She is the only Asian-American woman in the U.S. Cabinet
More than a decade ago, it was considered the "light of women"
She was able to stand in the complex world of American politics for twenty years
It is her remarkable family background
Or his American husband, who is known as the "evergreen tree in the political arena"
Asians, women, immigrants
Zhao Xiaolan, who "married to American politics"
Who is it?
"Well-known everywhere" now
Its true face has gradually been revealed by the world
The story begins in 1962. Eight years after graduation, 34-year-old Zhao Xicheng, a graduate of Shanghai Jiao Tong University majoring in navigation in 1950, took the Special Examination for Captain A held by the Taiwan Examination Institute, and with excellent results, became the "champion" of the industry, and was later sent to the United States for further study.
This year, Zhao Xicheng's wife, Zhao Zhu mulan, with her three daughters, took a ship bound for the other side of the Pacific Ocean and met her husband. After thirty-seven days of difficult and long sea voyages, they finally arrived at this "democratic and free" country, and as soon as they stepped on the land of New York, the first thing that caught their eyes was not the statue of Liberty holding high the torch, but the chaos and decay of Queens, as immigrants, if they wanted to survive in this land, they needed to redouble their efforts.
In the United States, there is no background, the second has nothing to do with Zhao Xicheng, hard to rely on his own mind in the United States to break a piece of the sky, he founded the United States Fumao Group, occupy a considerable part of the American market, and in Hong Kong, Shanghai and other places in China have branches.
The protagonist of today's story is the eldest daughter of the "Chinese boat king", Zhao Xiaolan, whose ancestral home is the suburb of Jiading, Shanghai, born in Taiwan in 1953, when her parents moved to the United States, Zhao Xiaolan was only eight years old. Although his father was a graduate of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the family conditions were not bad, but at that time, the bustling street scene in the United States still made zhao Xiaolan dumbfounded at a young age, and as soon as he came to this strange country, Zhao Xiaolan made up his mind not only to survive here, but also to get ahead.
Eight-year-old Zhao Xiaolan, with the help of his father, soon became fluent in English and graduated in 1975 from the Department of Economics at Monthorley York College, the most prestigious top liberal arts college in the United States, and its ranking has remained in the top 30 in the United States. After Zhao Xiaolan graduated, seeing her father's business getting bigger and stronger day by day, she "got the moon first near the water building" and entered the Fumao company under her father's name for internship.
During his two-year internship, Zhao Xiaolan combined the theory and reality he received in school, and soon had a unique experience, and wrote a monograph on the American shipbuilding industry. It was also this book that knocked on the door of Harvard University, a famous Ivy League school in the United States, for Zhao Xiaolan, in 1979, Zhao Xiaolan received a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School with all-A results, and during this period, as an exchange student, went to MIT Dartmouth College and Columbia University and many other top universities to study.
Zhao Xiaolan, who walked out of school, was quickly hired by Citibank as a senior accountant, and then because of her outstanding performance in her work, she was recommended by the president of Citibank to participate in the "White House Scholars" selection program held in 1983. This is a selection plan for outstanding young people in the United States, the screening conditions are extremely strict, and there are extremely high requirements for academic qualifications, talents, and recommended figures. Even if you are finally selected, you will participate in a months-long written test and interview, and a comprehensive investigation of your personal background will be conducted. And once elected, they can work with the highest- and most core White House officials.
Unsurprisingly, Zhao Xiaolan eventually defeated 55,000 applicants with her intelligence and diligence, becoming the first Asian-American "White House Scholar" in American history, serving as an assistant to White House Chief of Staff Miss, which was the starting point of her political career.
Subsequently, Zhao Xiaolan became the vice president of the American Commercial Bank in San Francisco, which was her last business experience, and then she completely "abandoned business and entered politics". Her political experience was also quite smooth, in 1986 she became the deputy director of the Shipping Department of the U.S. Federal Department of Transportation, and then rose three consecutive levels to become the deputy secretary of transportation, while Zhao Xiaolan was only thirty-six years old at the time. Asians, women, immigrants, no matter which label, will become a stumbling block in her US political arena, for Asian officials, the US government has never entrusted heavy responsibilities, and how did Zhao Xiaolan get to this step?
