Chinese Student's Commencement Speech In U.S. Isn't Going Over Well In China

Anony Mous via YouTube

A Chinese student who praised the "fresh air of free speech" in the U.S. during her commencement address at the University of Maryland is facing an online backlash from classmates and from people in China who say she insulted her own country.

Shuping Yang, who graduated with a double-major in psychology and theater, is from the city of Kunming in southwest China. As she prepared to speak on Sunday, her mother waved a bouquet of flowers at her from the audience.

China has nearly 330,000 students in the U.S., far and away the largest contingent of any country. Yang's speech is one of a number of events that have caused acrimonious political debates among them.

Yang told the assembly that pollution was so bad in her hometown that she had to wear face masks to keep from getting sick.

She also described the evolution of her political views, saying that she once believed that "only authorities control the narrative, only authorities could define the truth." She recalled being inspired by the sight of her classmates joining political protests, leading her to the conclusion that "freedom is oxygen."

In the comments on the YouTube video of the speech, some critics accused Yang of exaggerating China's problems, pointing out that Kunming is one of China's less polluted cities.

Others accused her of fawning over Americans. And some suggested she was not welcome to return to China.

YouTube

One user with the handle Vivi Yingying on Weibo, China's main microblog platform, said of Yang's speech: "You reaped their [the audience's] applause, but you lost other people's respect."

Others sprang to her defense. "She pointed out the vexation that China's pollution and freedom of speech issues cause her. She's not wrong," said another Weibo user, Ji Xuguang.

The incident is reminiscent of controversies like what happened at Duke University in 2008, when student Grace Wang was assailed by critics for trying to mediate between pro-Tibetan demonstrators and Chinese students ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

In many of these episodes, Chinese critics seem less outraged by the actual content of any speech than the fact that their country's "dirty laundry" is being aired in front of outsiders.

Yang issued an apology on Weibo in which she said she "deeply loves her motherland" and intended only "to share her experience of studying overseas, not to negate or denigrate my country or my hometown."

She promised to use her education to promote Chinese culture, adding that she hoped ad hominem attacks on her would end.

In a statement on its website, the University of Maryland said it "proudly supports Shuping's right to share her views and her unique perspectives."

Some Chinese students from UMD released a video rebutting some of Yang's remarks. The theme of the video, according to the state-run Global Times tabloid, was "I have different views from Shuping Yang. I am proud of China."

The newspaper added that the official China Students and Scholars Association encouraged the students to speak in the video. Branches of the CSSA in U.S. universities and colleges describe themselves as organizations approved by the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. Critics see them as an arm of China's government.

The article quoted former University of Maryland CSSA President Zhu Lihan as saying that the school's support for Yang's "critical speech is not only ill-considered, but also raises suspicion about other motives." Zhu did not elaborate on what those motives might be.</s>A Chinese student has become a target of Chinese communist regime after she celebrated “the fresh air of free speech” in America during her graduation address, forcing her to apologize later.

Five years ago, Shuping Yang, a psychology and theatre graduate from Yunnan province in China came to study at the University of Maryland because of government repression in China and a clampdown on freedom of expression and academic thought, The Guardian reported.

On May 21, Yang graduated from the university and used her graduation address to contrast freedoms in the US and China, and celebrating the freedom to speak out.

“I have learned [that] the right to freely express oneself is sacred in America … I could even rate my professors online,” she said. “My voice matters. Your voice matters. Our voices matter.”

During her eight-minutes address, the student said she had been inspired to see her classmates participate in political protests and seeing a play about the 1992 LA riots where racism, sexism and politics were openly discussed.

“I was shocked, I never thought such topics could be discussed openly … I have always had a burning desire to tell these kinds of stories, but I was convinced that only authorities owned the narrative, only authorities could define the truth,” she said.

“Freedom is oxygen. Freedom is passion. Freedom is love. As the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once said: ‘Freedom is a choice’.”

