Chinese student faces fury after commencement remarks go viral

University of Maryland graduate praises U.S. for its ‘fresh air of free speech’

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 on Monday.

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

“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.

“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 commenter 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.”

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.