(Jennifer’s note: Below is the English translation of a Chinese report published at: https://atlanta.americachineselife.com/%E4%BD%90%E6%B2%BB%E4%BA%9A%E5%8D%8E%E4%BA%BA%E8%BD%AC%E6%88%98%E8%AF%A5%E5%B7%9E%E5%8F%82%E8%AE%AE%E5%91%98%E5%A4%8D%E9%80%89/
Archived version at: https://web.archive.org/web/20210105001446/https://atlanta.americachineselife.com/%E4%BD%90%E6%B2%BB%E4%BA%9A%E5%8D%8E%E4%BA%BA%E8%BD%AC%E6%88%98%E8%AF%A5%E5%B7%9E%E5%8F%82%E8%AE%AE%E5%91%98%E5%A4%8D%E9%80%89/)
(曾錚注：以下是發表於北美生活君網站的一篇報導的英文翻譯。爲防他們刪文，我把中文也複製過來了。）
By 生活小编-陈 , Dec. 12, 2020 | 由 生活小编-陈 · 2020年12月20日
Yale (Yu) Xiao, who came to the U.S. from China nearly 30 years ago, is registered with the U.S. Republican Party and has helped Republicans run for office in the past, but this year, not only is he supporting Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election, he is also actively organizing Chinese groups to help Democrats run for Senate.
从中国来到美国近30年的肖宇注册的是美国共和党，过去曾帮助共和党人竞选公职，但是今年，他不仅在总统大选中支持民主党拜登，还在积极组织华人群体帮助民主党人竞选参议员。
Yale (Yu) Xiao’s state of Georgia is currently the focus of attention across the United States. Former Vice President Joe Biden defeated his opponent Donald Trump in the presidential election, but in the Senate, Republicans and Democrats won 50 and 48 seats, respectively. The final two seats are still up in the air in Georgia, where a January 5 Senate runoff will determine Senate dominance for the next four years, and a Democratic victory would lay the groundwork for a strong and effective Biden administration.
肖宇所在的佐治亚州（Georgia）目前是全美国的焦点。前副总统拜登在总统大选中击败了对手特朗普，但在参议院中，共和党和民主党分别获得50和48个席位。最后两个席位在佐治亚州，仍然悬而未决。1月5日将在该州举行的参议员复选决定了未来四年参议院的主导权，如果民主党能获胜，将为拜登政府强力有效执政奠下基础。
“The United States has been very divided over the last four years, and if the Senate remains in Republican control, Biden is likely to get nowhere, and then Donnald Trump could make a comeback in four years,” Yale Xiao said in an interview with BBC Chinese. He believes that many of the Republican Party’s current policies have deviated from his ideas, and it is time to “set things right”.
“美国过去四年非常两极分化，如果参议院继续由共和党控制，拜登很可能一事无成，那么四年后Donnald Trump可能卷土重来，”肖宇在BBC中文的访问中说。他认为共和党当前的很多方针背离了他的想法，到了“拨乱反正”的时候。
The Rising Power of Asians
崛起的亚裔力量
After the recount of the U.S. presidential votes, Democrat Joe Biden narrowly led Trump by more than 12,000 votes in Georgia, a significant increase over Hillary’s campaign four years ago and the second time the state has “flipped blue” since the 1970s (the last time was in 1992). According to AAPI Data, Asian American voters make up 4.7 percent of all voters in Georgia, which equates to nearly 238,000 voters, enough to determine the number of votes in the swing state. According to Votebuilder, as of Nov. 18, the total number of Asian registered voters was about 193,000, of which about 124,000 voted, a participation rate of 64.56 percent.
美国总统选举重新计票后，民主党的拜登在佐治亚州以1.2万多张票的微弱优势领先特朗普，支持率比四年前希拉里竞选时大幅增加，这也是该州自70年代以来第二次“翻蓝”（上次在1992年）。根据AAPI Data，在佐治亚州，美国亚裔选民占全体选民的4.7%，这相当于近23.8万名选民，足以决定这个摇摆州的选票数。根据Votebuilder的统计，截至11月18日，亚裔注册选民总数约为19.3万人，其中约12.4万人参与了投票，参与率为64.56%。
Asian voter turnout in Georgia surged by about 90 percent this year over 2016, Target-Smart’s analysis shows. Among the state’s Asian population, Chinese-Americans are the second largest group, accounting for 15 percent of the total Asian population, according to demographics.
Target-Smart的分析显示，今年佐治亚州的亚裔选民投票率比2016年突增了约90%。根据人口统计，在该州亚裔人口中，华裔是第二大群体，占亚裔总人口的15%。
Russell Jeung, a professor at San Francisco State University who studies the Asian community, told BBC Chinese, “Asian voters not only helped get Biden elected, but were also able to swing the U.S. Senate in favor of the Democrats and subsequently play an important role in policymaking on key issues such as public health and the COVID pandemic, economic recovery, climate change, racial justice, and immigration play an important role.”
旧金山州立大学研究亚裔族群的教授张华耀（Russell Jeung）对BBC中文说，“亚裔选民不仅帮助了拜登当选，还能够使美国参议院摆向民主党，继而在公共卫生和新冠病毒大流行、经济复苏、气候变化、种族公正以及移民等关键议题的政策制定上发挥重要作用。”
In this Senate runoff, incumbent Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue are running against Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, respectively. Campaigning is in full swing, with both parties’ campaigns investing large sums of money in the state in what could be the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history.
在此次参议员复选竞争中，现任共和党参议员莱弗勒（Kelly Loeffler）和珀杜（David Perdue）分别与民主党人沃诺克（Raphael Warnock）和奥索夫（Jon Ossoff）展开竞争。竞选造势正如火如荼地进行，两党的竞选团队都在该州投入了大笔资金，有可能成为美国历史上最昂贵的参议员选举。
The influence of the China Factor
中国因素的影响
Asian voter turnout in Georgia nearly doubled in this year’s U.S. elections, with the China factor being a major influence on them, especially Chinese voters.
今年美国选举中佐治亚州的亚裔选民投票率将近翻了一番，其中中国因素是影响他们、特别是华人选民的一个重要原因。
During the outbreak, Trump insisted on using the term “China virus” to refer to the new coronavirus. Critics argue that this could lead to the stigmatization of Chinese in the U.S., and even of the Asian community as a whole.
疫情期间，特朗普坚持使用“中国病毒”（China virus）一词来指代新型冠状病毒。批评人士认为，这可能导致在美国的华人、甚至整个亚裔群体受到污名化。
“The term ‘Chinese virus’ racializes the disease, and Chinese are being blamed for the disease. About two-thirds of Asian Americans say that the current spate of anti-Asian racism motivated their vote,” said Professor Russell Jeung. Professor Jeung’s team launched the Stop AAPI Hate survey in March of this year and has already received hundreds of cases of hostility against Asians. “In these cases, the perpetrators are parroting Trump’s hate speech like a parrot,” he said.
“‘中国病毒’一词将这种疾病种族化，华人被指责为该疾病的罪魁祸首。约有三分之二的亚裔美国人表示，当前一连串的反亚裔种族主义是他们投票的动机”，张华耀教授说。张教授的团队从今年3月展开“停止仇视亚裔”（Stop AAPI Hate）调查，目前已经收到数百起亚裔遭到敌视的案例。“在这些事件中，作恶者像鹦鹉学舌似的效仿特朗普的仇恨言论”，他说。
Jin Jin, a Chinese living in Georgia, came to the U.S. 20 years ago and used to not care much about politics, but this year she voted for the first time and took on the role of organizer to coordinate Chinese electioneering for the first time. One of the main reasons she decided to come forward was because she felt that the Chinese environment in the U.S. was threatened by the “Chinese virus” that Trump spoke of. Her elementary school daughter was asked by her classmates if her mother brought the virus, which made her feel sad.
居住在佐治亚州的华人金瑾20年前来到美国，以前不太关心政治，今年首次投票，并且首次担当组织者协调华人助选。她决定站出来的一个主要原因是，特朗普口中的“中国病毒”令她感到华人在美国的生存环境受到威胁。她在读小学的女儿被同学问到，是不是她妈妈带来的病毒，这让她感到难过。
Jin Jin not only supported Biden’s election, but also helped Democratic Senate candidates to call for votes. She saw a bill passed by the House of Representatives on Sept. 17 that called on public officials to condemn hostile remarks and actions against Asians and require law enforcement to investigate hate crimes. The bill received 243 unanimous Democratic votes, while only 14 Republicans voted in favor of the bill and 163 voted against it, and it did not make it to the Senate.