Yang’s comments sparked a backlash in China after the remarks reached state-controlled media outlets. A video of her speech went viral after it was shared by a Communist party newspaper.

“She has demonized China with the nonsense she has talked,” one person wrote, joining many others who thought she denigrated China. “She has an incredible ability to lick feet. Don’t worry about coming back to China. Our motherland doesn’t need a bitch like this,” seconded another person.

One Internet user even suggested finding dirt on her family. “Studying in the US costs a lot of money, so where is it coming from? She must come from a rich family. What on earth does her family do?” some asked.

The controversy was fueled after other party-controlled newspapers piled on, slamming the student. The Global Times, a state-controlled nationalist paper, quoted an anonymous student who said that publicly criticizing China’s free speech laws was “immature and mean” and accused Yang of spreading “radical opinions”.

The People’s Daily, another newspaper run by the Communist Party, accused the student of “bolstering negative Chinese stereotypes”.

Another quoted student, who didn’t give their real name, said: “What you gave is not free speech, but rumour mongering and favour currying … Your freedom cannot stand, either factually or morally.”

Yang apologized on social media, saying: “I’m sincerely sorry for the speech and hope to be forgiven.”

The University of Maryland, meanwhile, stood by her speech, claiming the institution was founded on “the freedom of expression” and “the right of every individual to share their thoughts and views”.

“The University proudly supports Shuping’s right to share her views and her unique perspectives and we commend her on lending her voice on this joyous occasion”.</s>Yang Shuping, a student from Yunnan province in China, uses her graduation address at the University of Maryland in the US to praise “the fresh air of free speech” that she has never experienced in her home country. The psychology and theatre graduate has faced abuse from nationalists in China

Chinese student abused for praising ‘fresh air of free speech’ in US</s>BEIJING: A young Chinese woman has drawn criticism on social media after unfavorably comparing her homeland’s air and politics to those in the US during her graduation speech at an American university.

Speaking at the University of Maryland, Yang Shuping said that coming to the United States had been a breath of “fresh air” after growing up in China.

“The air was so sweet and fresh and utterly luxurious,” she said, in a video of the speech posted on YouTube.

“The moment I inhaled and exhaled outside the airport, I felt free,” she continued, drawing a parallel between China’s notorious air pollution and its similarly choking restrictions on political speech.

The reaction was swift and brutal, with comments in Chinese and English telling her to stay in America.

On Tuesday afternoon, posts related to the video on the Chinese micro blogging site Weibo had received over 56 million views.

“People like this, with biased opinions and broken English, should never be allowed to speak publicly as a commencement speaker,” said one remark posted under the YouTube video. The site is banned in China.

Commenters who said they hailed from Yang’s hometown Kunming accused her of lying about the air quality in the major metropolis in the city’s southwest, with many claiming it was as clean as Washington’s, near her university’s campus.

“The only explanation for her wearing a mask in Kunming is that she’s ugly,” said one commenter on Weibo, referring to her comment that she had worn one to protect herself from the bad air.

On Tuesday, air quality readings in Kunming were as high as 107, four times the World Health Organization’s recommended maximum exposure for a 24-hour period. In Washington, they were at two.

Thinly veiled criticisms of the speech appeared in state-owned media Tuesday, quoting some of the vicious responses.

An article titled “Chinese student at University of Maryland slammed for biased commencement speech” was ranked as the most viewed story on the English-language website of the People’s Daily, the Communist Party mouthpiece.

As the criticism piled up, Yang, who majored in psychology and theatre, apologised according to an article in the state-owned tabloid the Global Times, a reaction that seemingly proved her point that there is little space in China for critical speech.

In a statement responding to the uproar, the University of Maryland said “it is critical to hear different viewpoints, to embrace diversity, and demonstrate tolerance when faced with views with which we may disagree.”

“Listening to and respectfully engaging with those whom we disagree are essential skills, both within university walls and beyond.”

