Anna Mae He was brought to China. Her parents divorced. She is unhappy in school.

There is nothing unusual with any of this but the public simply cannot help reading a "larger picture" into it.

From the very beginning, both supporters and detractors have tended to see the story as symbols: If her parents failed to regain legal custody of her, China would lose; if they won, China won over the US.

Now that Anna Mae is having difficulty adjusting to her Chinese environment, some suggest the Chinese government step in and help out.

But government should not intervene in strictly private affairs just to make a point, in this case that a Chinese family can take care of its foreign-born children.

Anna Mae He practicing piano with her teacher. [China Daily]

Rich or poor, wise or foolish, He Shaoqiang and Luo Qin have the responsibility to make decisions for their daughter. This is not the Olympics and their success or failure as parents does not represent China. We as outsiders should respect their decision and refrain from jumping to conclusions. We are not in their position and whatever we learn from media reports may not be the whole picture.

While the sympathy and support for the Hes is commendable, the logic behind it is dubious. As the Hes fought their legal battle, some blew it up as a matter of saving face for the nation. (Thank God it was not turned into another Elian Gonzales case on the US side.) When the Hes decided to come back to China, some interpreted as a triumph - almost like a looted national treasure returning to its rightful owner - while others saw it as a personal failure. The divorce shifted public sympathy because it was perceived as a resounding sign of family malfunction.

As a matter of fact, it's a family affair, pure and simple. It has nothing to do with national pride. I'm sure both the Hes and the Bakers give unconditional love to Anna Mae and she will hopefully benefit from the attention and care of two pairs of parents - it would certainly be wise for the Hes to let Anna Mae keep contact with the Bakers.

It is difficult for an 11-year-old raised in the US to live in China. The wealth gap is the least of her problems and the language gap, while more pertinent, could be easily bridged by one so young. It is the cultural differences, especially the way of teaching and learning, which are her biggest challenges. Both family members and her school should make an effort to ease Anna Mae into her new environment. Emphasize the similarities, not the differences; emphasize the positive aspects of each culture, not the negative ones, so she finds it advantageous to be handling two languages and two cultures.

Anna Mae and her happiness is what this is all about. Everyone involved should start thinking about this more from her viewpoint.

(China Daily June 1, 2009)