Chapter 20 Gathering with loved ones at the Los Angeles Olympics

In 1984, the spectacular Olympic Games were to be held in Los Angeles.This is a good opportunity for the Americans to show their faces. Due to the boycott of the Soviet Union at that time, the United States scrambled to hold the Olympic Games well.At that time, it was the first time for China to go to the Olympic stage again, and it was on the other side of the ocean, so it was very important for China to go to this Olympic Games.Residents of Los Angeles are very eager and looking forward to successfully hosting the Olympic Games. When the Chinese heard that their motherland was going to send a huge delegation to the Olympic Games, their enthusiasm was unprecedented.Li Wanruo's heart is the same as that of the majority of Chinese compatriots, but she has a special feeling, that is, she is the mayor of Montgomery, and Los Angeles hosts the Olympic Games. A complete success.Everyone knows that hosting the Olympic Games is an excellent opportunity for a country, especially for the host city, to present its image to the world.As the mayor of Montenegro under Los Angeles, if he doesn't seize this opportunity, he won't be able to explain to the citizens.For this reason, Li Guiruo personally took charge of the battle, launched a public relations battle between the US Olympic Games and the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, and won the right to host hockey and other events in Montreal with her high enthusiasm and solemn commitment.

When the news came out, the residents of the city cheered.On the eve of the Olympic Games, the Organizing Committee held a torch relay. Under the leadership of Mayor Li Wanruo, the city of Montgomery took part in the torch relay, which became the most successful relay event in the United States and was praised by the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee.The hockey game held in Mongolia was a complete success.Not only that, but the city of Montgomery also sends hundreds of volunteers to the main Olympic stadium in Los Angeles every day, and Li Wanruo joined the ranks as an ordinary citizen.

But she thought of one thing more than others, that is, athletes from the motherland should come to Mongolia to reunite with the vast number of Chinese.At that time, this was something that made the local Chinese people very excited.Over the years, Chinese people in the United States have never been able to hold their heads high in the daily environment as their own nation. Whenever they say they are Chinese, they will feel inferior.However, this time at the Los Angeles Olympics, Chinese athletes have been in the limelight. Li Ning's gymnastics and the women's volleyball team's invincibility have made Chinese people all over the United States ecstatic.In those days, regardless of whether the Chinese came from Taiwan or the mainland, as long as there were Chinese athletes participating in the competition, they would spontaneously form a cheerleading team and raise their arms to cheer for the Chinese team. Chinese people in Montenegro and Los Angeles gave up their jobs and businesses every day , voluntarily ran to the competition site to serve the Chinese athletes, and the scene moved people to tears.In many occasions in the past, the Chinese who were born in the United States were reluctant to be mentioned or reminded that they were Chinese. If there was a dispute between a yellow-skinned Oriental and an American on a certain occasion, they would It must be very decisive to speak and do things from the standpoint of the people of the country.This time, however, it was different.As long as the Chinese see Chinese people on the field, they will cheer for their compatriots. Even in the decisive battle between Chinese players and American players, the Chinese will not hesitate to stand on the side of the Chinese.

Many Chinese-American leaders recalled the scene of the Los Angeles Olympics, saying that this was an unforgettable moment when Chinese people cheered for their mother country and compatriots in their mother country.There is a good example in Li Wanruo's family.Her son, Ke Guang, has never lived in China, and only traveled for a short period of time to seek his roots. But when he saw the performance of Chinese athletes at the Los Angeles Olympics, he completely changed. He is a sports fan himself. In those days, he was purely American. As soon as Keguang arrives at the competition field, as long as there are Chinese athletes on the field, he can't help cheering for the Chinese team in English. This kind of innate blood relationship, even Keguang himself can't explain what is going on.

