A Chinese student who gave a speech at University of Maryland's commencement ceremony this weekend has come under fire from netizens after criticizing China's pollution and praising the United States for fresh air.
Yang Shuping, a native of Kunming, Yunnan who graduated with degrees in psychology and theater studies and a minor in German, delivered a speech on Sunday explaining her reasons for choosing UMD:
“People often ask me: Why did you come to the University of Maryland? I always answer: Fresh air. Five years ago, as I step off the plane from China, and left the terminal at Dallas Airport. I was ready to put on one of my five face masks, but when I took my first breaths of American air. I put my mask away. The air was so sweet and fresh, and utterly luxurious. I was surprised by this. 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...
“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...
“Freedom is oxygen. Freedom is passion. Freedom is love. And as a French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once said, ‘freedom is a choice.’ Our future is dependent on the choices we make, today and tomorrow. We are all playwrights of the next chapters of our lives. Together we write the human history. My friends, enjoy the fresh air and never ever let it go.”
Watch the full speech below (VPN on):
According to the South China Morning Post, Yang's speech has sparked outrage among netizens in China, who say that claims made during the speech are "false," "belittling" and "discrediting."
“I feel so ashamed of her humiliating our country in front of the whole university," wrote one commenter on Youtube. "China is such a great developing country and I’ve always been proud of being a Chinese. I don’t understand why the hell she’s doing this. What a loser."
"She deserves a green card and [to] stay in US forever," wrote another.
Commenters on a critical piece going viral on Chinese social media are also blasting Yang for the pollution statements (translation via Quartz):
“The air in our country is bad, [but] this is not the problem. She is flattering Americans by saying our country is flawed. We are Chinese, between one another we can discuss what is wrong with our country, but we still love our homeland.”
Some have pointed out that Yang's hometown of Kunming is known for having better air quality than other Chinese cities. Even the Kunming local government had something to say about the speech, reportedly noting on its Weibo account that it had 100 percent clean air days in recent days.
Fellow Chinese students at UMD took things a step further by uploading a video criticizing Yang's speech. Watch below (VPN on):
Following the backlash, Yang has since apologized on Weibo, saying that the response was "unexpected and disturbing":
“The speech was only to share my own experience abroad and did not have any intention of denying or belittling my country and home town. I deeply apologise and sincerely hope everyone can understand, have learned my lesson for the future...
“I deeply love my country and my home town, I feel extremely proud of my country’s prosperous development and I hope in the future to use my time abroad to promote Chinese culture, contributing positively for my country.”
UMD, meanwhile, released a statement supporting Yang's speech.
[Top image via University of Maryland]
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