金瑾不仅支持拜登当选，还帮助民主党参议员候选人拜票。她看到今年9月17日，国会众议院通过了华裔民主党议员孟昭文（Grace Meng）提出的一项议案，呼吁公职人员谴责敌视亚裔的言行，并要求执法部门调查仇恨犯罪。该议案得到民主党243票全票支持，而共和党中只有14票赞成，163票反对，最终没能递交参议院。
“Although this motion is just a statement of stance, the fact that the Democrats passed it all shows that they strongly support the condemnation of hateful acts against Asians, then, of course, we should go for the Democrats,” Jin Jin told BBC Chinese. In the past two weeks, a team of more than 20 volunteers, including her, sent out more than 5,500 postcards to canvass for Democratic candidates.
“虽然这个议案仅仅是表态，但民主党全部通过了，说明他们坚决支持谴责对亚裔的仇恨行为，那我们当然要去支持民主党了”，金瑾对BBC中文说。在过去两个星期里，包括她在内的20多名义工团队寄出了5500多张明信片为民主党候选人拉票。
Jane Kim (second from right) and Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock (D-CA) 金瑾（右二）与民主党参议员候选人沃诺克（Raphael Warnock）
Chinese in the U.S.-China Crossfire
美中交锋中的华人
According to AAPI Data, Chinese-Americans make up 15% of the total Asian population in Georgia, about 75,000, second only to 150,000 Indians. In terms of the population base, Chinese-Americans themselves will hardly play a decisive role in reversing the Senate. However, regardless of the camp, the Chinese seem to be more enthusiastic in voting this year than ever before. The intense conflict between the U.S. and China over ideological differences and great power rivalry has made the fiery political temperature truly felt by Chinese who have lived in both places.
根据AAPI Data，在佐治亚州亚裔人口中，华裔占亚裔总人口的15%，约为7.5万，仅次于印度裔15万人。就人口基数来看，华裔本身很难在反转参议院中起到决定性作用。不过，不管是哪方阵营，今年华人的投票热情似乎都比以往要高。美中两国因意识形态差异和大国竞争而引发的激烈冲突，令在两地都有生活经历的华人真切地感受到了火热的政治温度。
“Previously, American politics did not have much impact on Chinese people, and this year the Chinese community was mobilized because of Trump and the epidemic. We played a big role in the presidential election and showed that the only way to have a voice is by participating in politics,” Ni Jian, who came to the U.S. from China for more than 30 years, told BBC Chinese.
“以前美国政治对华裔没有太大影响，今年由于川普和疫情，华人社区被动员起来。我们在总统选举中起了很大作用，也说明只有通过参政才能够发声”，从中国来到美国30多年的倪健对BBC中文说。
Over the past two years, the U.S. has besieged China on multiple fronts, beginning with the trade war in 2018 and extending to technology, military, media, education, and other areas. In response to human rights issues such as Hong Kong and Xinjiang, the U.S. Congress passed a series of bills authorizing the government to impose sanctions on potential human rights abusers. Congress also passed the Taipei Act, which aims to enhance economic and trade ties between the U.S. and Taiwan, which China considers a “core interest”.
过去两年里，美国在多方面围堵中国，从2018年贸易战开始，扩展到科技、军事、媒体、教育等领域。针对香港、新疆等涉及人权的议题，美国国会通过一系列法案，授权政府对可能侵害人权的人实施制裁。国会还通过旨在增强美台经贸往来的“台北法案”，而中国将台湾视为“核心利益”。
In July, the Trump administration asked China to close its consulate general in Houston, Kansas, and a few days later, China responded by closing the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu. Relations between the U.S. and China have fallen to a historic freeze since the establishment of diplomatic relations.
今年7月，特朗普政府要求中国关闭驻克萨斯州休斯敦（Houston）的总领事馆，几天后，中国以关闭美国驻成都总领事馆予以回应。美中两国关系跌至建交后的历史冰点。
Jin Jin runs an international education organization that engages in educational exchanges between the U.S. and China. The disruption of international flights and reduced movement of people caused by the epidemic directly hit her business, and her company was further aggravated by the deterioration in U.S.-China relations that spilled over into the education sector and a sharp drop in the number of Chinese students coming to the United States. “Business is down by 90 percent,” she said. This is another reason she opposes Trump.
金瑾运营一家国际教育机构，从事美中两国教育交流。疫情造成国际航班中断以及人员流动减少直接打击了她的业务，加上美中关系恶化蔓延到教育领域，赴美中国留学生人数锐减，她的公司雪上加霜。“生意少了九成”，她说，这是她反对特朗普的另一个原因。
There is now a bipartisan consensus in the United States that China is a strategic competitor of the United States and that even if a Biden administration takes office, it will continue to confront China in many areas. Many analysts point out that, unlike Trump, Biden will unite with allies to confront China and exert strong pressure in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and other areas involving China’s human rights situation.
目前美国两党形成共识，认为中国是美国的战略竞争对手，即便拜登政府上台，也会在很多领域继续对抗中国。许多分析指出，与特朗普不同的是，拜登将联合盟友对抗中国，并且在香港、新疆等涉及中国人权状况时强力施压。
Several Chinese respondents from mainland China who support the Democratic candidate said they hope the U.S. and China will move toward cooperation after Biden takes office. Some said they were reluctant to comment on human rights issues in China for fear of the safety of their relatives in mainland China or damage to their China-related interests, and said they did not care much about Hong Kong and Taiwan affairs.
多位来自中国大陆、支持民主党候选人的华人受访者说，他们希望拜登上台后，美中两国朝着合作的方向发展。部分人表示，因担心中国大陆亲人的安危或与中国有关的利益受损，不愿意评论中国的人权议题，并称对香港、台湾事务不太关注。
Ni Jian, who came to the United States in the late 1980s, said he supports China’s development in a “more democratic and open” direction, but “as to how to go about it, we may not all do it exactly the same way, and [China] doesn’t necessarily follow the American democratic system.”
80年代末来美国的倪健说，他支持中国朝着“更民主、更开放”的方向发展，但“至于怎么走，大家的做法可能不完全一样，（中国）不一定按照美国的民主制度来做。”
Ni Jian said Biden did not play a particularly tough “democracy card” with China when he was vice president during Obama’s term, so he believes the Biden administration will also behave the same way, and will “focus its efforts and time on U.S. domestic affairs.”
倪健说，拜登在奥巴马任期内担任副总统时，对华政策并没有打出特别强硬的“民主牌”，因此他认为，拜登政府也不会这么做，而是会“集中精力和时间处理美国国内的事务。”
Supporters of Republican Congressman David Perdue (R-PA) 共和党议员珀杜（David Perdue）的支持者
Republican Chinese who switched to support the Democratic Party
转向支持民主党的共和党华人
In addition to the Chinese factor, domestic issues in the United States also sway the choice of Chinese.
除了中国因素，美国国内的问题也左右着华人的选择。
Yale Xiao, a Chinese who came to the United States in the early 1990s, said the past four years have been “the most unpleasant”. The company he used to work for made its initial public offering this year, and he joined through a small amount of original stock he held. He should have been happy to have made a profit when the epidemic hit the U.S. economy hard, but he said the deteriorating political environment in the U.S. has kept him from cheering up.
90年代初来美国的华人肖宇说，过去四年“过得最不愉快”。他原先任职的公司今年首次公开募股，他也通过自己持有的一点原始股加入。在疫情重创美国经济时有所收益，原本应该高兴，但他说，美国政治环境的恶化令他无法振奋起来。
“Turn on the TV and you see politicians yelling at each other, Donald Trump is lying, American democracy shouldn’t be like this,” Yale Xiao said. He speaks with a strong Beijing accent and speaks in a straightforward manner, with English interspersed in his statements from time to time.
“打开电视就看到政客在对骂，Donald Trump在撒谎，美国民主不应该是这样”，肖宇说。他操着一口浓重的北京腔，说话直来直去，语句中还时不时夹杂着英文。
Yale Xiao has lived in Johns Creek, Georgia for 23 years and, as a registered Republican, has volunteered to participate in Republican activities and help Republicans run for office. in early 2015, he volunteered to encourage and lead the Chinese in the race for Georgia State Representative in the 50th District, helping Brad Raffensperger in the runoff election by more than 100 votes, after he trailed by 26 votes. Raffensperger has now become Georgia’s Secretary of State.
