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China

Linsanity In China: Taiwan Strait Rivalry Plays Out At Madison Square Garden

It seems like everyone wants a piece of New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin and his improbable journey from overlooked Harvard player to overnight NBA sensation. But with Taiwanese origins and a grandmother from the mainland, both China and Taiwan are

Linsanity is everywhere (eric molina)
Linsanity is everywhere (eric molina)

*NEWSBITES

BEIJING - His name is Jeremy Lin and he comes from California. He is 22, tall, good looking and has a degree from Harvard. Oh yes, and he plays basketball. The New York Knicks, a down-on-their-luck basketball franchise, can hardly believe their good fortune. This young man is magic, scoring more points in his first four starts than any NBA player since 1976. Shops can't keep his T-shirts in stock. And in addition to leading the Knicks to seven straight wins, he's triggered an overnight global phenomenon known as "Linsanity."

Now, as is the way of the world, everyone wants to be associated with such a handsome young athlete. But it is not just his American fans and sundry marketing types who are interested. Lin's parents hail from Taiwan, so the Taiwanese population has taken him for one of their own. But right on time, mainland China is claiming dibs as well. "Taiwan belongs to us' some have said, "and so does Linsanity."

It is true that since Yao Ming retired last year, Chinese basketball fans have not had a big NBA star to follow. So Linsanity's number of followers on weibo.com, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter, has soared by a million over the past week.

Meanwhile, back in Taiwan, the stations that transmit NBA games have seen their ratings soar 10 fold. In a typically Taiwanese development, the food stalls of Beidou, Lin's father's home town in South Taiwan, are selling their famous local meatball delicacy with the help of his fame.

The China-Taiwan Internet discussion over the origins of Jeremy Lin is a microcosm of the whole decades-long dispute between the two states. Ancestry is not taken lightly. The fact that his maternal grandmother was born in China is taken on the mainland as sufficient grounds for labeling this young American a Chinese. David Stern, the NBA commissioner, would probably also like to see him labeled as Chinese given the greater marketing opportunities available. After Yao Ming left the NBA, Chinese interest in American basketball went off a cliff. Here's a chance to get it back.

And how does Jeremy Lin look at his own origins? With such rich pickings to be made from endorsements, it's unlikely that he'll be coming down firmly on either side of the court on this question of identity.

Read the original article in full in Chinese

Photo - eric molina

*Newsbites are digest items, not direct translations

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Society

Is Disney's "Wish" Spreading A Subtle Anti-Christian Message To Kids?

Disney's new movie "Wish" is being touted as a new children's blockbuster to celebrate the company's 100th anniversary. But some Christians may see the portrayal of the villain as God-like and turning wishes into prayers as the ultimate denial of the true message of Christmas.

photo of a kid running out of a church

For the Christmas holiday season?

Joseph Holmes

Christians have always had a love-hate relationship with Disney since I can remember. Growing up in the Christian culture of the 1990s and early 2000s, all the Christian parents I knew loved watching Disney movies with their kids – but have always had an uncomfortable relationship with some of its messages. It was due to the constant Disney tropes of “follow your heart philosophy” and “junior knows best” disdain for authority figures like parents that angered so many. Even so, most Christians felt the benefits had outweighed the costs.

That all seems to have changed as of late, with Disney being hit more and more by claims from conservatives (including Christian conservatives) that Disney is pushing more and more radical progressive social agendas, This has coincided with a steep drop at the box office for Disney.

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