Chinese student faces ire for praising freedom of speech in US

The University of Maryland stood by Yang Shuping and described her as a top student

Nationalists in China have abused a Chinese student after she used her graduation address at a US university to celebrate the freedom of speech in the country.

Five years ago, Yang Shuping, a psychology and theatre graduate from Yunnan province, came to study at a US university amid a clampdown on academia back home.

“Every breath was a delight along with the freedom to speak out,” Yang said during her graduation speech. “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 minute graduation address, Yang said she was inspired by her American classmates and took part in political protests. She even recalled the performance of an Anna Deavere Smith play about the 1992 riots which focused on racism, sexism and politics.

“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.

Back in China, a communist party newspaper published a video of her speech that went viral and invited an immense amount of backlash. Considering a one-party China, where there has been an offensive against free speech, Yang’s comments proved to be contentious.

People started attacking and accusing Yang for denigrating China. One person even wrote that she has demonised China with the nonsense she spoke about.

Another internet user called on others to dig up dirt on her family and started an online campaign known as “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?” one user asked.

Even state-run newspapers fanned the flames of controversy by quoting an anonymous student saying that talking about free speech publicly was “mean and immature”. The student even accused Yang of “radical opinions".



“What you gave is not free speech, but rumour-mongering and favour-currying … Your freedom cannot stand, either factually or morally,” said another anonymous student.

However, after hearing and reading so much criticism, Yang issued an apology saying she’s sorry for the speech and hopes to be forgiven. “I did not intend to insult my country,” she added.

The University of Maryland stood by Yang and described 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.

 

This article originally appeared on The Guardian.