肖宇居住在佐治亚州琼斯溪市（Johns Creek）已经23年，作为一名注册共和党员，他曾主动参与共和党的活动，并帮助共和党人竞选公职。2015年初，他自愿鼓励并带领华人在佐治亚州议员第50区议员选举中，帮助拉芬斯伯格（Brad Raffensperger）在复选中以100多票获胜，此前他落后26票。拉芬斯伯格目前已成为佐治亚州的州务卿。
In the same year, Yale Xiao served as the official campaign director for the city council race, and after eight months of primary and runoff elections, helped a Republican Taiwanese-American candidate win and become the county’s first Chinese-American city council member.
同一年，肖宇担任市议员竞选的官方竞选总干事，经过八个月的初选和复选，帮助一位共和党台湾裔候选人取胜，成为该县首位华裔市议员。
Yale Xiao recalls the experience of doing political fundraising at that time, “high as a holiday”. But this time, Chinese from different camps confronted each other on social media and even attacked each other with words, causing some people’s years of friendship to break down. And in reality, the Chinese who support the Democratic Party are relatively silent.
肖宇回顾那时做政治筹款时的经历，“高高兴兴像过节一样”。但这次，不同阵营的华人在社交媒体上对立起来，甚至彼此用言语攻击，令一些人多年的友谊破裂。而在现实中，支持民主党的华人相对沉默。
“Our Chinese community is divided,” said Yale Xiao, who did not publish the names of the donors on this year’s fundraising list.
“我们华人社区被分裂了”，肖宇说，他在今年的筹款名单上没有公布捐款者的名字。
Yale Xiao (second from left) organized a campaign for city council in 2015 肖宇（左二）在2015年组织竞选市议员
Yale Xiao used to enjoy the monthly Saturday breakfast meetings of the county’s Republicans. “Everyone was warm and friendly, wearing suits and suits, having a gourmet breakfast and taking the Pledge of Allegiance in front of the flag,” he said, adding that the meetings usually featured Republican candidates explaining their campaign ideas or guests expounding on the Republican Party’s governing philosophy. Yale Xiao is almost the only Asian here, but has never felt excluded and has been invited to help Republican candidates reach out to the Asian community.
肖宇曾经很享受每月一次该县共和党人的周六早餐会。“大家热情友善，穿着西装套服，吃个美食早餐，面对国旗宣誓，”他说，会议通常会邀请共和党候选人讲解竞选理念，或嘉宾阐述共和党的执政理念。肖宇几乎是这里唯一的亚裔，但从未感觉到被排斥，并且被邀请帮助共和党候选人接触亚裔社区。
After Trump was elected president, Xiao Yu gradually felt that such breakfast meetings “have become tasteless”. Many of the candidates’ or guests’ speeches turned into “Trump-style rants”, which reminded him of the Chinese Cultural Revolution-style criticism.
特朗普当选总统后，肖宇逐渐感觉这样的早餐会“变味了”。许多候选人或者嘉宾的讲话变成了“特朗普式的咆哮体”，这令他联想起中国文革式的大批判。
Not only that, but Yale Xiao also believes that many of the traditional Republican ideas have shifted and that Trump has “kidnapped the Republican Party”.
不仅如此，肖宇还认为，传统共和党的许多观念已经有所转变，特朗普“把共和党绑架了”。
He cited the Republican Party’s consistent focus on fiscal responsibility and the need to balance revenues and expenditures without unwarranted massive borrowing. But in the four years of the Trump administration, “with the economy doing so well, the U.S. national debt has shot through the roof over and over again, uncontrollably, and it was so before the epidemic.”
他举例说，共和党一贯注重财政责任，需要平衡收支而不能无端大量举债。但在特朗普执政的四年里，“在经济这么好的情况下，美国国债一次次冲顶，无法控制，在疫情之前就已经如此了。”
Another example is the issue of abortion, which has been controversial for many years. Yale Xiao believes that, based on the Republican concept of “small government”, individuals should mind their own business and enjoy full freedom without affecting others and without interference from others or the government.
又如多年争议不断的堕胎议题，肖宇认为，基于共和党“小政府”的理念，个人管好自己的事情，在不影响他人的情况下享有充分自由，不受到他人和政府干预，因此“堕胎完全是个人私事和个人权利，应该留给本人和他们的医生决定”。
Anti-abortion forces have grown in the past four years, with many states, including Georgia, introducing tough abortion restrictions. According to Xiao, Trump has used the abortion issue to “kidnap Christian leadership and increase national division.
过去四年里，反堕胎势力不断增长，包括佐治亚在内的许多州出台了严厉的堕胎限制令。肖宇认为，特朗普利用堕胎议题“绑架了基督教领导，加剧了国家分裂”。
The idea that “you can’t just sit there and fight, you have to come out and do something” has led him once again to the path of electioneering. This time, he turned to support the Democratic candidate.
“不能只坐在那打嘴仗，要出来做点事情”，这一想法令他再次走上助选之路。这次，他转而支持民主党候选人。
Yale Xiao held a rally in front of a local Chinese supermarket to support Biden for president 肖宇在本地一家中华超市门前举办集会，支持拜登竞选总统
“It’s not that I’ve changed, I’m still me, but a lot of the Republican Party’s approach has departed from my ideas, especially with Donald Trump as the representative,” Xiao said. He believes it is time to “set things right” and that the United States should “get back on the right track”. That includes continuing to engage with China, rejoining the Paris Accord on global climate change, being friendly to immigrants and promoting proper health benefits. Yale Xiao said he may still return to supporting the Republican line in the future.
“不是我变了，我仍然是我，但是共和党的很多方针背离了我的想法，特别是以Donald Trump为代表的”，肖宇说。他认为现在是“拨乱反正”的时候，美国应该“重回正确的轨道”。这包括继续与中国接触、重新加入治理全球气候变化的《巴黎协议》、友善对待移民、推行适当的医疗福利等。肖宇说，将来自己仍有可能回到支持共和党的路线。
In November, Xiao Yu volunteered to plan the election strategy for Michelle Au, a Chinese-American Democrat, and rallied Chinese-Americans to raise funds. The anesthesiologist was eventually elected to the Georgia Senate, becoming the first Chinese-American senator in the state legislature’s 243-year history.
今年11月，肖宇自愿为华裔民主党欧晓瑜（Michelle Au）谋划选举策略，并召集华裔筹款。这位麻醉科医师最终当选佐治亚州参议员，成为该州立法院243年历史上首位华裔参议员。
“A lot of money was invested in the primary,” Xiao said of his campaign strategy. While other candidates conserved their strength to save money because they had no opponent from their own party in the primary, Xiao advised Michelle Au to throw everything she raised at the risk of spending it all. Originally unknown, Au stood out and used her status as a doctor to make a name for herself during the height of the new epidemic, winning the subsequent general election.
“初选时投入了大笔钱”，肖宇谈起他的竞选策略滔滔不绝。当其他候选人由于初选时没有本党对手而保存实力节省花销，肖宇建议欧晓瑜孤注一掷把筹款全部花掉。原本不知名的欧晓瑜脱颖而出，在新冠疫情高峰期利用她的医生身份打响了知名度，在随后的大选中顺势胜出。
Wining “Middle Voters” in the Midst of Division
在分裂中争取“中间选民”
The U.S. is currently mired in serious division, with controversies over immigration policy, social injustice, and urban-rural disparities being amplified, with mutual accusations and animosity permeating the television media and the Internet, and even breeding disinformation and conspiracy theories. The same situation is happening in the Chinese community.
美国目前陷入严重的两极分化，有关移民政策、社会不公、城乡差异等问题的争议被放大，电视媒体和互联网上弥漫着相互指责与仇视，甚至滋生了虚假信息和阴谋论。同样的情况也发生在华人社区。
Liao Bilan, a retired Chinese professor majoring in fine arts, had never thought of getting involved in politics before, but a “scolding war” in a Chinese social media WeChat group drew her into the political maelstrom.
