American "fresh air" speech caused uproar, Chinese students apologized

By sam lyimo jr.
A Chinese student has apologised following a furious reaction to her US graduation speech that praised the "fresh air of democracy".Speaking at the University of Maryland, Yang Shuping drew a parallel between air pollution in China and the country's restrictions on free speech.

Angry Chinese social media users accused her of denigrating her homeland and told her to stay in the US.But the university backed her, saying it was vital to hear different views.

Ms Yang - who was selected by the university to speak - contrasted wearing a face mask against pollution with the "sweet and fresh" air in the US."The moment I inhaled and exhaled outside the airport, I felt free," she said in a video of the speech posted on YouTube.

"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 continued.

Many Chinese social media users are angry, including Chinese colleagues from the University of Maryland, who have produced their own YouTube videos and accused Ms. Yang of "misrepresenting." Jiang Xinliang, one of the 4,444 students, said China "is still making progress" and "needs to accept outside suggestions," but said Ms. Yang's comments amount to "deception and lies."
 
 The municipal government of Kunming, a city in southwest China where it is located, also expressed an opinion, saying that the air quality has been good almost every day so far this year, adding: “In Kunming, the air is likely to be 'sweet and cool.' 

 People The newspaper also accused her of making "biased" comments. 
 Faced with mounting shock, Ms. Yang released a statement on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, saying that she was "shocked and disturbed" by his response to her speech and "deeply loved" her homeland. 

 "I apologize and sincerely hope that everyone can forgive me. I've learned my lesson, ”he wrote. 
 Despite this, he has the support of his university, which in a statement said: “Listening and respecting our people who disagree is a fundamental skill. Either inside or outside the university. 
 Some Weibo users agreed: "It seems that even if the Chinese go to the United States, they do not have freedom of expression," said a netizen.

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