Why was a US Yale graduate hounded out of his job promoting Chinese culture?

In just two months, Yale graduate Edward Kuperman went from being praised by Chinese state media to being bombarded by public accusations that he was a spy. It began with a June 18 article from state news agency Xinhua, in which he was described as an eager 24-year-old sinophile who made the unconventional choice of spurning China’s eastern metropolises to live in Dunhuang, an oasis in the country’s northwestern Gansu province. His interest in China started with a Chinese language class in junior high school, as well as books and films about China, Xinhua reported. At 17, he was an exchange student in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. After returning to the United States, his parents hired a Chinese tutor for him, it said. Kuperman, who also goes by the Chinese name Gu Aihua – “Loving China” – started his first job as an intern live-streamer at the Dunhuang Culture International Communication Centre (DCICC) in April, the article said, adding that he believed the city was a “unique entryway to observing China, understanding China and telling China’s stories”. Dunhuang was for centuries a stop along the Silk Road and in the article Kuperman’s life there is presented as typically rosy. One anecdote describes how he spent three hours helping a Dutch tourist find their lost backpack. “Kuperman told the relieved tourist, ‘In China, nothing gets lost.’ The tourist nodded in agreement,” the article said. The DCICC’s Instagram account featured Kuperman in three videos in May and June, interviewing participants at the Third World Conference of Sinologists and introducing the city’s Crescent Lake, one of its main attractions. Dressed in a buttoned-up waistcoat and trousers, he walked in the sand around the lake, introducing it as a place lovers flocked to. “I don’t know about romance for me, but I will say that I love this place,” he said. But Kuperman’s problems began in July, when he was hired by the Dunhuang Convergence Media Centre, an outlet run by the local government. The hiring notice, which was picked up by Chinese media, showed that Kuperman was the only foreigner among three new hires. The other two women, both Chinese, had studied translation and communications at British universities. Posts questioning Kuperman’s qualifications soon emerged on Chinese social media. Some claimed that he received an annual salary of 900,000 yuan (US$133,000), and questioned the pay. “Aren’t they using taxpayers’ money to pamper foreigners?” That salary would far exceed what a Western graduate would usually expect to be paid in China. For a fresh Chinese graduate, that wage would be astronomical. According to the Hong Kong-based MyCOS Research Institute, the average starting salary for Chinese bachelor’s graduates in the class of 2025 was 77,220 yuan a year. Online rage and suspicion were further inflamed by the discovery that Kuperman had studied Chinese at National Taiwan University and had interned at the conservative American Enterprise Institute’s Coalition Defence of Taiwan programme. Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of state-run tabloid Global Times, which has an English edition, waded into the controversy. He wrote in a now-deleted online post that most foreigners employed by Chinese organisations had “complex experiences”, such as previously working in American media or think tanks, where they may have written reports viewed as unfavourable by the Chinese. Hu said netizens wanted to “spoil his job” using spy accusations, because they were unhappy Kuperman was paid so much. Kuperman has said that his interest in East Asia is cultural, not political. He previously wrote on Yale’s website that he studied the region “because of its unique combination of ancient tradition and dialogue with the West”. Regardless of netizens’ intentions, their furious posting got results. By Friday, Kuperman had decided not to take the job, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The local authorities clarified that he was only offered an annual salary of about 330,000 yuan – not 900,000 yuan – with various allowances on top. An investigation had been launched to see if there were any problems with the hiring, it said. A salary of 330,000 yuan is within the normal range for Western graduates working in China. Kuperman could not be contacted for comment, while the DCICC and local media centre did not respond to interview requests. Einar Tangen, senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation and chairman of Asia Narratives, said that while Dunhuang was a city of just 200,000 people, it had more than 20 million visitors annually, with its Mogao Caves representing shared heritage spanning Buddhist, Persian, Greek, Indian and Chinese civilisations. Dunhuang has been using this identity to try to tell its story to global audiences through what it calls the “innovative Dunhuang model”. A 2025 article from the city’s propaganda department said the DCICC was an important part of that effort, with 28 global social media accounts, 800,000 fans, 5,100 posts and more than 65 million cumulative views. “We will make Dunhuang an important window for the world to understand China and feel Chinese civilisation,” it said. The Chinese authorities are keen to win foreigners’ praise for the country’s heritage and modern technology. In 2025, when American influencer IShowSpeed visited Beijing and Shanghai, the Chinese embassy in the US said he was “bridging cultural gaps” and multiple state media outlets ran glowing pieces praising the trip. Governments often actively invite foreign influencers to China. In June last year, the Hainan provincial tourism board invited 19 influencers from 12 countries to explore the southern island and produce content. Despite this, a political scientist who wished to stay anonymous acknowledged that in recent years Chinese public opinion had become increasingly sensitive when it came to any issue involving foreigners. He said the resolution of any controversy depended on the style of the decision-maker. “If you have an open mind or do not think [such backlash] matters, then this will boost cross-cultural exchanges,” he said. Tangen added that he was worried by the instinct to build walls rather than bridges. “Dunhuang’s entire model is built on openness. It processes visa-on-arrival for international tourists, has established sister-city ties with cities abroad and hosted over 600 global events in 2025,” he said. “China is extending visas and inviting the world to see the country as it is, not as hostile or ignorant media portray it. If Kuperman had genuine issues in his background, then they should be addressed – through proper channels.”

Why was a US Yale graduate hounded out of his job promoting Chinese culture?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}His supposedly sky-high salary and internship at a conservative think tank sparked online fury and rumours he was a US spy

His supposedly sky-high salary and internship at a conservative think tank sparked online fury and rumours he was a US spy