华人退休教授廖碧兰从事美术专业，之前从未想过参与政治，但在中国社交媒体微信群里的 “骂战”将她卷入政治漩涡。
Liao Bilan repeatedly forwarded information about Biden and the Democratic Party’s policies in WeChat groups, and was verbally abused by many opponents and kicked out of the group several times. However, she continued to organize online activities and made early voting videos calling on Chinese to vote for the Democratic Party.
廖碧兰多次在微信群里转发有关拜登和民主党的政策，遭到许多反对者言语辱骂，并多次将她踢出群组。但她继续组织网络活动，并制作提前投票的视频呼吁华人投票支持民主党。
“Trump has destroyed my American dream,” Liao Bilan told BBC Chinese. She came to the United States in 2000, when she was nearly middle-aged and didn’t speak English. Over the next nearly 10 years, she repeated her degree, joined a school to teach and became a professor.
“川普摧毁了我的美国梦”，廖碧兰对BBC中文说。她在2000年来到美国，当时已经人近中年，不会说英文。在接下来近10年中，她重读学位，进入学校教书，并成为教授。
Born in the 1950s, Liao Bilan had watched her father suffer during the Cultural Revolution, and herself and her family were dragged into it. She says the current divisions and struggles in the United States remind her of her unfortunate childhood experiences and does not want to repeat them in her later years.
50年代出生的廖碧兰曾经看着父亲在文化大革命中受难，自己和家人也受到连累。她说美国目前的分裂与斗争令她回忆起不幸的童年经历，不希望晚年重蹈覆辙。
Retired art professor Liao Bilan (center) participates in a rally to build momentum 退休美术教授廖碧兰（中）参与造势集会
Liao Bilan moved to Gwinnett County, Georgia, four years ago. It is the most affluent county in the state, with the second-highest total population. It has the largest Asian population in the state, about 100,000 people, or 12 percent of the county’s total population.
廖碧兰四年前搬到佐治亚州的格威内特（Gwinnett）县。这是该州最富裕的县，总人口排名第二。这里拥有该州最多的亚裔人口，约10万人，占该县总人口的12%。
In late June, the Biden campaign’s national organization, “Chinese Americans for Biden”, noticed Liao and asked her to organize volunteers to help with the campaign. In the months that followed, the 60-something Liao worked with dozens of volunteers to design postcards, make phone calls, and, in an epidemic, personally visit voters who had returned their ballots to change their information.
6月底，拜登竞选团的全国性组织“华裔支持拜登”（Chinese Americans for Biden）留意到廖碧兰，邀请她组织义工帮助竞选。在随后的几个月里，60多岁的廖碧兰与数十个义工一起设计明信片、打电话拜票，并在疫情下亲自上门通知退票的选民修改信息。
In the U.S. congressional and local elections, turnout in the runoff is generally lower than in the primary election, and with Biden’s victory in the presidential election, some people want a check and balance of power in the Senate. Asian “middle voters”, including Chinese, have become the object of competition between the two parties.
在美国国会和地方选举中，复选的投票率普遍比初选低，加上拜登在总统大选中取胜后，一些民众希望参议院得到权力制衡。包括华裔在内的亚裔“中间选民”成为两党争夺的对象。
Janelle Wong, a professor in the Department of Asian American Studies at the University of Maryland, told BBC Chinese, “Asian Americans tend to support Democrats, voting about 2:1 for Biden and Trump. It looks like the Georgia Senate race will be very close, so every vote counts. Both parties should enlist the support of Asian voters, whose power has not been previously developed but is a new force in politics.”
马里兰大学亚裔美国人研究系教授Janelle Wong对BBC中文说，“亚裔美国人倾向支持民主党，投票给拜登和特朗普的比例约为2:1。看起来佐治亚州的参议员竞选结果会非常接近，所以每一张选票都很重要。两党都应该争取亚裔选民的支持，他们的力量此前没有开发出来，但却是一支新的政坛力量。”
This led Yale Xiao and others to form a group called “Chinese American for Political Participation”, which organizes lectures, film screenings, and panel discussions to call on Chinese from different industries to participate in. The group has organized lectures, film screenings, and guest speakers to engage Chinese from different industries in discussions about American politics. Topics covered include health care policy, candidates’ backgrounds and political views, absentee ballot procedures, the situation of the Chinese community in the US-China relationship, and the role of the media in the election.
这也促成肖宇等人成立了名为“鼓励华人参政行动”（Chinese American for Political Participation）的团体，以举办讲座、放映电影、邀请嘉宾座谈等形式，号召不同行业的华人参与讨论美国政治。他们的主题涵盖医疗卫生政策、候选人的背景和政见、申请缺席邮寄投票程序、中美关系下华裔群体的处境、媒体在大选中的作用等。
“If we had started out with a strong position in support of the Democratic Party, we would have been abandoning a camp, and that might not be very helpful. So we ended up choosing to do this from a relatively neutral perspective,” said Ni Jian, an organizer of the forum. He also serves as president of the Atlanta Chinese Chamber of Commerce and manages a multinational corporation.
“如果我们一开始立场鲜明地支持民主党，就等于抛弃了一个阵营，可能作用不大，所以最后选择了相对中立的角度来做这件事，”论坛的组织者倪健说。他还担任亚特兰大中国商会的会长，并管理一家跨国企业。
Postcards sent by Ni Jian to canvass votes 倪健寄出的拜票明信片
Ni Jian considers himself to be “left of center” in his position, favoring the market economy in economic terms, believing that individual prosperity also creates wealth for the country and society, and protecting the interests of the disadvantaged in welfare policies, including the implementation of universal health insurance. He compared Trump’s failure to acknowledge his defeat after the election to the behavior of a “third world dictator” and considered Trump’s neglect of environmental protection and disrespect for the media to be “the greatest threat to American democracy and legal system.”
倪健认为自己的立场“中间偏左”，在经济上倾向支持市场经济，认为个人富裕的同时也为国家和社会创造财富，在福利政策上倾向保障弱势群体的利益，包括实施全民医疗保险。他将特朗普在选后不承认败选比作一个“第三世界的独裁者”的行为，认为特朗普忽视环境保护、不尊重媒体等行为是对“美国的民主和法律制度的最大威胁。”
In a fundraising call for Democratic Senate candidates that ended earlier this month, Yale Xiao’s team fell short of the $50,000 fundraising goal set by the official campaign, which meant that congressmen, Secretary of State and others could not be invited to hold separate campaign meetings for Chinese-American voters, even if they were just online meetups. Eventually Chinese were merged into the entire Asian community to hold a joint campaign event on the 15th.
在本月初结束的为民主党参议员候选人征集筹款中，肖宇的团队没有达到官方竞选团队所设定的5万美元的筹款目标，这意味着不能邀请到国会议员、州务卿等人单独为华裔选民举办造势大会，即使只是网络见面会。最终华裔被并入整个亚裔群体，在15日共同举行造势活动。
In his reflection, Yale Xiao said that the lack of systematic community organizations and leaders in the Chinese community who support the Democratic Party has led to the failure to spread the message nationwide this time. He regrets this and believes that the power of the rising Chinese community in American politics should not be ignored.
肖宇在反思时说，支持民主党的华裔群体缺乏有系统的社区组织和领袖，导致这次没能在全国范围内传播讯息。他对此感到遗憾，也认为崛起的华裔在美国政坛上的力量不该被忽视。
Janelle Wong, a professor who studies Asians, said, “Among Chinese-Americans, the right does bring its voice to the fore through mobilization, especially on social media platforms. This strategy is less common among the Chinese-American left. Leftist Chinese-Americans are still struggling to catch up to the level of organization shown by the right.”
研究亚裔的教授Janelle Wong说，“在华裔美国人中，右派确实通过动员将声音突显出来，特别是在社交媒体平台上。这种策略在华裔左派中不太常见。左派华裔仍在努力追赶右派所表现出的组织水平。”
Nevertheless, these first-generation Chinese immigrants hope that their political experience will inspire the next generation to enter the political arena sooner rather than later in order to fight for the rights of the Chinese community.