Some commenters on Weibo agreed: “it looks like even if Chinese people go to America, they still can’t have freedom of speech,” one said. AFP

 AFP/CC</s>BEIJING: When Chinese student Yang Shuping described how she ditched her five pollution masks upon discovering the "oddly luxurious" air of the United States, she drew a fierce online backlash, indignant newspaper columns and even a rebuttal from her hometown.

On Wednesday, the official Xinhua news agency's English-language Twitter account broadcast a live-stream from Kunming, with two reporters interviewing passersby about air quality and whether they wore pollution masks.

"As you can see, most of the people don't wear masks, but some do," one of the reporters said.

China's foreign ministry also weighed in, saying it was aware the issue was being widely discussed online, and that any Chinese citizen should "make remarks responsibly".

Delivering her commencement address at the University of Maryland on Sunday, the psychology and theatre graduate said that back home, she was forced to wear a face mask every time she went outside to prevent falling sick.

"When I took my first breath of American air, I put my mask away." she said. "The air was so sweet and fresh, and oddly luxurious."

"Democracy and freedom are the fresh air that is worth fighting for," she said.

As the video went viral, and the online furore escalated over what was interpreted as an affront to China, netizens scoured Yang's online presence for personal details, a process known in China as "human flesh search".

They found Yang hailed from Kunming, capital of the southwestern province of Yunnan, a gateway to some of China's most idyllic scenic attractions - and fresh air.

The revelation prompted a tongue-in-cheek retort from the city on its official Weibo social media account.

"We won't take the rap for this! Up to May 8, the number of good quality air days in Kunming this year is 100 percent," it said.

Netizens accused Yang of pandering to her American audience.

"Freedom of speech doesn't mean not respecting the facts," said one person on Weibo. "Trampling on China to praise the U.S., sorry I can't agree with that."

"The speech is just to share my overseas experience and comes with no intention to negate or belittle my country," she said on Weibo, deleting earlier posts.

At a daily foreign ministry news briefing, spokesman Lu Kang said many students studying abroad would naturally experience a "development and change process" in how they see the world.

"As long as in the end they still ardently love the motherland, and are willing to make contributions toward it, I believe the Chinese government will encourage, support and welcome it," he said.</s>A Chinese student has faced abuse from nationalists in China after she used her graduation address at a US university to celebrate “the fresh air of free speech”.

Yang Shuping, a psychology and theatre graduate from Yunnan province, came to study at the University of Maryland five years ago, as a dramatic clampdown on civil society and academia began back home under Xi Jinping.

During the speech at her graduation ceremony on Sunday, Yang recalled her delight at the US’s cleaner skies, saying “every breath was a delight”, and having the freedom to speak out.

“I have learned [that] the right to freely express oneself is sacred in America ... I could even rate my professors online,” she said. “My voice matters. Your voice matters. Our voices matter.”

In her eight-minute address, Yang said she had been inspired to see her American classmates vote and take part in political protests. Another inspiration was a performance of an Anna Deavere Smith play about the 1992 LA riots, in which racism, sexism and politics took centre stage.

“I was shocked, I never thought such topics could be discussed openly .... I have always had a burning desire to tell these kinds of stories, but I was convinced that only authorities owned the narrative, only authorities could define the truth,” she said.

“Freedom is oxygen. Freedom is passion. Freedom is love. As the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once said: ‘Freedom is a choice’.”



In one-party China, where there has been an intensifying offensive against free speech since Xi took power, the comments proved extremely contentious.



After a video of her speech was posted online by a Communist party newspaper on Monday and went viral, the backlash began.



Some attacked Yang, who is from Kunming, one of China’s least polluted cities, for depicting it as smog choked, even though her comments on China’s air quality appeared to be largely a political metaphor, not a reference to the environment.

In a social media post, Kunming’s government defended its “fresh and sweet” air and said the city was spring-like throughout the year.

Others accused Yang of denigrating China in online posts. “She has demonised China with the nonsense she has talked,” one person wrote.

