On the evening of July 29, 2021, the focus of the American women's gymnastics all-around final shifted from gymnastics to 18-year-old Miao girl Sunisa Lee.
Biles' exit puts Sunisa in charge of not only continuing the glory of American women's gymnastics in the sport, but also making history. The Minnesota-born girl, with an Asian face and an authentic American accent, is both a source of pride for the Hmong and a struggle for status for minorities in the United States.
By studying the family background and upbringing of Sunisha, a "second-generation migrant from Laos", we were able to gain insight into the living conditions of the Hmong since they immigrated to the United States.
From southwest China to Southeast Asia, and then to the other side of the United States, there are now more than 300,000 "Miao immigrants" in the United States.
Therefore, the success of every Hmong in the United States is the most powerful memory of this period of history. From China to the World: The Birth of an International Nation. Unlike other ethnic minorities in China, the Miao have a large population and footprints can be found almost all over the world.
Whether in the United States, Europe or Australia, you can find thriving Hmong communities. It can be said that the Miao nationality has transcended the limitations of geography and has truly become a cosmopolitan and international nation.
In China, the Miao have long been considered descendants of Jiuli, whose origins can be traced back to the famous ancient leader Chiyou. However, from the failure of Chiyou to compete in the Central Plains, Jiuli was forced to move westward, and later due to various ethnic problems, the Miao people moved from Hubei to the Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan region.
Then, during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, several branches of the Miao people followed different routes into Laos, Burma, Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia. After living in China for dozens of generations, some of them eventually left their hometowns and were ready to start a new life in a new environment.
Historically, one of the main reasons for the westward migration of the Miao people was that the ethnic policy at that time was not friendly enough to ethnic minorities. At that time, the regime's jurisdiction over the southwest region was disordered, which led to the intensification of the Miao people, and the Miao people lived in hardship under exploitation and discrimination, and had to find another way out.
Southeast Asian countries bordering China and having similar natural environments have become the first choice for Miao people to move westward. Most of the Hmong people entered Laos via Yunnan, hoping to start fresh in a foreign land, but ethnic problems plagued them one after another.
Despite the growing number of Hmong people in Laos, they have not been able to integrate into the local society because they are seen as "immigrants" and are treated hostilely by the indigenous population.
This is not only because of the natural antagonistic relationship between the local aborigines and immigrants, but also because the Hmong people's worship of ghosts and gods and close tribal relations have caused panic among the Lao natives.
In order to maintain their absolute dominance, the Laotians erected sharp barriers against the advanced production methods and mystical culture brought by the Hmong. As a result, the Hmong remain marginalized in local society and unable to be accepted as the mainstream group, despite their numerical growth.
The patient Hmong people are looking forward to a turnaround, and the chaos in Southeast Asia after World War II has brought them opportunities. In this chaotic era, heroes have emerged, and it has also opened up a new way for the Miao people to survive.
Leader Wang Bao, known as the "Lion of the Miao Nationality", was keenly aware that the time had come for the Miao people to wait when France withdrew from Southeast Asia and the United States took over. They will use the roots they have cultivated for many years to add fuel to this force.
They are willing to be pawns in the hands of others, but they must make their voices heard on the world stage.
From the vertical and horizontal battles on the battlefield in Vietnam to the duel with the Pathet Lao army led by the Communist Party of Laos, the Miao army led by Wang Bao relied on its own advantages, like a sharp ** in the hands of the United States, affecting the trend of many wars.
The Miao people are brave, and they are not afraid of life and death in the face of desperate situations. They hope to create a bright future for the Miao people through their blood, sweat and dedication. However, it is amazing that the powerful United States also suffered a defeat on the battlefield in Vietnam, and as a pawn of the United States, the Hmong people, after paying a huge price, were greeted by the crazy revenge and counterattack of the ruling party in Laos.
The United States' favor for the Miao army led by Wang Bao stems from his excellent understanding of military affairs and his unique ability to control the Miao people. In fact, the Hmong army is more like a mercenary force of the United States on the battlefield in Southeast Asia.
Wang Bao is training for the United States"Special Forces"At the same time, it is also planning and executing"Guerrilla warfare"with"Blitzkrieg"。However, while he sent his fellow Miao people to the battlefield, he also made them victims of war.
Countless Hmong soldiers died heroically in the war, while many more Hmong civilians died in hardship fleeing famine, disease and starvation.
Wang Bao and the Miao people are betting on their future fate, yet many of their compatriots have left this world in the dark. Since the outbreak of the Vietnam War, Wang's army has controlled large swathes of northeastern Laos, even building 20 airfields there, providing convenient air support to the United States while keeping the Lao Communist Party helpless.
However, with the withdrawal of the United States from Southeast Asia in 1973, the Miao army, which had lost its American support, began to retreat. After the Lao People's Revolutionary Party took power, it launched an encirclement and suppression attack on Wang Bao's "special forces", and Wang Bao and his troops began to withdraw from Laos, but the Miao civilians who remained in the mountains were not so lucky.
In the process of suppressing Wang Bao's troops in Laos, innocent Miao civilians also became victims of the war. According to records, this encirclement and suppression operation resulted in the death of at least 100,000 Miao people, who suffered a severe **, and in desperation, they had no choice but to embark on the road of escape again, this time they chose the United States on the other side of the ocean as their new home.
The U.S. agreed to accept some of the refugees in coordination between Thailand** and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), but the number of migrants was determined by their status in the Hmong community.
It is worth mentioning that Wang Bao and his senior ** officers obtained legal immigration status in the United States as CIA employees, but for ordinary Hmong people, the journey to the United States is undoubtedly full of hardships.
Under the pressure of domestic and foreign difficulties, 260,000 Hmong people left their homes and set foot on American soil. A few have chosen to settle in other countries, but some have returned to the mountains of Laos with a difficult fate.
In a sense, the Hmong people who grew up on the East Asian continent, like the Jews, struggled to survive through migration and hardship for a long time. However, unlike the Jews, the Hmong lack a deep culture and an advanced education system to support them, which makes them only able to low-end jobs in different national societies.
They endure the cold eyes of others, but it is difficult to see the light of hope.
Under the resettlement of the United States**, the Hmong were dispersed to the Minnesota and Long Beach areas of California. Like their ancestors, they toiled on American soil, but could not experience the prosperity and opulence of the metropolis.
Although the United States is a migrant country, discrimination against Hmong and even Asians here has only increased. At the same time, they must face a culture shock that is completely different from their own traditions, and they must hold on to their culture in order to guarantee the continuation of civilization.
However, how to balance the contradiction between Hmong culture and the "free and outgoing" social atmosphere of the United States in this process is a key challenge.
Although the Statue of Liberty shows the world freedom and hope, not everyone is able to achieve their dreams in this land. For example, Hmong, Asian, and minority groups have been treated unkindly in the United States during their development.
From accepting only some Miao immigrants to revising immigration policies, these "guides" who walked in front of American GIs did not receive sufficient attention and help. It can be said that the acceptance of the Hmong by the United States was only motivated by humanitarian and United Nations pressure, and their living problems were not properly resolved.
In fact, the life of the Hmong people in the United States, who are not highly educated and do not understand the language, can be said to be difficult.