Why did WWE veteran John Cena learn Chinese?
John Cena, one of WWE's biggest names in professional wrestling, has also become a top star in Hollywood. However, many aren't aware that he has an enormous fanbase in China.
This is further helped because he can speak fluently in Mandarin, which is spoken across Northern and South-Western China.
The star, dedicated as always to everything he focuses on, spent over five years learning the language. Given his already large fanbase across the world, though, why did Cena particularly focus on learning Chinese?
Years back, WWE was still trying to break into the Chinese market. When they went there for their shows, they had top stars throw around a few phrases in Mandarin. John Cena grew fascinated with the language and decided that he would learn it as well as he could.
During an interview with Straits Times in 2017, he explained that he disagreed that he was an "expert" in the language. He felt that his level of Mandarin was similar to that of a third grader in China.
He got a tutor, and even though Cena didn't have much free time, when he was free for an hour or so each day, his tutor came over, and the two conversed in Mandarin.
"I don't have a lot of free time, but when I do, for an hour or two of my day, a tutor comes over and we just talk."
He added that he carried a Ziploc bag with many flashcards. He brought them everywhere and tried to go through them whenever he could. He also said that he tried to immerse himself in Chinese media to help pick it up.
"So, on the days when I want to just cruise through Instagram, I have to tell myself that would be fun, but do it after half an hour's worth of cards. And I try to listen to podcasts and watch CCTV. I just try to immerse myself in the culture as much as I can," said Cena.
Thus, because of WWE's efforts to break into China, Cena ended up learning Mandarin.
Why did John Cena apologize to China?
Unfortunately for Cena, it was not all smooth sailing regarding maintaining a good relationship with China.
While promoting Fast & Furious 9, Cena referred to Taiwan as the first country where the movie was premiering. The Chinese market was furious with this, and after pressure mounted, he was forced to apologize on his Weibo account for calling Taiwan a country. He did so in fluent Mandarin.
John Cena apologized in Chinese on Sina Weibo after calling Taiwan a country during an interview promoting Fast & Furious 9 https://t.co/dzRKIYgEzL
However, he did not get a reprieve, as his apology for calling Taiwan a country met a severe backlash inside and outside the wrestling world, receiving mainstream coverage from CNN and BBC.
This apology isn’t just pathetic for Cena and the rest of the Fast & Furious franchise. It’s deeply reflective of studios’ increasing consolidation and dependency on franchise intellectual property. twitter.com/JoeXu/status/1…
While the fervor has died down, John Cena's apology is still routinely brought up by those wishing to criticize the superstar.
What did you think of John Cena's apology to China? Let us know in the comments section below.