OAKLAND, Calif. — Alysa Liu didn’t want a parade, the original hope of the municipality. She preferred not to be hoisted on a pedal, showcased as a crown jewel of Oakland. For as much as she’s been everywhere lately, the amount of attention she can endure still has a ceiling.
But she was compelled, excited even, to approve Thursday’s celebration rally at City Hall because it doubled as a love letter to Oakland. She grew up in Oakland, lived here most of her life, and still does. She trains in Oakland at its lone ice center. It’s also where she honed her swag, groomed her mindset and etched her perspective. She has ties to other parts of the Bay Area, including Richmond. But she felt strong enough about her city to take to social media and clear up any confusion.
So Liu was lit on this vibrant afternoon in downtown Oakland, standing on a stage in the same plaza she’s walked across countless times on her way to and from lunch.
The city, as she said, “showed up and showed out.” Even the sun pulled up and soaked the occasion. The five thousand free tickets allotted were gone days ago. City Hall expected at least 2,000 more to show up without tickets at Frank Ogawa Plaza. More tuned into live streams and local broadcasts, which aired the entire event. At the Olympics, locals watched the world fall in love with Liu, soak in her presence as America’s new sweetheart. From Milan to New York to Paris, everyone, it seems, got a piece of the United States’ first gold medalist in women’s figure skating in 24 years.
“I’ve been trying to cover my hair,” Liu said. “But people know me by my face, too, and that’s weird! I’m like, ‘You’re only supposed to know me by my hair!’”
This was Oakland’s turn. This place knows her by her spirit.
Mayor Barbara Lee, whose office organized the event, gave Liu the key to the city.
The VIP list on Thursday included some major names with local ties from music, entertainment and sports. Kehlani. Andre Ward. G-Eazy. W. Kamau Bell. P-Lo. Stephen Curry showed up via video. As did Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr. But during one memorable moment, the master of ceremonies for the event, Sway — the Oakland native and ever-popular host of his own radio show — directed everyone’s attention to the middle of the crowd, and it served as a visual reminder of the depths at play.
Sway orchestrated the crowd, which roared at every mention and sight of Liu, to serenade the father of the gold medalist being honored. Arthur Liu soaked up the moment, almost leaping out of his seat as instructed by Sway, waving to the crowd.
Liu’s father has been the subject of criticism for how he handled his daughter’s figure skating career. Some of it from his daughter, who’s return to figure skating included him transitioning from overseer to proud spectator. But on this afternoon, he shone as a protagonist because of what he represented. Not just as a father, but as an ambassador of the culture that shaped Liu.
“Her father and family work here in Chinatown,” Lee said, “and they’re here today.”
Arthur Liu, Alysa’s father, waves amid a throng of fans at his daughter’s rally. He fled China as a political dissident and set up a new life in Oakland. (Benjamin Fanjoy / Getty Images)
The Lius hail from Oakland’s proud Chinese community. Chinatown has long been one of the cultural anchors of the city, a neighborhood built by immigrants who arrived seeking opportunity and community. It was in the mid-1800s when Chinese laborers and merchants began settling in Oakland, which became a city in 1852, many arriving after helping build the railroads that stitched California together. What grew from those early arrivals became one of the oldest and most vibrant Chinatowns in the United States — a few bustling blocks of markets, restaurants and family businesses just a short walk from City Hall.
Oakland’s Chinatown is a hub for the wider Asian-American community, serving as both a refuge and engine. Generations built livelihoods, raised families and established cultural epicenters, adding to the diverse culture of the city.
“Alysa didn’t want the spotlight,” said Oakland-based PR maven Kim Bardakian, who planned and executed the event on behalf of Mayor Lee. “She wanted it on Oakland. So we designed this celebration to reflect the city and cultures that shaped her. And that’s not possible to do without recognizing the Chinese-American presence in Oakland. Not only is it Alysa’s heritage and her culture, but it is a significant part of what makes our city so special.”
Arthur Liu’s own story mirrors that immigrant arc. A political dissident and attorney in China, he left the country decades ago after speaking out against the Chinese government following the massacre at Tiananmen Square. He eventually settled in the Bay Area, starting a law practice and building a life in Oakland’s Chinese community while maintaining a fierce sense of independence that would later shape how he raised his children.
He became a single parent when he chose to have five children through surrogacy, Alysa Liu being the eldest, and later married a Chinese woman who became part of the household.
The figure skating prodigy grew up in that distinctly Chinese-American orbit. Mornings at the rink. Afternoons surrounded by family. Weekends woven with community gatherings.
She is the collision of Bay Area swagger and traditional Chinese values. Discipline. Humility. Family loyalty. “I love being half-Chinese,” she said. “Both of my parents are actually full Chinese, so raised in a complete Chinese household. And it shaped a lot of who I am today. I love it. C’mon. The food is so good. I love the parties. Chinese parties, guys, are really good. Everyone is so close, too. We’re big on family, which I love. So, it’s definitely positive.”
The ingredients that built Liu, her magnetic personality and her admirable perspective, had their moment. The music. The fashion. The rhythm exemplified by Oakland’s own Turf dancers. Oakland School for the Arts. Shaolin kung fu. The Fremont High School band. The families linked in the audience. The fulfilling chill of being swaddled by Bay Area warmth.
This rally felt less like a ceremony and more like a neighborhood gathering. A function, as the local vernacular dictates. The kind where Oakland shows up for its own. That celebrates itself as a rebuke to constant denigration. Liu dons America’s crown, as figure skating champs tend to do in the States. But her glow is distinctly Oakland. And she, as much as anyone, knows she represents the good that happens in her city that often gets overlooked.
Thursday was about a hero and her home, a champion and a community. One occupies the heart of the other. And it was exactly the public display of affection Liu wanted.