不管怎样，这些第一代华人移民希望他们的参政经历可以激励下一代，为争取华裔群体的权益早日步入政治舞台。
Originally published at
原载于：https://atlanta.americachineselife.com/%E4%BD%90%E6%B2%BB%E4%BA%9A%E5%8D%8E%E4%BA%BA%E8%BD%AC%E6%88%98%E8%AF%A5%E5%B7%9E%E5%8F%82%E8%AE%AE%E5%91%98%E5%A4%8D%E9%80%89/
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After Helping Swing State Turn Blue in U.S. Election, Georgia Chinese Turn to State’s Senate Runoff 美国大选助摇摆州“翻蓝”后，佐治亚华人转战该州参议员复选
(Jennifer’s note: Below is the English translation of a Chinese report published at: https://atlanta.americachineselife.com/%E4%BD%90%E6%B2%BB%E4%BA%9A%E5%8D%8E%E4%BA%BA%E8%BD%AC%E6%88%98%E8%AF%A5%E5%B7%9E%E5%8F%82%E8%AE%AE%E5%91%98%E5%A4%8D%E9%80%89/
Archived version at: https://web.archive.org/web/20210105001446/https://atlanta.americachineselife.com/%E4%BD%90%E6%B2%BB%E4%BA%9A%E5%8D%8E%E4%BA%BA%E8%BD%AC%E6%88%98%E8%AF%A5%E5%B7%9E%E5%8F%82%E8%AE%AE%E5%91%98%E5%A4%8D%E9%80%89/)
(曾錚注：以下是發表於北美生活君網站的一篇報導的英文翻譯。爲防他們刪文，我把中文也複製過來了。）
By 生活小编-陈 , Dec. 12, 2020 | 由 生活小编-陈 · 2020年12月20日
Yale (Yu) Xiao, who came to the U.S. from China nearly 30 years ago, is registered with the U.S. Republican Party and has helped Republicans run for office in the past, but this year, not only is he supporting Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election, he is also actively organizing Chinese groups to help Democrats run for Senate.
从中国来到美国近30年的肖宇注册的是美国共和党，过去曾帮助共和党人竞选公职，但是今年，他不仅在总统大选中支持民主党拜登，还在积极组织华人群体帮助民主党人竞选参议员。
Yale (Yu) Xiao’s state of Georgia is currently the focus of attention across the United States. Former Vice President Joe Biden defeated his opponent Donald Trump in the presidential election, but in the Senate, Republicans and Democrats won 50 and 48 seats, respectively. The final two seats are still up in the air in Georgia, where a January 5 Senate runoff will determine Senate dominance for the next four years, and a Democratic victory would lay the groundwork for a strong and effective Biden administration.
肖宇所在的佐治亚州（Georgia）目前是全美国的焦点。前副总统拜登在总统大选中击败了对手特朗普，但在参议院中，共和党和民主党分别获得50和48个席位。最后两个席位在佐治亚州，仍然悬而未决。1月5日将在该州举行的参议员复选决定了未来四年参议院的主导权，如果民主党能获胜，将为拜登政府强力有效执政奠下基础。
“The United States has been very divided over the last four years, and if the Senate remains in Republican control, Biden is likely to get nowhere, and then Donnald Trump could make a comeback in four years,” Yale Xiao said in an interview with BBC Chinese. He believes that many of the Republican Party’s current policies have deviated from his ideas, and it is time to “set things right”.
“美国过去四年非常两极分化，如果参议院继续由共和党控制，拜登很可能一事无成，那么四年后Donnald Trump可能卷土重来，”肖宇在BBC中文的访问中说。他认为共和党当前的很多方针背离了他的想法，到了“拨乱反正”的时候。
The Rising Power of Asians
崛起的亚裔力量
After the recount of the U.S. presidential votes, Democrat Joe Biden narrowly led Trump by more than 12,000 votes in Georgia, a significant increase over Hillary’s campaign four years ago and the second time the state has “flipped blue” since the 1970s (the last time was in 1992). According to AAPI Data, Asian American voters make up 4.7 percent of all voters in Georgia, which equates to nearly 238,000 voters, enough to determine the number of votes in the swing state. According to Votebuilder, as of Nov. 18, the total number of Asian registered voters was about 193,000, of which about 124,000 voted, a participation rate of 64.56 percent.
美国总统选举重新计票后，民主党的拜登在佐治亚州以1.2万多张票的微弱优势领先特朗普，支持率比四年前希拉里竞选时大幅增加，这也是该州自70年代以来第二次“翻蓝”（上次在1992年）。根据AAPI Data，在佐治亚州，美国亚裔选民占全体选民的4.7%，这相当于近23.8万名选民，足以决定这个摇摆州的选票数。根据Votebuilder的统计，截至11月18日，亚裔注册选民总数约为19.3万人，其中约12.4万人参与了投票，参与率为64.56%。
Asian voter turnout in Georgia surged by about 90 percent this year over 2016, Target-Smart’s analysis shows. Among the state’s Asian population, Chinese-Americans are the second largest group, accounting for 15 percent of the total Asian population, according to demographics.
Target-Smart的分析显示，今年佐治亚州的亚裔选民投票率比2016年突增了约90%。根据人口统计，在该州亚裔人口中，华裔是第二大群体，占亚裔总人口的15%。
Russell Jeung, a professor at San Francisco State University who studies the Asian community, told BBC Chinese, “Asian voters not only helped get Biden elected, but were also able to swing the U.S. Senate in favor of the Democrats and subsequently play an important role in policymaking on key issues such as public health and the COVID pandemic, economic recovery, climate change, racial justice, and immigration play an important role.”
旧金山州立大学研究亚裔族群的教授张华耀（Russell Jeung）对BBC中文说，“亚裔选民不仅帮助了拜登当选，还能够使美国参议院摆向民主党，继而在公共卫生和新冠病毒大流行、经济复苏、气候变化、种族公正以及移民等关键议题的政策制定上发挥重要作用。”
In this Senate runoff, incumbent Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue are running against Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, respectively. Campaigning is in full swing, with both parties’ campaigns investing large sums of money in the state in what could be the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history.
在此次参议员复选竞争中，现任共和党参议员莱弗勒（Kelly Loeffler）和珀杜（David Perdue）分别与民主党人沃诺克（Raphael Warnock）和奥索夫（Jon Ossoff）展开竞争。竞选造势正如火如荼地进行，两党的竞选团队都在该州投入了大笔资金，有可能成为美国历史上最昂贵的参议员选举。
The influence of the China Factor
中国因素的影响
Asian voter turnout in Georgia nearly doubled in this year’s U.S. elections, with the China factor being a major influence on them, especially Chinese voters.
今年美国选举中佐治亚州的亚裔选民投票率将近翻了一番，其中中国因素是影响他们、特别是华人选民的一个重要原因。
During the outbreak, Trump insisted on using the term “China virus” to refer to the new coronavirus. Critics argue that this could lead to the stigmatization of Chinese in the U.S., and even of the Asian community as a whole.
疫情期间，特朗普坚持使用“中国病毒”（China virus）一词来指代新型冠状病毒。批评人士认为，这可能导致在美国的华人、甚至整个亚裔群体受到污名化。
“The term ‘Chinese virus’ racializes the disease, and Chinese are being blamed for the disease. About two-thirds of Asian Americans say that the current spate of anti-Asian racism motivated their vote,” said Professor Russell Jeung. Professor Jeung’s team launched the Stop AAPI Hate survey in March of this year and has already received hundreds of cases of hostility against Asians. “In these cases, the perpetrators are parroting Trump’s hate speech like a parrot,” he said.
“‘中国病毒’一词将这种疾病种族化，华人被指责为该疾病的罪魁祸首。约有三分之二的亚裔美国人表示，当前一连串的反亚裔种族主义是他们投票的动机”，张华耀教授说。张教授的团队从今年3月展开“停止仇视亚裔”（Stop AAPI Hate）调查，目前已经收到数百起亚裔遭到敌视的案例。“在这些事件中，作恶者像鹦鹉学舌似的效仿特朗普的仇恨言论”，他说。
Jin Jin, a Chinese living in Georgia, came to the U.S. 20 years ago and used to not care much about politics, but this year she voted for the first time and took on the role of organizer to coordinate Chinese electioneering for the first time. One of the main reasons she decided to come forward was because she felt that the Chinese environment in the U.S. was threatened by the “Chinese virus” that Trump spoke of. Her elementary school daughter was asked by her classmates if her mother brought the virus, which made her feel sad.
