Editor’s note: Mr. Liu resides in Oriental. He is not related to Alysa Liu or her family.
After America’s 24-year hiatus from winning the gold for women’s figure skating, Alysa Liu’s medal in Milan was a miraculous and magical moment – but it was only a part of her remarkable story. Understandably her father was seen on camera beaming with pride and overcome with joy. Sure, any proud parent would have reacted as Arthur Liu upon witnessing such a spectacular moment of achievement by his beloved daughter. What is even more meaningful, however, was as Alysa Liu herself said on camera, “it’s all about the journey.” This was no ordinary proud parental moment; this was a celebration of American freedom triumphant over oppressive communist tyranny.
Arthur Liu escaped the People’s Republic of China and the persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. He was 25 years old when he participated in the student democracy movement. The CCP sent in tanks to crush the peaceful protesters murdering untold thousands in Beijing then rounded up and imprisoned organizers from around the country ending attempts at the democratic challenge against the authoritarian communist regime. Arthur Liu took refuge in the United States and built a new life for his family in freedom. As Alysa gained notoriety winning the American national women’s figure skating championship at age 13, the CCP came after the family sending spies to threaten and intimidate them on American soil. It took the FBI and round the clock protection to keep the family safe. US authorities protected the Liu family’s safety preserving their right to live a free and productive life in America. The Liu family’s journey from tyranny is that underlying story which makes this father’s jubilance that much more glorious and poignant!
Alysa Liu’s magical Gold Medal moment was especially moving to me not merely because I too am an American of Chinese decent but because during the evening of June 3, 1989, I was on a long distance phone call with my business partner in Hong Kong. He had the news on in the background as we spoke. Then we witnessed the beginning of the massacre in Tiananmen Square moments before the total news blackout. Things went horribly wrong with the peaceful student protest. My partner became overcome with emotions because he knew exactly what had just happened. The official word from Beijing was that two hundred or so protesters were arrested or had perished for resisting authorities but by independent accounts countless thousands were massacred, they were simply erased by the CCP as if the government was just mopping up a nuisance spillage with no regard to human life.
My partner escaped the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong in the 60s away from the persecution and murder of millions during Mao Zedong’s horrific Cultural Revolution. Under Britain’s democratic rule in Hong Kong, he and his family were free and they prospered. The Tiananmen Square massacre was especially heartbreaking for him because after more than two decades since Mao’s reign of terror people held out hope that a moderating Communist China may at long-lasting respect basic human rights. Alas, the events that night in June of 1989 demonstrated that the CCP was still as brutal a regime as the worst days under Mao Zedong.
It is no small miracle that a young man who participated in the pro-democracy movement in China escaped the crushing tank treads dispatched by the Communist leadership to erase their cries for freedom. That same young man chose American freedom, left his homeland and took refuge in the USA. Today, as a proud American patriot he celebrates his daughter’s magical moment bringing home an Olympic Gold to America. Most of us couldn’t possibly fathom the kind of emotions Arthur Liu must have been experiencing but I would wager that nothing could be more remarkable than this for he knows that as a patriotic American immigrant the Liu family’s moment was also profoundly a triumphant gesture to the world for American Liberty.
Alysa Liu’s Gold Medal win is celebrated at a time when our politics could not be more divisive or toxic. As model American immigrants Alysa Liu and her family’s story exemplify the best of the best vis a vis their values, their pursuit of excellence, hard work, sacrifice, perseverance, love of family and their love of country. There may be Democrats who might take exception to my drawing a comparison between the Liu family I consider “model American immigrants” compared to those non-Americans who entered the United States uninvited. The stark differences simply cannot be overstated. The Lius are great Americans, and America can’t be more proud of them. Legal status aside, it is their love of country and respect for the United States that sets them apart from those foreigners who would be in this country to exploit America’s largess yet disrespect our traditions and our rule of law. Is there any question when it comes to the issue of immigration what kind of people America should embrace? To me it is unequivocal that Alysa Liu and her family are models that will be hard to beat.
Dexter is a frequent contributor to the County Compass.
