Gu Ailing: A Lightning Blazing the Era of Post-Millennials

8th February, Gu Ailing representing China in the freestyle skiing women’s free-ski big air final at Beijing Winter Olympics

Picture by Lan Hongguang, Xinhua News Agency           

Although we have expected entering very soon into the era of post-millennials, it is still a happy surprise for Gu Ailing to blaze this era. Like a lighting, she gives the world new meaning. We believe that Gu Ailing will rapidly become an icon, a logo for post-millennial culture.

First, Gu Ailing epitomizes the spirit of sports: instead of defeating others, we break through our own limits. She means for the world to see this spirit and encourages more girls to go beyond boundaries. This spirit is refreshed by Winter Olympics and specifically snow sports. As sports are competitive, athletes set defeating others as their utmost goal. Such mindset also permeates through the whole society. However, this mindset has never been the ceiling capping anyone with true sportsmanship. This time, an 18-year-old girl reaffirmed the spirit and shook the world. Her mother suggested that to get a medal, Gu needed to choose the securer move. But Gu wanted to challenge herself and made her first ever attempt at the double cork 1620. Gu’s choice may be the biggest surprise of post-millennials. If the world trusts her, Gu will create miracles. When she knew she were the gold medalist, Gu waited and comforted the French athlete Tess Ledeux just like an elder sister. Her behavior deserves to be applauded, not as a good manner but as an embodiment of sports spirit and an inherent quality of post-millennials.

Second, Gu Ailing reveals the true meaning of growing up. Gu has always been a “talent”, a “straight-A” student. But to grow up, she must better understand herself. In an article on New York Times, Gu shared her thoughts: people need not ignore fear but should cultivate in-depth self-awareness and evaluate risks carefully and prudently; in this way, people establish a unique relationship with fear. Gu can capture even the most subtle changes in her mood and has learned to adapt to and overcome pressure in the sport she loves. She thus grows up as a better self. Having always been praised as the best, Gu is lucky; her growing up is filled with love and trust. For young people, even the slightest encouragement drives them forward. However, many parents and teachers are too good at criticizing but unable to praise. Wang Yangming, a philosopher in ancient China, has maintained that education is to encourage young people and once they are fully motivated, their progress is unstoppable. Encouragement and recognition are what we need to pass on in our education. From Gu’s story we could see that young people need teachers and coaches that can encourage them, point out their shortcomings and most importantly grow up with them. Outside pressure can only contribute to skills while love and trust become the true inner force driving young people forward.

At last, Gu Ailing represents the world citizenship of young people in modern society. Gu represents both best qualities of Chinese people and elements of success in American society. It is difficult to discern in Gu the influence of her grandmother and of her parents, or the contribution of studies in Beijing and at Stanford. It is unlikely to rank piano, ballet, basketball and skiing or to pit her fluent English against her Chinese with a slight Beijing accent. All these shaped Gu Ailing and other post-millennials with a decent material life. They are the lucky ones in the modern society. They grow up in and are free to travel among major countries like China and the US. They have accepted modern education to acquire broad horizon and scientific thinking. They are healthy and beautiful. Gu and her peers are the flowers blooming thanks to the modern world over the past two decades and the major fruits of modernization.

Gu Ailing herself cannot be replicated but the way she grew up can be extrapolated, at least starting with China and the US. Gu Ailing always said that she is American when in the US and Chinese when in China. This well represents the worldview of post-millennials. As adults, we should encourage teenagers to think anew about the role of their generation in the world. People are no longer restricted to a narrow place but world citizens in a new era. Gu Ailing and other lucky ones like her have grown up and set examples. We thus have every reason to wish the best for the world they have grown up in, every reason to build a community with a shared future for mankind, to overcome temporary difficulties and divisions and to create a better future for more young people to grow up with freedom.

Post-millennials are coming. The best support we can offer them is just like what the Winter Olympic Games do: a broad and snow-white space for them to play and prosper in.

(This article was first published in Chinese on the WeChat public account of "China Youth" magazine, by author Pi Jun.)