Q:
One thing we've been trying to verify...are you still a US citizen or how does that work?
A:
I was always being super outspoken in my gratitude to the US and to the US team as well. They have nothing but supportive to me, and so for that I'm forever grateful. And same to the Chinese team, you know, they've been so supportive to me. And it sounds like sport is really a way that we can unite people and something like that. It doesn't have to be related to the nationality and it's not something that can be used to divide people. We are all out here together, pushing the human limit. When the other two athletes were going through their own emotions at the end. And I really went over to them and I made it clear that I won because of them. That because they had inspired me so much, they had made me the skier that I was. So I kind of want to express my gratitude to them as well. We are all out here doing this together, we pushing the sport together, especially women's skiing.
Q:
We understand you are trying to unite people through sports which is a great thing, but you are not clear if you still have American citizenship and if you live in US or in China from now on.
A:
So I grew up spending 25%~30% of every year in China. I mean, as you guys all know now from me answering questions. I’m fluent Mandarin and English. I'm fluent culturally in both. I have family coming from Beijing. My mum grew up in Beijing. Actually I was just saying, you can see that there is like a tower here that you can see from the top of the course, and I can also see it from my house in Beijing. So I really felt like there was a sense of coming home, eating food that my grand-ma makes for me at home here in the Olympic village. So I don't definitely feel as though I'm just as American as I'm a Chinese. I'm American when I'm in the US and I'm Chinese when I'm in China, and I 've been very outspoken about my gratitude to both US and China for making the person who I am. I don't feel as though I’m, you know, taking advantage of one or the other. Because both have actually been incredibly supportive of me and continue to be supportive of me. Because they understand that my mission is to use sport as a force for unity, to use it as a form to foster interconnection between countries and not use it as a divisive force. So that benefits everyone and if you disagree with that, then I feel like that’s someone else’s problem.
Q:
You’ve spoken very eloquently about trying to keep everyone from China and US happy. I was wondering how hard is it for you to balance those two things, particularly when you get criticism on social media especially in America for your performance.
A:
Absolutely. Thank you for that question. I think that...here is the thing, I'm not trying to keep anyone happy. I'm a 18-year-old girl out here living my best life. like, I'm having a great time. You know, it doesn't really matter if other people are happy or not, because I feel as though, I'm doing my best and I'm enjoying the entire process and I’m using my voice to create as much as positive change as I can for the voices will listen to me in an area that is personal and relevant to myself. So I know that I had a good heart and I know that my reasons for making my decisions I do are based on a greater common interest and something I feel like it's for the greater good. And so if other people don't really believe that’s where I’m coming from and that just reflects that they do not have the empathy to empathize with a good heart, perhaps because they don't share the same kind of morals that I do. Andin that sense, I'm not going to waste my time trying to placate people who are one, uneducated and two, probably are never going to experience the kind of joy, and gratitude and just love that I have great the fortune to experience on a daily basis. So yeah, if people don't believe me, and if people don't like me, then that's their loss, they never going to be in the Olympics. So.
outspoken adj. 坦率的，直言不讳的
go through one’s emotions 经历痛苦
as though 好像，仿佛
foster v. 促进，培养；领养，收养
divisive adj. 有争议的，造成分裂的
eloquently adv. 善辩地；富于表现力地
in that sense 从这层意义上
placate v. 平息，安抚；怀柔
on a daily basis 每天