居住在佐治亚州的华人金瑾20年前来到美国，以前不太关心政治，今年首次投票，并且首次担当组织者协调华人助选。她决定站出来的一个主要原因是，特朗普口中的“中国病毒”令她感到华人在美国的生存环境受到威胁。她在读小学的女儿被同学问到，是不是她妈妈带来的病毒，这让她感到难过。
Jin Jin not only supported Biden’s election, but also helped Democratic Senate candidates to call for votes. She saw a bill passed by the House of Representatives on Sept. 17 that called on public officials to condemn hostile remarks and actions against Asians and require law enforcement to investigate hate crimes. The bill received 243 unanimous Democratic votes, while only 14 Republicans voted in favor of the bill and 163 voted against it, and it did not make it to the Senate.
金瑾不仅支持拜登当选，还帮助民主党参议员候选人拜票。她看到今年9月17日，国会众议院通过了华裔民主党议员孟昭文（Grace Meng）提出的一项议案，呼吁公职人员谴责敌视亚裔的言行，并要求执法部门调查仇恨犯罪。该议案得到民主党243票全票支持，而共和党中只有14票赞成，163票反对，最终没能递交参议院。
“Although this motion is just a statement of stance, the fact that the Democrats passed it all shows that they strongly support the condemnation of hateful acts against Asians, then, of course, we should go for the Democrats,” Jin Jin told BBC Chinese. In the past two weeks, a team of more than 20 volunteers, including her, sent out more than 5,500 postcards to canvass for Democratic candidates.
“虽然这个议案仅仅是表态，但民主党全部通过了，说明他们坚决支持谴责对亚裔的仇恨行为，那我们当然要去支持民主党了”，金瑾对BBC中文说。在过去两个星期里，包括她在内的20多名义工团队寄出了5500多张明信片为民主党候选人拉票。
Jane Kim (second from right) and Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock (D-CA) 金瑾（右二）与民主党参议员候选人沃诺克（Raphael Warnock）
Chinese in the U.S.-China Crossfire
美中交锋中的华人
According to AAPI Data, Chinese-Americans make up 15% of the total Asian population in Georgia, about 75,000, second only to 150,000 Indians. In terms of the population base, Chinese-Americans themselves will hardly play a decisive role in reversing the Senate. However, regardless of the camp, the Chinese seem to be more enthusiastic in voting this year than ever before. The intense conflict between the U.S. and China over ideological differences and great power rivalry has made the fiery political temperature truly felt by Chinese who have lived in both places.
根据AAPI Data，在佐治亚州亚裔人口中，华裔占亚裔总人口的15%，约为7.5万，仅次于印度裔15万人。就人口基数来看，华裔本身很难在反转参议院中起到决定性作用。不过，不管是哪方阵营，今年华人的投票热情似乎都比以往要高。美中两国因意识形态差异和大国竞争而引发的激烈冲突，令在两地都有生活经历的华人真切地感受到了火热的政治温度。
“Previously, American politics did not have much impact on Chinese people, and this year the Chinese community was mobilized because of Trump and the epidemic. We played a big role in the presidential election and showed that the only way to have a voice is by participating in politics,” Ni Jian, who came to the U.S. from China for more than 30 years, told BBC Chinese.
“以前美国政治对华裔没有太大影响，今年由于川普和疫情，华人社区被动员起来。我们在总统选举中起了很大作用，也说明只有通过参政才能够发声”，从中国来到美国30多年的倪健对BBC中文说。
Over the past two years, the U.S. has besieged China on multiple fronts, beginning with the trade war in 2018 and extending to technology, military, media, education, and other areas. In response to human rights issues such as Hong Kong and Xinjiang, the U.S. Congress passed a series of bills authorizing the government to impose sanctions on potential human rights abusers. Congress also passed the Taipei Act, which aims to enhance economic and trade ties between the U.S. and Taiwan, which China considers a “core interest”.
过去两年里，美国在多方面围堵中国，从2018年贸易战开始，扩展到科技、军事、媒体、教育等领域。针对香港、新疆等涉及人权的议题，美国国会通过一系列法案，授权政府对可能侵害人权的人实施制裁。国会还通过旨在增强美台经贸往来的“台北法案”，而中国将台湾视为“核心利益”。
In July, the Trump administration asked China to close its consulate general in Houston, Kansas, and a few days later, China responded by closing the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu. Relations between the U.S. and China have fallen to a historic freeze since the establishment of diplomatic relations.
今年7月，特朗普政府要求中国关闭驻克萨斯州休斯敦（Houston）的总领事馆，几天后，中国以关闭美国驻成都总领事馆予以回应。美中两国关系跌至建交后的历史冰点。
Jin Jin runs an international education organization that engages in educational exchanges between the U.S. and China. The disruption of international flights and reduced movement of people caused by the epidemic directly hit her business, and her company was further aggravated by the deterioration in U.S.-China relations that spilled over into the education sector and a sharp drop in the number of Chinese students coming to the United States. “Business is down by 90 percent,” she said. This is another reason she opposes Trump.
金瑾运营一家国际教育机构，从事美中两国教育交流。疫情造成国际航班中断以及人员流动减少直接打击了她的业务，加上美中关系恶化蔓延到教育领域，赴美中国留学生人数锐减，她的公司雪上加霜。“生意少了九成”，她说，这是她反对特朗普的另一个原因。
There is now a bipartisan consensus in the United States that China is a strategic competitor of the United States and that even if a Biden administration takes office, it will continue to confront China in many areas. Many analysts point out that, unlike Trump, Biden will unite with allies to confront China and exert strong pressure in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and other areas involving China’s human rights situation.
目前美国两党形成共识，认为中国是美国的战略竞争对手，即便拜登政府上台，也会在很多领域继续对抗中国。许多分析指出，与特朗普不同的是，拜登将联合盟友对抗中国，并且在香港、新疆等涉及中国人权状况时强力施压。
Several Chinese respondents from mainland China who support the Democratic candidate said they hope the U.S. and China will move toward cooperation after Biden takes office. Some said they were reluctant to comment on human rights issues in China for fear of the safety of their relatives in mainland China or damage to their China-related interests, and said they did not care much about Hong Kong and Taiwan affairs.
多位来自中国大陆、支持民主党候选人的华人受访者说，他们希望拜登上台后，美中两国朝着合作的方向发展。部分人表示，因担心中国大陆亲人的安危或与中国有关的利益受损，不愿意评论中国的人权议题，并称对香港、台湾事务不太关注。
Ni Jian, who came to the United States in the late 1980s, said he supports China’s development in a “more democratic and open” direction, but “as to how to go about it, we may not all do it exactly the same way, and [China] doesn’t necessarily follow the American democratic system.”
80年代末来美国的倪健说，他支持中国朝着“更民主、更开放”的方向发展，但“至于怎么走，大家的做法可能不完全一样，（中国）不一定按照美国的民主制度来做。”
Ni Jian said Biden did not play a particularly tough “democracy card” with China when he was vice president during Obama’s term, so he believes the Biden administration will also behave the same way, and will “focus its efforts and time on U.S. domestic affairs.”
倪健说，拜登在奥巴马任期内担任副总统时，对华政策并没有打出特别强硬的“民主牌”，因此他认为，拜登政府也不会这么做，而是会“集中精力和时间处理美国国内的事务。”
Supporters of Republican Congressman David Perdue (R-PA) 共和党议员珀杜（David Perdue）的支持者
Republican Chinese who switched to support the Democratic Party
转向支持民主党的共和党华人
In addition to the Chinese factor, domestic issues in the United States also sway the choice of Chinese.
除了中国因素，美国国内的问题也左右着华人的选择。
Yale Xiao, a Chinese who came to the United States in the early 1990s, said the past four years have been “the most unpleasant”. The company he used to work for made its initial public offering this year, and he joined through a small amount of original stock he held. He should have been happy to have made a profit when the epidemic hit the U.S. economy hard, but he said the deteriorating political environment in the U.S. has kept him from cheering up.
90年代初来美国的华人肖宇说，过去四年“过得最不愉快”。他原先任职的公司今年首次公开募股，他也通过自己持有的一点原始股加入。在疫情重创美国经济时有所收益，原本应该高兴，但他说，美国政治环境的恶化令他无法振奋起来。
“Turn on the TV and you see politicians yelling at each other, Donald Trump is lying, American democracy shouldn’t be like this,” Yale Xiao said. He speaks with a strong Beijing accent and speaks in a straightforward manner, with English interspersed in his statements from time to time.
