The Winter Olympics expose the harsh reality of China’s social media

China is hosting the Winter Olympics and two of its athletes highlight the incredible complexity of the country’s social media – and attitude to the rest of the world in general.

Eileen Gu is the poster girl. Born in the US to an American father and a Chinese mother, she chose to represent China at the Games. Gu won gold and is a national hero. Figure skater Zhu Yi, is also an American born Chinese woman who has faced intense criticism after falling in several of her events.

Jennifer Hsu, a research fellow at the Lowy Institute focusing on Chinese culture and media, says the different responses to the two recruited Olympians, provides a snapshot of China’s social media influence. And how the government of China is working with young sportspeople – and social media - to portray a ‘new’ China to the rest of the world.

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