It’s easy to see why Prof. Jiang is a reluctant Wumao: the man is a flaming homosexual who remains tightly closeted. Liberalism, at its core, is about liberation—escaping the suffocating grip of rigid traditions, norms, and social expectations.
That’s why, when Obama became the first Black U.S. President, Chinese liberals erupted in contempt for China and its culture, blaming it for everything from lack of innovation to backwardness and unsophistication. They couldn’t stop comparing their own society to the vibrant young community organizer from Chicago’s South Side—the son of an interracial couple who embodied renewal. To many Chinese, America wasn’t just a rival; it was the cultural reset button, the chance to be “born again.”
Yet the “Yes We Can” dream that once symbolized liberation soon collapsed for most Chinese liberals. They discovered that Obama-era America preached tolerance while demanding the erasure of their own cultural identity—and forced them to celebrate every other identity instead. No matter how eloquent, intelligent, or openly gay someone became, the message remained clear: you are still not good enough. This quiet disillusionment had already begun; COVID-19 simply turned it into full-blown rejection. It is precisely this betrayal that keeps people like Prof. Jiang as reluctant-closeted Wumaos to this day.
