4 min read

From Ski-Slopes to Runways, Eileen GU Means Business

From Ski-Slopes to Runways, Eileen GU Means Business

Too busy to get your daily dose of RADII? We got you every Tuesday with a summary of all the freshest takes on China’s youth culture in the last week.

  • Meet Eileen Gu, a skiing prodigy, world champion, fashion model and 200% badass.
  • This new podcast unpacks modern China from fresh perspectives.
  • Guess you can't spell quARanTine without Art. Artist creates fantastical illustrations to conquer quarantine boredom.
  • The sequel to the highest-grossing film in Chinese history has a release date — and it’s soon.
  • The success of this video is another example of how people in China are becoming more aware of the pressure put on women to look a certain way.
  • Whether you credit government promotion, Olympic hype, or the rising star of Chinese-American skier Eileen Gu, the fact still stands — interest in skiing is growing in China.

Intrigued? Keep scrolling, my friend.

The Inspiring Backstory of Pro Freestyle Skier and Model Eileen Gu

“Guess u could say I like gold hard(wear) around my neck,” wrote 18-year-old professional freestyle skier Eileen Gu under a photo she posted on Instagram in November of last year. In the image, she is showing off a gold necklace from the luxury jewelry brand Tiffany & Co., for which she is a brand ambassador.

But that gold necklace certainly isn’t the only gold she has worn around her neck.

The skiing star won two golds in superpipe, and a bronze in big air at the X Games 2021, and she was the first woman to do so in her rookie year. During the 2021 Aspen Championship, Gu also won two golds and one bronze, becoming the first skier to win two golds at the event.

Moreover, Gu was the first female freestyle skier to land a double cork 1440, which she did last year during a training session in Stubai, Austria.

The young skier is set to compete for China in the upcoming Winter Olympics and is one of the most high-profile athletes in the world.

And she is not just a badass professional freestyle skier, she’s something of a modern-day Renaissance woman: Gu was admitted to study at her dream school, Stanford University, and she is also a fashion model who has appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine and attended Paris Fashion Week.

With the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics less than a month away, it seems prudent to introduce you to Eileen Gu, a world champion freestyle skier who excels as an athlete, a student, a fashion model, and so much more.

Learn more about her journey to the top here.

We’re excited to launch our new podcast series China From All Angles, with new episodes bi-weekly.

Hosted by hip hop guru and all-around audio production savant Wes Chen, the podcast aims to unpack industry insights and the latest trends among Chinese youth, East-West cultural differences, and weigh in on bridging different viewpoints through interviews with influential people.

In the inaugural episode of China From All Angles, Chen chats with members of the rap collective Straight Fire Gang, discussing anti-Asian sentiments in the US, their experiences as overseas students in the country, and their artistic influences, among other topics.

“China From All Angles” is brought to you by East-West Bank, the premier financial bridge between the US and China. Listen to the new podcast’s first episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, SoundCloud, and 小宇宙.

  • Seven new events will make their Olympic debut next month, but one, in particular, is generating plenty of buzz, not least for its amusing name.
  • Video game distributor Steam is set to release a new PC game on January 31 titled 元宇宙普信男生存指南, which roughly translates to ‘Survival Guide for a Regular Guy in the Metaverse’. The game is in Chinese only, but the seemingly male-focused, anti-feminist storyline is worth exploring (or rather, debating), even if you don’t speak the language.
  • American dance video challenging beauty standards goes viral in China. The video was initially posted to YouTube in 2019, and its popularity among Chinese netizens shows that its message is still relevant in China today.
  • Get (street) artsy in Macau. From Rua do Cunha to Coloane Village to Praça de Ponte e Horta, we recommend three vibrant areas to enjoy street art in Macau.

Are you a gifted meme maker? Or a storyteller crazy about Chinese youth culture? Take a look below, because we’re currently hiring for the following positions:

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