As long as I see people with the same skin color as me behave so tough and beautiful, I feel proud and excited from the bottom of my heart. Really, this is a feeling I have never felt before.It seems that my blood has inherited a kind of Chinese national spirit that can never be lost from the generation of my mother and father!Ke Guang said. Li Wanruo's husband, Chen Baohe, was a different person in the words of the mayor's wife in those days.Usually he is not very interested in anything, especially the things that excite him are hard to find.But the Olympics brought a day-to-day exhilaration to this sultry man.He watched the performance of the Chinese women's volleyball team, especially when he heard that Lang Ping was from Tianjin, he was so happy and proud that he wanted to jump up.Everyone they met said how great he was, Lang Ping, a fellow from Tianjin.The Chinese women's volleyball team is indeed excellent, and the girls have captivated all the Chinese in the United States.In those days, my husband had to try to watch every game involving the Chinese women's volleyball team.If he really couldn’t get out because of work, he also asked me or my son to record the live game for him. He often woke up in the middle of the night and turned on the video recorder to watch it over and over again. Dozens of times stronger than many people in China.On all the competition fields where Chinese athletes appeared, those old Chinese people often went out as a whole family, their voices were hoarse, and they were still gesticulating with their mouths open. They didn't leave reluctantly until the end of each game and the Chinese athletes left the scene.The outstanding performance of Chinese athletes in the Olympic Games has greatly stimulated the patriotic enthusiasm of the Chinese in the United States. This is something I have never seen in the years since I have been in the United States...

When Li Wanruo talked about this period, her eyes sparkled, as if she had returned to the exciting scene of the Los Angeles Olympics. When the Sydney Olympic Games was held 16 years later, Li Wanruo and her husband were invited by the Chinese government to participate in the Global Chinese Leaders Conference in mainland China.This time the Coke ruined the couple, especially the accompanying husband Chen Baohe, who finally made up for his addiction to watching the Los Angeles Olympics in the United States.Because there are very few shots about China in the usual TV programs in the United States. Even during the Los Angeles Olympics, if you don’t watch it live, it is still rare to get a few shots of Chinese athletes winning. This is the so-called American style. Fairness——in Li Wanruo's words, American propaganda organizations really know how to talk about politics!

Li Wanruo accepted my interview just after the Sydney Olympic Games, so her husband was very excited when he told me about it, saying how lucky he was.You said that the first time I saw the outstanding performance of Chinese athletes was at the Los Angeles Olympics, when China made a big splash.This time the Sydney Olympic Games is another time for China to achieve good results. It happened that I was in Beijing. So many TV programs featured our Chinese athletes' competitions, and I really enjoyed watching them.I was amazed that Chen Baohe could memorize all the gold medals and their names that Chinese athletes won in the Sydney Olympic Games.

Talking about the Los Angeles Olympic Games 16 years ago, Li Wanruo was very excited when he saw the patriotic enthusiasm sprouting from the hearts of the majority of Chinese on the one hand, and on the other hand, he was thinking that as the mayor of a city in the Los Angeles area, his relatives from the motherland have arrived at the door , How can I not show the friendship of the landlord and entertain the athletes who have made great contributions to China and the Chinese people all over the world?Li Wanruo shared his thoughts with his family and several Chinese-Americans, and everyone agreed, saying that as long as athletes from the motherland can be invited to our city, we will give you what Mayor Li wants.happy!If Li Wan is a person who always talks about efficiency in doing things, and there are very few things that cannot be done with her.

One day, famous athletes such as Lang Ping and Li Ning, who had shined in the Olympic Games, were welcomed to one of the most luxurious restaurants in the city of Mongolia with a warm scene like a wedding ceremony.As the mayor, Li Wanruo solemnly entertained the athletes of the motherland and officials of the sports delegation.When Chinese from all walks of life heard about it, they all flocked to the streets, hoping to see their loved ones.At this time, all the Chinese completely forgot about the usual political disputes with each other, and even the local Chinese newspapers "China Times" and "World Journal", which are controlled by Taiwan's political forces, all carried out extensive reports.At the grand celebration banquet, Li Wanruo's father, Mr. Li Yaolin, a senior legislator of Taiwan's Legislative Council, also arrived at the scene with great enthusiasm, and he kept vying to take photos with the mainland athletes.When the pro-Taiwan news reporter pointed the microphone at him, the old man said loudly: This is the pride of the Chinese people, and also the pride of all Chinese people.Seeing the outstanding performance of young people such as Lang Ping and Li Ning, I am so old, I feel like I am ten years younger!Needless to say, Li Wanruo, usually when she appeared on the stage, people rushed to take pictures with her, but this time she rushed to take pictures with Lang Ping and Li Ning, and the scene was unforgettable.

In the early summer of 2002, when we met Li Wanruo again in Beijing for the publication of this book, the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games had already been firmly in the hands of the Chinese.When Li Wanruo talked about this matter, she was naturally very interested. She told me that all Chinese in the United States have full confidence in China's hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games.At that time, my husband Baohe and I will definitely come back to watch the Beijing Olympics.That is our own family's business, and we must make it the most exciting, most grand, and most complete Olympic Games for which the whole world pays attention!Li Wanruo said so.