Xinhua Wants Jeremy Lin to Give Up US Citizenship & Play for China

Today’s most popular video on popular Chinese video sharing website Youku currently has over 1.5 million views, over 6000 comments, and over 30,000 downvotes after just being uploaded yesterday.

The video features television presenter Tu Lei making fun of an article by Xinhua News, the official press agency of the Chinese government, for calling on recent ethnic Chinese NBA basketball sensation Jeremy Lin (Chinese name: Lin Shuhao) to join the Chinese national men’s basketball team for the 2012 London Summer Olympics…

On Youku:

Lin Shuhao: Xinhua wants you to go home to play basketball

The television presenter is sharing and responding to the following Xinhua news article:

On KDNet, iFeng, and many others:

Xinhua: Lin Shuhao [Jeremy Lin], please make up your mind, seize the opportunity, and take up Chinese citizenship

Xinhua, Beijing February 15 sports report. News Analysis: Demand for Lin Shuhao [Jeremy Lin] to join the Chinese men’s national basketball team high, there is hope, but much difficulty

Xinhua reporter Wang Yong.

Lin Shuhao [Jeremy Lin], this once unfamiliar name to Chinese basketball fans, has now like Yao Ming become a well-known basketball star in China. Lin Shuhao has recently had stellar performances in the NBA, resulting in increasing calls for him to join the Chinese national men’s basketball team for this year’s London Olympics. However, the difficulty of him joining the Chinese team is relatively big. […]

When interviewing the Chinese Basketball Association over the hot topic of inviting Lin Shuhao to join the Chinese national men’s basketball team, this Xinhua reporter learned that there are many obstacles, with the largest obstacle being the problem of Lin Shuhao’s nationality/citizenship. To become a member of the Chinese national men’s basketball team, Lin Shuhao would have to give up his current American citizenship and take up Chinese citizenship. […]

If this “call” is to become a reality, it requires the Chinese Basketball Association to make practical efforts in attracting talent, and requires even more that Lin Shuhao to make up his mind and seize the opportunity. Yao Ming, as someone who is familiar with this overseas ethnic Chinese basketball player from Zhejiang province of China, said in an interview that if Lin Shuhao really could join, it would definitely help the Chinese national men’s basketball team.

The television presenter expresses obvious contempt for the Xinhua article saying, “I personally really wonder if that this journalist has previously written too many speeches for government leaders. Confidence is a good thing, but this is just wishful thinking.”

He then says China’s media still needs to train itself and that he personally prefers that Jeremy Lin stay in the NBA because having someone with “yellow skin and black eyes” successful in the world’s highest level of basketball competition is what Asians can be proud of.

Comments on Youku:

河蟹的锅:

Fantasizing, once again fantasizing.

laoda219:

It is Obama who should take up Chinese nationality.

jhf1000:

Shameless Xinhua.

尛柏怪:

You think Jeremy Lin has become retarded from playing basketball?

体育之王:

Saw a really niu comment: “He’s eating his food happily and you decide to go over there and say, ‘hey, want to come eat shit?'”

暖枫吹涞:

Can you not do such embarrassing things! Fuck! China!!

天下乌鸦一般黑0:

It’s Xinhua, you know how it is.

shaman肉肉:

Xinhua, I really don’t know what to say…

冰封莱科宁:

Be careful, the Koreans might come out and claim Jeremy Lin [as their own].

jay9433: (responding to above)

You’re right, who belongs to what country is not for us to decide, but for Koreans-simida to decide.

我的开场白:

Even if he didn’t stay in America, he would go back to Taiwan to play basketball, how does this relate to the mainland??? I don’t get it…

zwh2p2p:

If you have nothing to do, go demand the children of Chinese government officials to give up their foreign citizenship.

精灵弟弟:

Motherfucking, is this embarrassing or what? Do you fucking want to be the laughing stock of our Taiwanese compatriots and all Chinese around the world?

廖易廖:

Hahaha, this can be selected as this year’s biggest joke.

黑豆007:

Stop making fun of Korea, the entire world is China’s.

saleman20:

He’d be a stupid cunt if he came back… So many people want to get out, and you expect him to come back~~~!!!!!!!!@@@!!!!@@@!!!@!

v無戀:

Xinhua, mental retards?

海岔口:

Does the journalist who wrote this article have Korean blood, thinking everything is his?

Meu初初:

Stop being so embarrassing…

fenghainingyun:

He [Jeremy Lin] is a smart person. With China’s government, culture, education, sanitation environment being so poor, who would want to come back?

莫孤客:

This is the funniest piece of news I have seen recently!!!

难以开口的话:

How does Xinhua have such a stupid cunt of a journalist?

骂我者全家出车祸:

Nonsense, do Africans call for America’s black people to go home [to Africa]?

雯鑫雕龙:

Truly crazy, he was born in America, how could it be possible?

hf2004g4703:

“Make up your mind, seize the opportunity?” Lin Shuhao doesn’t even want to come to China to play basketball, and you make it sound as if Lin Shuhao is begging to come back.

1024152:

Xinhua, stop embarrassing yourselves.

mdpxsw:

I’ve never seen such shamelessness! Pei!

老Paul:

This stupid…going back to mainland China to play ball? Even if he were to go back, it would be to Taiwan… Just leave it at ethnic Chinese, don’t make it as if all ethnic Chinese are the same as Chinese [nationals]…

少爷帅气⑩足:

Allow me to go out and say I am Chinese and even I think this is embarrassing!