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| Vincent Zhou |
For the Chinese American athletes in the Olympics, competing in Beijing has significance that goes beyond their sport.
The city of Beijing and the country of China is the ancestral home of the Chinese American athletes, many still have family there.
"My grandparents still live here. Much of my extended family does. So this is almost like a second hometown to me," says figure skater Vincent Zhou.
Speaking about her father, who fled the country for his pro-democracy activities, 16-year old Alysa Liu told the Today Show before leaving for Beijing. "Obviously we still love the country of China, even after my dad left because of the government."
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| Alysa Liu |
"This is still his homeland, and he's very happy that I get to go to China again ... Just going back to China will make me feel good."
Nathan Chen, the United States' top men''s figure skater has fond memories of a visit to Beijing, his mother's hometown.
"I remember going to the Beijing Zoo," when he was younger, says Chen. "So like every time when we're driving from the (Olympic) Village here, I see the Beijing Zoo and am like, ‘Oh, I was here when I was 10.’"So it's kind of cool to be able to see that. Also just hear stories from my mom growing up in Beijing and being like, ‘Wow, you know, I'm here,’" he tells the Associated Press.
"Hopefully at some point after the Games are over, I'll be able to explore Beijing a little bit more," added Chen.
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| Kai Owens |
“It becomes full circle when I step off that plane in China,” Kai Owens told The Associated Press before arriving in Beijing. “When my skis touch the snow in China, it’s going to be a really special moment for me because I get to ski in the Olympic Games in my birth country. It’s crazy how life works,” said the freestyle skiier, who was adopted when she was an infant by her Colorado parents.
“Every time I’m on the bus, I’m just looking out and studying the city and just imagining my roots are here, my ancestors are here,” says Chock, whose father is Chinese-Hawaiian. “And it’s a very cool sense of belonging in a way, to just be on the same soil that your ancestors grew up on and spent their lives on.”
“It’s really special, and China holds a really special place in my heart,” she told the AP.
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