonderful special home-made fish sauce which somehow loses its “fishiness” in its cooked preparation. The special sauce presents elements of sweetness with sweet rice pieces in just the right combination and if desired one can add a bit of spicy hot sauce also made special at the restaurant. The result: a wonderful mouthfeel of fresh vegetables garnished with some meat dipped into a savory sauce.
Photo of 2019 Riesling from 3 Wine Company (Courtesy of Ronald Jan, M.D.)
The freshness of the vegetables is enhanced by 3 Wine Company’s 2019 Riesling’s acidity. The wonderful aroma of the vegetables with the cooked meat is balanced with the floral bouquet of the Riesling. And the sweetness of the sauce is matched with the small amount of residual sugar in the Riesling.
The 15th day of the New Year marks the end of celebration and the beginning of the New Year and a wonderfully romantic day celebrated in Vietnam and China…What a wonderful way to begin the New Year!
Photo of Vietnam’s Romance (Taken from blogspot.com)
China’s Lantern Festival (Photo from www.storyblocks.com)
About the author: Dr. Ronald G. Jan who specializes in Vascular Surgery is a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of California at Davis School of Medicine. As a hobby, he holds WSET level 3 certification in wines and has been writing and publishing wine commentaries.
(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, February 6, 2022) In the canteen of the Media Center of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Matthew Potvin, a technician from Canada, took his lunch order from a robot plate that "falls from the sky". (Photo from Associated Press)
The Beijing Winter Olympics opened on the 4th, and the venues and media centers of the Winter Olympics have successively revealed their true colors. Recently, journalists from all over the world have published articles on the Internet, lamenting the large number of robots in the media center and their dazzling skills. From cooking and bartending, to cleaning and delivery, all kinds of needs can be met.
(Video production: He Zhuoxian, WorldNet YouTube)
(Source: Compiled from Online Information)
(We Chinese in America Media Editor Tang Zhao, February 5, 2022) The trumpeter played the melody of "Me and My Country". ((Xinhua News Agency)
The opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics was held on the evening of the 4th local time. First, there were 24 solar terms, and then the five rings of the Winter Olympics were unveiled in a way of "breaking through the ice". Then the dandelion shape released fireworks in spring and English, followed by 56 famous ethnic groups. and representatives of all walks of life passed the national flag, and beside them, a boy playing a trumpet became the focus.
During the passing of the Chinese flag, a young boy stood under the flagpole and played the loud Chinese national anthem " My Motherland and Me" with a trumpet, which became the highlight.
The little boy, dressed in white, played the loud Chinese national anthem "My Motherland and Me" with a trumpet. Although he was small, he did not make any mistakes and played very smoothly. This little boy seems to become famous overnight, just like Lin Miaoke in 2008.
Zhang Sun, director of the Dance Department of Beijing Normal University, said that when selecting young actors, the chief director first asked for a strong professional level, and then hoped to be as young as possible, which are hard to have in the adult world.”
This little boy is only 9 years old, and his name is Zhu Deen. He has gone through layers of selection throughout Beijing and even across the country and has successfully stood out. In fact, there are 2 children around him, but they have become "supporting roles" this time.
In addition to Zhu Deen, the other two are 9-year-old Liu Haoran and 13-year-old Liang Tong. Although they did not appear on the stage, to ensure the safety of the opening ceremony, on February 4, the two children still got up early and were on time. Come to the bird's nest to do all kinds of preparations. Regarding the two of them, the sub-screen director Tao Wenting said: "There are many factors to be considered in large-scale events. If they are not selected, it does not mean that the children are not good. I believe that they will all become great performers in the future."
The duration of the playing part of "My Motherland and Me" is more than 1 minute. The professional difficulty is not very high, but the emotional depth it requires is difficult for children to understand. For this reason, in daily life, Liu Haoran's mother Hao Dongyuan, Liang Tong's father Liang Yanqiu thought of many ways. "Since the child was born, I have never left him." Hao Dongyuan will let the child try to understand the grand "motherland" as a mother and keep approaching the pure affection described by "inseparable for a moment"; Liang Yanqiu told the child a lot of stories about the motherland and about growing up.
(Source: Compiled from Online Information)