The first is the spirit of Asians who dare to fight and dare to rush, and are not afraid of hardship. As early as the days when she became a "White House scholar", Zhao Xiaolan consciously lived a seven-to-ten life, sometimes busy with official duties, even going home in the middle of the night, and after she returned home, she only took a short rest, then freshened up, came to the office, and began to work. Later, no matter how high the position was, Zhao Xiaolan was never negligent, because she knew that once she made a mistake, she would not only lose the face of the Zhao clan, but also lose the face of the Asians.
It was also this spirit of "desperate three women" that made then-President Reagan reacquaint himself with Asians. It took zhao xiaolan only two days to hand over a brilliantly written, well-worded, logical, and fluent speech to Reagan," which surprised him, and Zhao Xiaolan was soon appointed chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, and in 1989, just one year later, she was promoted several levels to become the deputy secretary of transportation.
Sitting in this post with an average age of sixty years or more, Zhao Xiaolan must be personal, from the formulation of navigation policies to the transfer of specific personnel to the flow of funds, one by one are handled quite properly, leaving no flaws and flaws.
However, with the fall of Bush and the rise of the Democratic Party, Zhao Xiaolan was ostracized by the political arena, but it was also "workplace frustration and emotional satisfaction", and Zhao Xiaolan, who had no time to take care of personal emotional problems before, met his future partner - McConnell.
Born in 1942, Mitch McConnell, a full 11 years older than Zhao Xiaolan, had previously had a failed marriage and had three daughters with his ex-wife, and has been single for more than two decades. Maybe it is true love, or maybe it is an ulterior motive, Zhao Xiaolan finally chose this "evergreen tree in American politics" as his life partner.
As the longest-serving and most senior U.S. senator in Kentucky's history, McConnell's political career, from kentucky, the twenty-sixth largest state in the United States, to the big city of New York, is known as the "political tumbler", McConnell, to say that he does not have any political skills, it is difficult to convince the public.
In 1993, the two married, after which Zhao Xiaolan temporarily put her career on hold, resigned as the president of the United Charitable Foundation, and wholeheartedly helped her husband run for the U.S. Senate at home. In 2001, George W. Bush was elected the 43rd President of the United States, the Republican Party once again took power, and Zhao Xiaolan was nominated as the secretary of the US Secretary of Labor, she became the first Asian female minister in the history of the United States, and was the only minister in George W. Bush's term to sit for eight years, which shows her strong work ability and efficiency.
In 2017, fellow Republican Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, and under his nomination, Zhao Xiaolan became the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and was sworn in two days later.
Biden took office in 2021, and Zhao Xiaolan, then federal transport minister, announced his resignation, ending his thirty-eight-year political career. Looking back at her political experience, it can be seen that the glorious academic qualifications of Harvard University, the world's top school, and Xuan He's family background have given Zhao Xiaolan considerable help, but whether it is the father of an industry tycoon or her husband with rich experience in politics, there is no way to replace Zhao Xiaolan to fight personally.
Those who carry the "first" title on her: the first Asian to be elected to the White House, the first Asian to enter the cabinet, the first female minister, etc., if there are not so many days and nights of struggle in the White House office, these glories around her may also be worn out with time, leaving only empty names.
As for whether Zhao Xiaolan loves the country or not, on the one hand, as an important member of the US cabinet, she naturally puts the interests of the United States first, on the other hand, in 1981, she returned to her ancestral hometown: Malu Town, Jiading, Shanghai, and built a school in her grandfather's name.
During her tenure, she once said frankly: "I am willing to become a bridge for Sino-US exchanges and contribute to the friendship and development of the two countries." However, just after his resignation, he was asked by the U.S. Congressional Supervisory Committee to cooperate with the investigation, on the grounds that "during his tenure, he was suspected of using his power to profit the family shipping company, and even used his popularity in China to enhance the family business image, and her husband accepted millions of dollars from the chairman of Fumao Company as campaign capital." ”
And what the truth of the matter is, whether it is the Democrats' slander and planting of the Republican Party, or there is another hidden plot, we still wait for the investigation data and results.