“打开电视就看到政客在对骂，Donald Trump在撒谎，美国民主不应该是这样”，肖宇说。他操着一口浓重的北京腔，说话直来直去，语句中还时不时夹杂着英文。
Yale Xiao has lived in Johns Creek, Georgia for 23 years and, as a registered Republican, has volunteered to participate in Republican activities and help Republicans run for office. in early 2015, he volunteered to encourage and lead the Chinese in the race for Georgia State Representative in the 50th District, helping Brad Raffensperger in the runoff election by more than 100 votes, after he trailed by 26 votes. Raffensperger has now become Georgia’s Secretary of State.
肖宇居住在佐治亚州琼斯溪市（Johns Creek）已经23年，作为一名注册共和党员，他曾主动参与共和党的活动，并帮助共和党人竞选公职。2015年初，他自愿鼓励并带领华人在佐治亚州议员第50区议员选举中，帮助拉芬斯伯格（Brad Raffensperger）在复选中以100多票获胜，此前他落后26票。拉芬斯伯格目前已成为佐治亚州的州务卿。
In the same year, Yale Xiao served as the official campaign director for the city council race, and after eight months of primary and runoff elections, helped a Republican Taiwanese-American candidate win and become the county’s first Chinese-American city council member.
同一年，肖宇担任市议员竞选的官方竞选总干事，经过八个月的初选和复选，帮助一位共和党台湾裔候选人取胜，成为该县首位华裔市议员。
Yale Xiao recalls the experience of doing political fundraising at that time, “high as a holiday”. But this time, Chinese from different camps confronted each other on social media and even attacked each other with words, causing some people’s years of friendship to break down. And in reality, the Chinese who support the Democratic Party are relatively silent.
肖宇回顾那时做政治筹款时的经历，“高高兴兴像过节一样”。但这次，不同阵营的华人在社交媒体上对立起来，甚至彼此用言语攻击，令一些人多年的友谊破裂。而在现实中，支持民主党的华人相对沉默。
“Our Chinese community is divided,” said Yale Xiao, who did not publish the names of the donors on this year’s fundraising list.
“我们华人社区被分裂了”，肖宇说，他在今年的筹款名单上没有公布捐款者的名字。
Yale Xiao (second from left) organized a campaign for city council in 2015 肖宇（左二）在2015年组织竞选市议员
Yale Xiao used to enjoy the monthly Saturday breakfast meetings of the county’s Republicans. “Everyone was warm and friendly, wearing suits and suits, having a gourmet breakfast and taking the Pledge of Allegiance in front of the flag,” he said, adding that the meetings usually featured Republican candidates explaining their campaign ideas or guests expounding on the Republican Party’s governing philosophy. Yale Xiao is almost the only Asian here, but has never felt excluded and has been invited to help Republican candidates reach out to the Asian community.
肖宇曾经很享受每月一次该县共和党人的周六早餐会。“大家热情友善，穿着西装套服，吃个美食早餐，面对国旗宣誓，”他说，会议通常会邀请共和党候选人讲解竞选理念，或嘉宾阐述共和党的执政理念。肖宇几乎是这里唯一的亚裔，但从未感觉到被排斥，并且被邀请帮助共和党候选人接触亚裔社区。
After Trump was elected president, Xiao Yu gradually felt that such breakfast meetings “have become tasteless”. Many of the candidates’ or guests’ speeches turned into “Trump-style rants”, which reminded him of the Chinese Cultural Revolution-style criticism.
特朗普当选总统后，肖宇逐渐感觉这样的早餐会“变味了”。许多候选人或者嘉宾的讲话变成了“特朗普式的咆哮体”，这令他联想起中国文革式的大批判。
Not only that, but Yale Xiao also believes that many of the traditional Republican ideas have shifted and that Trump has “kidnapped the Republican Party”.
不仅如此，肖宇还认为，传统共和党的许多观念已经有所转变，特朗普“把共和党绑架了”。
He cited the Republican Party’s consistent focus on fiscal responsibility and the need to balance revenues and expenditures without unwarranted massive borrowing. But in the four years of the Trump administration, “with the economy doing so well, the U.S. national debt has shot through the roof over and over again, uncontrollably, and it was so before the epidemic.”
他举例说，共和党一贯注重财政责任，需要平衡收支而不能无端大量举债。但在特朗普执政的四年里，“在经济这么好的情况下，美国国债一次次冲顶，无法控制，在疫情之前就已经如此了。”
Another example is the issue of abortion, which has been controversial for many years. Yale Xiao believes that, based on the Republican concept of “small government”, individuals should mind their own business and enjoy full freedom without affecting others and without interference from others or the government.
又如多年争议不断的堕胎议题，肖宇认为，基于共和党“小政府”的理念，个人管好自己的事情，在不影响他人的情况下享有充分自由，不受到他人和政府干预，因此“堕胎完全是个人私事和个人权利，应该留给本人和他们的医生决定”。
Anti-abortion forces have grown in the past four years, with many states, including Georgia, introducing tough abortion restrictions. According to Xiao, Trump has used the abortion issue to “kidnap Christian leadership and increase national division.
过去四年里，反堕胎势力不断增长，包括佐治亚在内的许多州出台了严厉的堕胎限制令。肖宇认为，特朗普利用堕胎议题“绑架了基督教领导，加剧了国家分裂”。
The idea that “you can’t just sit there and fight, you have to come out and do something” has led him once again to the path of electioneering. This time, he turned to support the Democratic candidate.
“不能只坐在那打嘴仗，要出来做点事情”，这一想法令他再次走上助选之路。这次，他转而支持民主党候选人。
Yale Xiao held a rally in front of a local Chinese supermarket to support Biden for president 肖宇在本地一家中华超市门前举办集会，支持拜登竞选总统
“It’s not that I’ve changed, I’m still me, but a lot of the Republican Party’s approach has departed from my ideas, especially with Donald Trump as the representative,” Xiao said. He believes it is time to “set things right” and that the United States should “get back on the right track”. That includes continuing to engage with China, rejoining the Paris Accord on global climate change, being friendly to immigrants and promoting proper health benefits. Yale Xiao said he may still return to supporting the Republican line in the future.
“不是我变了，我仍然是我，但是共和党的很多方针背离了我的想法，特别是以Donald Trump为代表的”，肖宇说。他认为现在是“拨乱反正”的时候，美国应该“重回正确的轨道”。这包括继续与中国接触、重新加入治理全球气候变化的《巴黎协议》、友善对待移民、推行适当的医疗福利等。肖宇说，将来自己仍有可能回到支持共和党的路线。
In November, Xiao Yu volunteered to plan the election strategy for Michelle Au, a Chinese-American Democrat, and rallied Chinese-Americans to raise funds. The anesthesiologist was eventually elected to the Georgia Senate, becoming the first Chinese-American senator in the state legislature’s 243-year history.
今年11月，肖宇自愿为华裔民主党欧晓瑜（Michelle Au）谋划选举策略，并召集华裔筹款。这位麻醉科医师最终当选佐治亚州参议员，成为该州立法院243年历史上首位华裔参议员。
“A lot of money was invested in the primary,” Xiao said of his campaign strategy. While other candidates conserved their strength to save money because they had no opponent from their own party in the primary, Xiao advised Michelle Au to throw everything she raised at the risk of spending it all. Originally unknown, Au stood out and used her status as a doctor to make a name for herself during the height of the new epidemic, winning the subsequent general election.
“初选时投入了大笔钱”，肖宇谈起他的竞选策略滔滔不绝。当其他候选人由于初选时没有本党对手而保存实力节省花销，肖宇建议欧晓瑜孤注一掷把筹款全部花掉。原本不知名的欧晓瑜脱颖而出，在新冠疫情高峰期利用她的医生身份打响了知名度，在随后的大选中顺势胜出。
Wining “Middle Voters” in the Midst of Division
在分裂中争取“中间选民”
The U.S. is currently mired in serious division, with controversies over immigration policy, social injustice, and urban-rural disparities being amplified, with mutual accusations and animosity permeating the television media and the Internet, and even breeding disinformation and conspiracy theories. The same situation is happening in the Chinese community.
美国目前陷入严重的两极分化，有关移民政策、社会不公、城乡差异等问题的争议被放大，电视媒体和互联网上弥漫着相互指责与仇视，甚至滋生了虚假信息和阴谋论。同样的情况也发生在华人社区。
Liao Bilan, a retired Chinese professor majoring in fine arts, had never thought of getting involved in politics before, but a “scolding war” in a Chinese social media WeChat group drew her into the political maelstrom.