Another said: “She has an incredible ability to lick feet. Don’t worry about coming back to China. Our motherland doesn’t need a bitch like this.”

A third called on internet users to dig up dirt on her family through a type of online campaign known in China as a “human flesh hunt”.

“Studying in the US costs a lot of money, so where is it coming from? She must come from a rich family. What on earth does her family do?” they asked.

State-run newspapers fanned the flames of the controversy. The party-controlled, nationalist Global Times quoted an anonymous student as saying that publicly talking about free speech was “immature and mean”. The student accused Yang of spreading “radical opinions”.

The People’s Daily, another Communist party-run newspaper, accused Yang of “bolstering negative Chinese stereotypes”.

A second student, who also declined to give their real name, was quoted as saying: “What you gave is not free speech, but rumour mongering and favour currying ... Your freedom cannot stand, either factually or morally.”

In an apparent attempt to defuse the situation, Yang issued an online apology. “I’m sincerely sorry for the speech and hope to be forgiven,” she wrote, adding that she had not intended to “insult” her country.

The University of Maryland stood by Yang, describing her as a “top student”.

“The university proudly supports Shuping’s right to share her views and her unique perspectives, and we commend her on lending her voice on this joyous occasion,” it said in a statement.</s>Beijing: A young woman from China has drawn criticism on social media after unfavourably comparing her homeland's air and politics to those in the US during her graduation speech at an American university. Speaking at the University of Maryland, Yang Shuping said that coming to the United States had been a breath of "fresh air" after growing up in China.

"The air was so sweet and fresh and utterly luxurious," she said, in a video of the speech posted on YouTube. "The moment I inhaled and exhaled outside the airport, I felt free," she continued, drawing a parallel between China's notorious air pollution and its similarly choking restrictions on political speech.

"People like this, with biased opinions and broken English, should never be allowed to speak publicly as a commencement speaker," said one remark posted under the YouTube video. The site is banned in China.

Commenters who said they hailed from Yang's hometown Kunming accused her of lying about the air quality in the major metropolis in the city's southwest, with many claiming it was as clean as Washington's, near her university's campus.

"The only explanation for her wearing a mask in Kunming is that she's ugly," said one commenter on Weibo, referring to her comment that she had worn one to protect herself from the bad air.

Thinly veiled criticisms of the speech appeared in state-owned media Tuesday, quoting some of the vicious responses.

An article titled "Chinese student at University of Maryland slammed for biased commencement speech" was ranked as the most viewed story on the English-language website of the People's Daily, the Communist Party mouthpiece.

As the criticism piled up, Yang, who majored in psychology and theatre, apologised according to an article in the state-owned tabloid the Global Times, a reaction that seemingly proved her point that there is little space in China for critical speech.

In a statement responding to the uproar, the University of Maryland said "it is critical to hear different viewpoints, to embrace diversity, and demonstrate tolerance when faced with views with which we may disagree."</s>BEIJING — When Yang Shuping spoke Sunday of her eternal gratitude to the University of Maryland for teaching her about “free speech” and showing her that her “voice mattered,” she may not have realized just how much it mattered.

A video of her eight-minute address at her commencement ceremony at the university went viral in China, attracting 50 million views and provoking hundreds of thousands of critical comments by Chinese netizens the following day. Even the People’s Daily, a Communist Party mouthpiece, weighed in, reporting on a crescendo of criticism of Yang for “bolstering negative Chinese stereotypes.”

Accused by nationalist netizens of flattering the United States and belittling China, Yang was forced to make an apology Monday.

“People often ask me: Why did you come to the University of Maryland?” she said in her speech. “I always answer: Fresh air.”

[China’s scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works]

“I grew up in a city in China where I had to wear a face mask every time I went outside, otherwise I might get sick. However, the moment I inhaled and exhaled outside the airport, I felt free,” she said, referring to her arrival in the United States.

