"Pei Lulu is the pride of her divorced parents. Her life in Boston is supported by her mother's salary from a job at Tsinghua University and her father's business of sculpting Buddhas and dragons for overseas clients. That Lulu has managed to study abroad-at Harvard, no less-is already an achievement. But she's also particularly dedicated, even among her extraordinary peers. When her wealthy friend Rachel vacations in Newport or goes skiing in Vermont, Lulu is content to stay on campus, reading books in the library."
"A pivotal moment for Lulu arrives when she decides to join a crowd welcoming the visiting Chinese Premier. She feels an obligation to do so "because the delegates, even though we disliked them as officials, were from our motherland." The mood is jubilant, with hundreds of miniature red flags and smiling young faces, except for one slender middle-aged woman. She is unaccompanied, but she holds a sign suggesting that she isn't alone: "We Won't Forget the Tiananmen Square Massacre!""
Pei Lulu, a sophomore at Harvard, is the pride of her divorced parents and relies on her mother's Tsinghua salary and her father's sculpting business. She studies history and spends free time reading in the library while wealthier peers travel. In 2008, she embodies a self-image of an earnest underdog studying abroad. Lulu joins a crowd to welcome the visiting Chinese Premier out of obligation to her motherland. The celebratory crowd carries miniature red flags, but one middle-aged woman holds a sign reading 'We Won't Forget the Tiananmen Square Massacre!' The crowd reacts with repulsion, disbelief, and accusations.
Read at The New Yorker
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