AMERICAN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY SPECIAL ENVOY MICHELLE KWAN'S

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HONG KONG 000255 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR R, ECA, EAP/CM, AND EAP/PD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL OVIP HK KPAO SUBJECT: AMERICAN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY SPECIAL ENVOY MICHELLE KWAN'S VISIT TO HONG KONG ¶1. SUMMARY: American Public Diplomacy Envoy and figure skating champion Michelle Kwan put in two days (Jan. 23-24)of extremely effective outreach to Hong Kong youth organizations and schools, both in concert with Under Secretary Karen Hughes and on her own. Ms. Kwan shared with over 1,500 students lessons she learned through skating about achieving one's dreams through dedication and diligence. She was particularly adept at engaging Hong Kong audiences, frequently breaking into the locally spoken Cantonese dialect, and explaining how a child of immigrants can both be proud of her ethnic heritage and be a patriotic American as well. Media coverage was positive and plentiful. END SUMMARY. The Venues -------------- ¶2. Ms. Kwan's programming schedule included: - Together with U/S Karen Hughes (whose whole program is reported septel),an informal luncheon with the Hong Kong Girl Guides Association (11 teenaged Girl Guides and 13 Board Members, Leaders, and Staff); - Lecture and Discussion with students organized by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and its programming subsidiary aimed at youth in the Chinese diaspora, the Dragon Foundation (280 secondary students); - Campus tour, small group discussions, and lecture and discussion session for the entire student body with students from the Ti-I ("Sports and Arts") College (a junior and senior high school of 900 students); -Lecture and discussion with students under the auspices of the Hong Kong SAR Government's Leisure and Cultural Services Department (350 primary, secondary and university students, skaters, and other athletes); - Interview with three leading Hong Kong dailies (English-language South China Morning Post and Chinese-language Oriental Daily and Ming Pao) and photo/Q and A coverage of her other events. ¶3. The local organizations that hosted Ms. Kwan turned out to be perfect program partners. Ti-I College is Hong Kong's only "magnet school" for athletes and artists; the Dragon Foundation invites ethnic Chinese of exceptional achievement (such as basketball player Yao Ming and Nobel Laureates) to address Hong Kong youths; and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department runs a Sports Education Program for schoolchildren of all ages, teaching them the value of athletics to health and overall development. A Flawless Performance -------------- ¶4. The result/impact of Ms. Kwan's visit was outstanding. It is hard to imagine a better emissary to advance our key MPP goal - indeed, our primary global Public Diplomacy objective - of promoting mutual understanding and good will toward the United States than Michelle Kwan. Already beloved worldwide for her grace and dynamism as a figure skater, Ms. Kwan proved equally adept in her new role as American Public Diplomacy Special Envoy. ¶5. Ms. Kwan embodies what is best in America and communicates those core values very effectively to her audiences. Her main message is to "work hard, be yourself, and have fun," a philosophy that, in combination with the opportunities of an open society like the United States, allowed her to develop her talents to become a world champion. Her down-to-earth, kindly demeanor allows her to establish an immediate rapport with her audiences, and her infinite patience and generous nature makes her especially successful in engaging youth. ¶6. In both her small group and large lecture discussions, she began with brief comments about her own background and experiences, recipes for her success as a skater, and the importance of family support and diligence in pursuing one's dreams. The students at all venues had many excellent questions, and Ms. Kwan was the perfect respondent to address student concerns about time management, how to handle pressure, and how to stand up after falling down and continuing to strive for excellence. ¶7. Ms. Kwan was particularly eloquent on the frequently-broached subject of her percepion of her identity; whether she considers hersef Chinese or American, what it means to be a "Chnese-American," etc. Ms. Kwan stressed that she fet privileged o have been exposed to both culturs and how they are both vital to who she is as aperson, and she emphasized the universal values such as love of family and importance of education that we all share. Breaking into simple but perfectly cadenced Cantonese at parts for emphasis, she won her audiences' hearts. ¶8. Of special note is the brownbag luncheon hosted by HONG KONG 00000255 002 OF 002 by the DPO with representatives from the Hong Kong Girl Guides Association. Participants included 11 teenaged Girl Guides (all veterans of international leadership camps)and Members of the Girl Guides Board of Directors, including Board President (and wife of Hong Kong's Chief Executive) Selina Tsang, Macau gaming magnate Stanley Ho, and numerous winners of Hong Kong's prestigious Bauhinia Award recognizing charitable and social work benefiting all of Hong Kong society. The discussion among the participants was free-flowing, lively, and wide-ranging on leadership, setting goals, shared cultural values, family values, and different international experiences. Ms. Kwan and U/S Hughes had a wonderful exchange with these current and future leaders of Hong Kong, culminating in the participants agreeing to institute an annual friendship exchange between girls from Hong Kong and America on the model of a Hong Kong-PRC "friendship caravan" in 2006 described by one the board members. Perfect Sixes -------------- -------------- ¶9. Ms. Kwan even managed to disarm the famously tough Hong Kong press; media coverage of her events and presence here was overwhelmingly positive (apart from a mention of a slight stumble and a factual error or two). Virtually every local television station and major print publication featured footage/photos of her meeting with the various youth groups and students, and captured her main message of encouraging students to work hard, to not be discouraged by setbacks, and to keep pursuing their dreams. ¶10. Ms. Kwan's program addressed global themes Mutual Understanding and International Public Opinion. It was a classic soft, feel-good program. Post appreciates the support of our colleagues in R, ECA, and EAP for their invaluable assistance in setting up Ms. Kwan's program. Post would welcome any opportunity to program Ms. Kwan in the future. CUNNINGHAM