Don't belittle China to win praise abroad

If Yang Shuping is asked a second time to give a commencement speech at the University of Maryland, she would probably not use the same tricks to win applause from her audience. The graduating senior with a double-major in theater and psychology displayed all her theatrical skills in her commencement speech on Sunday when she said the air in the US is "so sweet and fresh, and utterly luxurious". She continued: "I grew up in a city in China where I had to wear a face mask every time I went outside, otherwise, I might get sick."

Wait a minute. Yang grew up in Kunming, one of the least polluted cities in China. Having a mild, comfortable weather and famous for its flowers, Kunming is called the "City of Eternal Spring". So why did Yang say she couldn't step "outside" without wearing a face mask? Was she trying to please her audience by reinforcing US citizens' stereotype image of China?

Yang succeeded in drawing listeners' attention, but the trick she used could be self-defeating. What if the audience knew the air quality in Kunming and Maryland is almost the same?