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. 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. 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.
A speech by a Chinese-national student in the University of Maryland creates controversy.