“I would soon feel another kind of fresh air for which I will be forever grateful. The fresh air of free speech. Democracy and free speech should not be taken for granted. Democracy and freedom are the fresh air that is worth fighting for.”

She spoke of the awakening of her “burning desire” to tell political stories after she first saw actors openly discussing racism, sexism and politics in “Twilight; Los Angeles,” a play by Anna Deavere Smith about the 1992 riots in that city. Before watching the play, Yang said, she was convinced that only authorities could define the truth.

Yang majored in psychology and theater, leaving China five years ago. But the country she left behind is one where the only permitted truth is that defined by the Communist Party and where dissenting voices are silenced. Online, leading liberal commentators have been largely cowed, and nationalists dominate the debate on social media, many actively encouraged by the authorities. They swiftly rounded on Yang.

[Eleven countries signed a letter slamming China for torturing lawyers. The U.S. did not.]

“China does not need a traitor like you. Just stay in the US and breathe your fresh air. No matter how bad China is, and even though you are speaking of your personal opinion, as a student representative, it is irresponsible of you to paint an inadequate picture of China,” said @Mengmengadezhican.

Another popular comment expressed disappointment in U.S. universities, suggesting without any apparent irony that Yang should not have been allowed to make the remarks.

“Are speeches made there not examined for evaluation of their potential impact before being given to the public?” the commentator wrote.

“Our motherland has done so much to make us stand up among Western countries, but what have you done? We have been working so hard to eliminate the stereotypes the West has put on us, but what are you doing? Don’t let me meet you in the United States; I am afraid I could not stop myself from going up and smacking you in the face.”

[China’s president takes campaign for ideological purity into universities, schools]

The authorities’ delicate sensitivities also appeared to be hurt, with the Kunming city government posting Monday night on social media that the air in the city was “more than likely to be ‘sweet and fresh.’ ”

By Tuesday afternoon in China, the home address of Yang’s family had been shared widely in the commentary sections of local media websites, on Chinese social media posts and even in replies to her social media posts. China’s normally hyperactive censors apparently found no need to suppress that information.

However, some Chinese said Yang was merely speaking the truth.

“You don’t need to apologize. The meaning of studying abroad is to discover the differences and drawbacks of one’s own country. If you only believe your country is the greatest, then what is the point of going abroad? You are speaking about your true feelings, and this is normal. It is not normal to attack normal behavior like this,” wrote @Lijiayu in a reply that received 250 likes.

Others were critical not of Yang’s comments but of the venue in which she chose to make them.

“This kid is too naive. How can you forget the Chinese rule about how to talk once you get to the United States? Just lie or make empty talk instead of telling the truth. Only this will be beneficial for you in China. Now you cannot come back to China,” @Labixiaoxin said.

The Chinese Student and Scholar Association (CSSA) at the University of Maryland, a student body loyal to the Communist Party, quickly produced a video posting pictures of blue skies in their home towns in China, titled “Proud of China UMD.”

An anonymous organizer of the campaign against Yang told the People’s Daily Online that the campaign was meant to show that overseas Chinese students “have never forgotten our motherland or who we are.”

“Insulting the motherland to grab attention is intolerable. The university’s support for such slandering speech is not only ill-considered, but also raises suspicion about other motives,” a former president of the CSSA, Zhu Lihan, told the Global Times, a nationalist tabloid.

According to the Institute of International Education, 328,547 Chinese students studied in U.S. universities in 2015-2016, a more than fivefold increase from a decade ago. Some argue that student bodies like the CSSA are manipulated by the Communist Party to put pressure on students not to criticize Chinese authorities.

In March, Chinese students and alumni at the University of California at San Diego opposed the school’s invitation to the Dalai Lama to speak at its commencement ceremony, threatening “tough measures to resolutely resist the school’s unreasonable behavior.”

But student groups have also tried to defend Chinese students against racially motivated attacks. In February, Chinese students at Columbia University made a video explaining the meaning of their Chinese names after an incident of vandalism.

