According to the the director of the opening program, it was a tough choice and that Miaoke herself probably didn’t even notice that Peiyi’s version of the recording was used to replace hers at the actual opening. Anyone with some knowledge of acting audition process knows that choosing one actor over another for their looks is procedural, cruel to the actors but not an uncommon practice. Actors can get over it, but these two reporters just had to bring it up onto a political level. “It’s them Communists’ inhumanity!” “Look at their ill-treatment of children, look at their deceitfulness!” O, give me a break! In this case, having extensive on-screen acting experience, Miaoke was simply chosen over Peiyi among other finalists. Yes, she is pretty. But she’s not the pretties 7 year old in China. She was chosen for her look, her demeanor and also the artistic goal of this performance. But the music director wasn’t satisfied with Miaoke’s voice recording. So Peiyi’s voice recording was played at the end. The reporters, having done no homework, fabricated and twisted details here and there with the goal of manipulating readers to sympathize Peiyi’s “suffering” in mind. They don’t in fact care a single bit of what happens to Miaoke, or Peiyi after their report is published online. The two young children are simply the reporters’ objects to reflect a certain barbaric aspect of the “bad Chinese.”

According to the the director of the opening program, it was a tough choice and that Miaoke herself probably didn’t even notice that Peiyi’s version of the recording was used to replace hers at the actual opening. Anyone with some knowledge of acting audition process knows that choosing one actor over another for their looks is procedural, cruel to the actors but not an uncommon practice. Actors can get over it, but these two reporters just had to bring it up onto a political level. “It’s them Communists’ inhumanity!” “Look at their ill-treatment of children, look at their deceitfulness!” O, give me a break! In this case, having extensive on-screen acting experience, Miaoke was simply chosen over Peiyi among other finalists. Yes, she is pretty. But she’s not the pretties 7 year old in China. She was chosen for her look, her demeanor and also the artistic goal of this performance. But the music director wasn’t satisfied with Miaoke’s voice recording. So Peiyi’s voice recording was played at the end. The reporters, having done no homework, fabricated and twisted details here and there with the goal of manipulating readers to sympathize Peiyi’s “suffering” in mind. They don’t in fact care a single bit of what happens to Miaoke, or Peiyi after their report is published online. The two young children are simply the reporters’ objects to reflect a certain barbaric aspect of the “bad Chinese.”

“Oh, you don’t fit the model of what we perceive to be our core audience so…too bad!”

“Oh, you don’t fit the model of what we perceive to be our core audience so…too bad!”