华人退休教授廖碧兰从事美术专业，之前从未想过参与政治，但在中国社交媒体微信群里的 “骂战”将她卷入政治漩涡。
Liao Bilan repeatedly forwarded information about Biden and the Democratic Party’s policies in WeChat groups, and was verbally abused by many opponents and kicked out of the group several times. However, she continued to organize online activities and made early voting videos calling on Chinese to vote for the Democratic Party.
廖碧兰多次在微信群里转发有关拜登和民主党的政策，遭到许多反对者言语辱骂，并多次将她踢出群组。但她继续组织网络活动，并制作提前投票的视频呼吁华人投票支持民主党。
“Trump has destroyed my American dream,” Liao Bilan told BBC Chinese. She came to the United States in 2000, when she was nearly middle-aged and didn’t speak English. Over the next nearly 10 years, she repeated her degree, joined a school to teach and became a professor.
“川普摧毁了我的美国梦”，廖碧兰对BBC中文说。她在2000年来到美国，当时已经人近中年，不会说英文。在接下来近10年中，她重读学位，进入学校教书，并成为教授。
Born in the 1950s, Liao Bilan had watched her father suffer during the Cultural Revolution, and herself and her family were dragged into it. She says the current divisions and struggles in the United States remind her of her unfortunate childhood experiences and does not want to repeat them in her later years.
50年代出生的廖碧兰曾经看着父亲在文化大革命中受难，自己和家人也受到连累。她说美国目前的分裂与斗争令她回忆起不幸的童年经历，不希望晚年重蹈覆辙。
Retired art professor Liao Bilan (center) participates in a rally to build momentum 退休美术教授廖碧兰（中）参与造势集会
Liao Bilan moved to Gwinnett County, Georgia, four years ago. It is the most affluent county in the state, with the second-highest total population. It has the largest Asian population in the state, about 100,000 people, or 12 percent of the county’s total population.
廖碧兰四年前搬到佐治亚州的格威内特（Gwinnett）县。这是该州最富裕的县，总人口排名第二。这里拥有该州最多的亚裔人口，约10万人，占该县总人口的12%。
In late June, the Biden campaign’s national organization, “Chinese Americans for Biden”, noticed Liao and asked her to organize volunteers to help with the campaign. In the months that followed, the 60-something Liao worked with dozens of volunteers to design postcards, make phone calls, and, in an epidemic, personally visit voters who had returned their ballots to change their information.
6月底，拜登竞选团的全国性组织“华裔支持拜登”（Chinese Americans for Biden）留意到廖碧兰，邀请她组织义工帮助竞选。在随后的几个月里，60多岁的廖碧兰与数十个义工一起设计明信片、打电话拜票，并在疫情下亲自上门通知退票的选民修改信息。
In the U.S. congressional and local elections, turnout in the runoff is generally lower than in the primary election, and with Biden’s victory in the presidential election, some people want a check and balance of power in the Senate. Asian “middle voters”, including Chinese, have become the object of competition between the two parties.
在美国国会和地方选举中，复选的投票率普遍比初选低，加上拜登在总统大选中取胜后，一些民众希望参议院得到权力制衡。包括华裔在内的亚裔“中间选民”成为两党争夺的对象。
Janelle Wong, a professor in the Department of Asian American Studies at the University of Maryland, told BBC Chinese, “Asian Americans tend to support Democrats, voting about 2:1 for Biden and Trump. It looks like the Georgia Senate race will be very close, so every vote counts. Both parties should enlist the support of Asian voters, whose power has not been previously developed but is a new force in politics.”
马里兰大学亚裔美国人研究系教授Janelle Wong对BBC中文说，“亚裔美国人倾向支持民主党，投票给拜登和特朗普的比例约为2:1。看起来佐治亚州的参议员竞选结果会非常接近，所以每一张选票都很重要。两党都应该争取亚裔选民的支持，他们的力量此前没有开发出来，但却是一支新的政坛力量。”
This led Yale Xiao and others to form a group called “Chinese American for Political Participation”, which organizes lectures, film screenings, and panel discussions to call on Chinese from different industries to participate in. The group has organized lectures, film screenings, and guest speakers to engage Chinese from different industries in discussions about American politics. Topics covered include health care policy, candidates’ backgrounds and political views, absentee ballot procedures, the situation of the Chinese community in the US-China relationship, and the role of the media in the election.
这也促成肖宇等人成立了名为“鼓励华人参政行动”（Chinese American for Political Participation）的团体，以举办讲座、放映电影、邀请嘉宾座谈等形式，号召不同行业的华人参与讨论美国政治。他们的主题涵盖医疗卫生政策、候选人的背景和政见、申请缺席邮寄投票程序、中美关系下华裔群体的处境、媒体在大选中的作用等。
“If we had started out with a strong position in support of the Democratic Party, we would have been abandoning a camp, and that might not be very helpful. So we ended up choosing to do this from a relatively neutral perspective,” said Ni Jian, an organizer of the forum. He also serves as president of the Atlanta Chinese Chamber of Commerce and manages a multinational corporation.
“如果我们一开始立场鲜明地支持民主党，就等于抛弃了一个阵营，可能作用不大，所以最后选择了相对中立的角度来做这件事，”论坛的组织者倪健说。他还担任亚特兰大中国商会的会长，并管理一家跨国企业。
Postcards sent by Ni Jian to canvass votes 倪健寄出的拜票明信片
Ni Jian considers himself to be “left of center” in his position, favoring the market economy in economic terms, believing that individual prosperity also creates wealth for the country and society, and protecting the interests of the disadvantaged in welfare policies, including the implementation of universal health insurance. He compared Trump’s failure to acknowledge his defeat after the election to the behavior of a “third world dictator” and considered Trump’s neglect of environmental protection and disrespect for the media to be “the greatest threat to American democracy and legal system.”
倪健认为自己的立场“中间偏左”，在经济上倾向支持市场经济，认为个人富裕的同时也为国家和社会创造财富，在福利政策上倾向保障弱势群体的利益，包括实施全民医疗保险。他将特朗普在选后不承认败选比作一个“第三世界的独裁者”的行为，认为特朗普忽视环境保护、不尊重媒体等行为是对“美国的民主和法律制度的最大威胁。”
In a fundraising call for Democratic Senate candidates that ended earlier this month, Yale Xiao’s team fell short of the $50,000 fundraising goal set by the official campaign, which meant that congressmen, Secretary of State and others could not be invited to hold separate campaign meetings for Chinese-American voters, even if they were just online meetups. Eventually Chinese were merged into the entire Asian community to hold a joint campaign event on the 15th.
在本月初结束的为民主党参议员候选人征集筹款中，肖宇的团队没有达到官方竞选团队所设定的5万美元的筹款目标，这意味着不能邀请到国会议员、州务卿等人单独为华裔选民举办造势大会，即使只是网络见面会。最终华裔被并入整个亚裔群体，在15日共同举行造势活动。
In his reflection, Yale Xiao said that the lack of systematic community organizations and leaders in the Chinese community who support the Democratic Party has led to the failure to spread the message nationwide this time. He regrets this and believes that the power of the rising Chinese community in American politics should not be ignored.
肖宇在反思时说，支持民主党的华裔群体缺乏有系统的社区组织和领袖，导致这次没能在全国范围内传播讯息。他对此感到遗憾，也认为崛起的华裔在美国政坛上的力量不该被忽视。
Janelle Wong, a professor who studies Asians, said, “Among Chinese-Americans, the right does bring its voice to the fore through mobilization, especially on social media platforms. This strategy is less common among the Chinese-American left. Leftist Chinese-Americans are still struggling to catch up to the level of organization shown by the right.”
研究亚裔的教授Janelle Wong说，“在华裔美国人中，右派确实通过动员将声音突显出来，特别是在社交媒体平台上。这种策略在华裔左派中不太常见。左派华裔仍在努力追赶右派所表现出的组织水平。”
Nevertheless, these first-generation Chinese immigrants hope that their political experience will inspire the next generation to enter the political arena sooner rather than later in order to fight for the rights of the Chinese community.
不管怎样，这些第一代华人移民希望他们的参政经历可以激励下一代，为争取华裔群体的权益早日步入政治舞台。
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