((PKG))  RISING CHINESE AMERICAN POLITICS 
((Banner:  Politics and Chinese Americans))  
((Reporters:  Michael White, Xiao Yu))  
((Camera:  Drew Hayes, Spike Johnson)) 
((VOA Mandarin))  
((Map:  Plano and Houston, Texas))    
((Main characters: 1 female; 1 male)) 
((Sub characters:  1 female;  1 male))  
((MUSIC)) 
((Locator:  Plano, Texas)) 
((Lily Bao)) 
When I was younger, I grew up in China.  I don’t think we could imagine 
that we could run for office. 
((MUSIC/NATS:  
We’ve got 63 houses to go…..   
Whoa.)) 
((MUSIC))  
((Lily Bao)) 
From my own experience, I, you know, won.  A lot of the reason to our 
success was due to block walking.  You know, block walking is very 
important because it’s one on one.  If you get to meet the people, you 
know, if they open the door, you get the chance to talk to them and that 
makes a much stronger impression to the voter. 
((MUSIC/Popup Text:  Information about Lily Bao)) 
- Born in Guiyang, China, 1971    
- Came to America as student, 1991    
- Former IT specialist, now Real Estate professional 
- Republican, Advisory board Member of Asian Americans for Trump 
- Elected to Plano, Texas City Council in 2019, now campaigning for GOP 
candidates 
((MUSIC)) 
((Locator:  Houston, Texas)) 
((Gene Wu)) 
When I was a kid, the thing that always stuck in my mind, that even, you 
know, I can hear that voice to this day, was a young Hispanic kid, who like 
was one of my bullies and he would always tell me to go back to where I 
came from. 
((MUSIC/Popup Text:  Information about Gene Wu)) 
-  Born in Guangzhou, China, 1978    
-  Came to America with family at age 4   
-  Former prosecutor  
-  Democrat   
-  Elected to Texas House of Representatives in 2012, now seeking fifth 
term 
((MUSIC)) 
((Gene Wu))  
When we first moved here, we lived in Odessa, Texas.  And if you don’t 
know Odessa, that is a weird place to go, coming from like the third largest 
city in China to a town of 20,000 people, where literally there were three 
other Asian families and we all knew each other. 
I don’t think our story coming to the United States is really all that different 
from any other Asian Americans.   
It was a struggle.  When I was little, you know, I got made fun of because, 
you know, I couldn’t pronounce “th”, that I would say ‘fing’ instead of ‘thing’.  
And it took me years to correct that.  And, you know, it was something that 
the other kids harassed me about and it was something that I keep as a 
memory of why I help other people and why I spend so much time 
defending other immigrant populations, refugees and people who have, 
sort of, you know, been stepped on and people who don’t have a voice.  
Because, you know, I was bullied all throughout my childhood, you know, at 
times because I was the only Asian kid around and the other times 
because I was the, you know, short skinny kid that was kind of, you know, 
wimpy and weak.  And so, when I got older, when I became an adult, I 
made it my mission to look after other people, look after other people who 
get stepped on, who get bullied themselves.  
((MUSIC/Popup Text:   
#1 The U.S. Asian population grew 72% between 2000 and 2015.  That is 
the fastest growth rate of any major racial or ethnic group.  Chinese 
Americans are the largest cohort.     – Pew Research 
#2 Asian Americans account for 5.6% of the American population.  In the 
current U.S. Congress, 3% of the members are of Asian descent.  – U.S. 
Census Bureau and Pew Research 
#3 From Andrew Yang, the first Asian American to run for president, to 
candidates running in hyperlocal districts, more Chinese Americans are 
entering American politics. 
#4 Some were born and raised in the USA.  Others are first-generation 
immigrants.)) 
((NATS/MUSIC)) 
((MUSIC/Popup Text: 
Often an issue close to home like new development or taxes prompts a first 
run for office.))   
((Lily Bao)) 
Last year, when we had our campaign, our volunteers walked like tens of 
thousands of doors.  That’s how we won.  They called us ‘Lily’s army’, 
because we had about 100 volunteers who walked. 
