I love Eileen Gu. Not just because of her incredible achievements or her beauty, but because of her immense sense of agency and resilient spirit.
There is a famous Chinese wuxia novel called Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. The protagonist, Qiao Feng, was raised in the Song Empire. He was brave, righteous, and hailed as a great hero. However, when it was revealed that he was actually by blood a Khitan (the enemy empire), his dual identity became his "original sin." The Song people cursed him as a traitor, while the Khitans never fully trusted him either.
Today, Eileen Gu faces the exact same interrogation from our era: "Are you the American Eileen Gu, or the Chinese Gu Ailing?"
The dilemma discussed in a novel 60 years ago remains unsolved today. The masses can be cruel; while they put idols on a pedestal, subconsciously, they also wait for them to fall just to step on them and gain a sense of psychological balance. In truth, a person's value should never be defined by bloodline or nationality, but by their actions and soul. Yet, modern society still hasn't figured this out. People are still obsessed with "checking backgrounds" and forcing people to "pick a side," completely ignoring their actual talent and contributions.
I've watched many of Eileen's interviews, and beneath the tearing forces of public opinion, she is not without pain. She admitted that she cries often. But after crying, she wipes her tears and returns to the competition the next day. She never claims to be perfect; she embraces being a normal human being. What moves me the most is her wish for other girls. When girls look at her, she wants them to think, "I can do that too," rather than, "Only a genius like Eileen Gu can do that."
In the novel, Qiao Feng's story ends in suicide. Caught between two empires, refusing to betray the land that raised him or the land that birthed him, he simply couldn't find a place to exist in a world obsessed with binary opposition.
But I firmly believe this will never be Eileen Gu's ending. She has already genuinely inspired countless girls in China to bravely try skiing and break boundaries. In the future, she will undoubtedly transcend these narrow prejudices and become a driving force for even more women.