The University of Maryland released a statement Monday saying it proudly supports Yang’s right to share her views and her unique perspectives.

“To be an informed global citizen, it is critical to hear different viewpoints,” it wrote, also including a link to Yang’s apology on her personal social media page.

“I love my country and home town and I’m proud of its prosperity,” she wrote in the apology, which has been reposted more than 60,000 times.

“I hope to make contributions to it using what I have learned overseas. The speech was just to share my experiences overseas, and I had no intentions of belittling my country and home town. … I am deeply sorry and hope for forgiveness.”

27 years later, China to release the final prisoner from Tiananmen Square protests</s>COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WJZ/AP) — Authorities at the University of Maryland are investigating a noose discovered in a fraternity house.

Local news reports say the noose was found inside the house of the school’s Phi Kappa Tau chapter on April 27.

Police at the university say they are investigating the matter as a hate/bias incident.

The noose was found in the kitchen police say.

Some students are alarmed of the recent racially charged incident on campus.

“The reality of it is that there has always been an underlying racism on campus,” said freshman Morgan Jackson.

“Definitely something very shocking to me,” said junior Marie Clair Alde.

University president Wallace D. Loh said in a Wednesday statement that he condemns “the use of a symbol of violence and hatred for the purpose of intimidating members of our University of Maryland community.”

A recent study by a Maryland professor found students are increasingly segregating themselves.

“It really speaks to the importance of universities doing their job to attract diverse student bodies in the first place,” said UMD professor Julie Park.

It comes weeks after someone posted white supremacy posters on campus at College Park.

The CEO of Phi Kappa Tau said the noose found is inconsistent with the values of the fraternity.

On Tuesday, police at American University in Washington offered a reward for information about an incident in which bananas were found hanging from noose-shaped string on campus. The fruit were marked with the letters AKA, the initials of the predominantly black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook</s>The FBI is investigating the murder of a young black man by a white University of Maryland student as a possible hate crime. Richard Collins III, 23, a student at Bowie State University was stabbed to death by Sean Christopher Urbanski, 22, while waiting for an Uber, police say. University of Maryland Police Chief David Mitchell told reporters that he had sought the help of the FBI after finding out that Maryland student Urbanski was a member of racist Facebook group ‘Alt-Reich: Nation’, according to NBC’s News 4.

"[The Facebook group is] despicable. It shows extreme bias against women, Latinos, members of the Jewish faith and especially African Americans," Mitchell said.

The FBI confirmed that it was involved in the investigation.

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"We are here to evaluate as an ongoing concern...whether or not this was a hate crime," Gordon Johnson, special agent in charge of the FBI field office in Baltimore, told NBC.

Collins, from Calvert County, was due to graduate from Bowie State University this week and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Thursday, according to university officials and a family spokesperson cited by the Baltimore Sun.

The student was with two friends at a bus stop near the University of Maryland’s Montgomery Hall at around 3am on Saturday when he was attacked, police said. Collins was waiting for an Uber since the bus was no longer running when Urbanski approached the group acting erratically and allegedly stabbed Collins.

According to court documents cited by News4, Urbanski said, “Step left, step left if you know what's best for you.”

Collins said “No” as Urbanski continued to approach and stabbed him in the chest area, the documents said.

Police called to the scene found Collins gravely wounded on a sidewalk. He was taken to hospital, where he later died of his injuries.

Urbanski was arrested at the scene, police said, and officers recovered a folding knife.

Pastor Darryl Godlock spoke to WTTG-TV on behalf of Collins’ grieving family, and said that the young officer was celebrating his new commission the night he was killed.

“This was a good kid,” Godlock told the Washington D.C. station. “He was going places and he had high aspirations to achieve all the goals that he set before him as far as his military career.”

“We’re just devastated that his life has been taken away with this senseless act of violence.”

Urbanski is being held without bail.
A speech by a Chinese-national student in the University of Maryland creates controversy.