((Lily Bao)) 
After 2016, you know, end of 2016, a lot of Chinese Americans felt like we 
really need to get involved, so that our values can be reflected.  And so 
that’s how, you know, people are looking for candidates.  Very few people, 
almost nobody wanted to run because it’s a lot of work.  It’s a lot of 
sacrifice.  So, I said, “Maybe I can try.”  And they checked on me.  They felt 
like, “Wow, great!” 
((NATS)) 
((Gene Wu)) 
I think absolutely there are going to be more and more Asian Americans 
running for office in Texas.  2018 was the high point.  We had 14 Asian 
Americans run for office in the greater Houston area, two-thirds of whom 
won.  And that is phenomenal.  They are all Democrats. 
((NATS/MUSIC)) 
((MUSIC/Popup Text:   
From 2000 to 2020, the number of Asian American eligible voters grew by 
139% nationwide.)) 
((Gene Wu)) 
I tell people all the time is, Texas, in terms of Asian American population, is 
where California was about 30 years ago.  This state is going to be an 
Asian American political powerhouse. 
((MUSIC/Popup Text: 
#1 As Beijing expands its influence worldwide, candidates of Chinese 
descent in the U.S. may face increased scrutiny. 
#2 “In American federal and state politics, China seeks to identify and 
cultivate rising politicians.”  – Hoover Institute, 2018 
#3 “It is important not to exaggerate the threat of these new Chinese 
initiatives” and not to subject Chinese Americans to “the kind of generalized 
suspicion or stigmatization that could lead to racial profiling.”  – Hoover 
Institute, 2018)) 
((Gene Wu)) 
By the nature of my district, I am in very close contact with not just the 
Chinese, but with the Mexican consulate, with the Canadian consulate, with 
the, you know, with the consulates from all over the world because their 
people live in my district.  Their people are here as refugees.  Their people 
are here as HB-1 or EB-5 [visa holders] or whatever it is.   
((Popup Text: 
H1-B:  Visa for highly skilled foreign workers 
EB-5:  Immigrant investor visa-- CSCIS.gov))  
((Gene Wu)) 
Their people are here in my district and they live and work here and when 
they have problems, they come to me.  And when they have problems, I 
reach out to the consulates and talk to the consulates and say, “Hey, this is 
what they need. Can you help them with this?”  That's part of my job. 
((Lily Bao)) 
I left China very, very young.  I don’t have any, you know, connection with 
CCP [Chinese Communist Party], no.   
((Popup Text:  
CCP:  Chinese Communist Party)) 
((Lily Bao)) 
I was also endorsed by the Governor Abbott.  I don’t know whether you 
know that or not.  You know, it’s all from a lot of Asian Americans as well, 
as well as local, whoever, you know, lives in Plano.  But I do have a lot of 
Asian American supporters because they want to see Asian Americans 
running for office. 
((MUSIC/Popup Text: 
In Texas today, some 698,000 eligible voters are Asian American, the third 
largest group after California, 3.6 million, and New York, 920,000.   -- Pew 
Research)) 
((Gene Wu)) 
In a lot of my speeches, I say, if you are interested in running for office, 
come find me.  And sometimes, a lot of Asian American community 
members would actually say, “Hey, I know a kid.  I know somebody who, I 
think, will be really good.  Let me make sure they get your numbers to call 
you.” 
((NATS/MUSIC)) 
((Lily Bao)) 
And sometimes they see you come.  They are inside.  They see you from 
the blinds but they don’t open the door.  But still it’s okay.  It is a 
participation of the democracy process.  You have to get used to it.   
((NATS:  
Have you had good response?  Nobody’s been mean and ugly, have they? 
Well, they’ll say no.)) 
((Lily Bao)) 
Sometimes people are polite.  Even if they don’t like your candidate, they 
will just deny you, but they wouldn’t say something bad.  But occasionally 
they will yank on you.  That’s possible too, so it’s fine.  ((NATS)) 
((Lily Bao)) 
You know, it’s the greatness of American democracy, really.  In China, you 
don’t do this.  America is not a perfect country, but it’s the best country in 
the world.  Just look at how many people want to come here.  You know, all 
the children of the high officials, you know, in China, they put their children, 
their children come to America.  So, that tells you something. 
((NATS: 
Yeah, I would love to have a Trump sign. 
A Trump sign? 
Yeah. 
Thank you.  God bless.  God bless America. 
Yeah. 
Thank you for doing this.)) 
((NATS/MUSIC))