Slater Rhea (; ; literally: "Handsome Virtue") is an American singer, songwriter and TV personality on national TV in China.
Rhea is a regular performer on Chinese music and entertainment programs, having made appearances on
China Central Television
China Central Television (CCTV) is a Chinese state- and political party-owned broadcaster controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its 50 different channels broadcast a variety of programing to more than one billion viewers in six lan ...
,
China Education Television
China Education Television (CETV) ( and IPA pronunciation ) is an educational TV station in the People's Republic of China. Its first broadcast was on October 1, 1986. Its function is to provide Chinese people with educational programs, similar ...
,
Jiangsu TV
Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation (JSBC) () is China's third biggest television network after China Central Television (CCTV) and Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS). The television network is owned by the Jiangsu provincial government. The network is ...
,
Beijing TV, Inner Mongolia TV, Yunnan TV, Anhui TV, as well as other local and provincial stations across China.
Rhea performs in
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
(primarily
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
, but also in
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
dialect),
Mongolian, and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
.
While he rose to prominence in China for singing traditional Chinese folk tunes, he also writes and sings Chinese
pop and educational music and performs a variety of English-language material including American
jazz standards
Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list ...
and
rock-and-roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...
.
Rhea has been referred to in Chinese and international media as a cultural ambassador and "musical diplomat"
because of his background in international relations and dream to improve U.S.-China relations through his music and performances. Rhea additionally credits former U.S.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic ...
, whom he met and sang for in 2016, as an inspiration to pursue a career in cultural diplomacy.
Rhea lives in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
and, in addition to his entertainment career, holds a position as lecturer in English and International Studies at
Beijing Foreign Studies University
Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU; ), is a public university in Beijing, China. BFSU boasts the oldest language programs in China offering the largest number of foreign language majors on different educational levels. Located in Haidia ...
.
Childhood and education
Rhea was born and raised in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, where he was first singled out to sing solos in his
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
church choir
and learned piano and violin in local music programs.
He was enrolled in the
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
from grade one and earned the rank of
Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...
at age 13.
He graduated from the
Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts
, motto_translation = We shall excel
, slogan = ''Above. Beyond.''
, streetaddress = 715 University Parkway
, city = Natchitoches
, state = Louisiana
, zipcode = 71457
, country = United States
, coordinates =
, type = Public, Selectiv ...
in
Natchitoches, Louisiana, before attending the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
as a
National Merit Scholar
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and university scholarships administered by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a privately funded, not-for-profit organizati ...
,
where he earned dual bachelor's degrees in Chinese Language and Literature and Asian Studies.
He attended the
Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies in
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
, China, where he studied, wrote and defended a 100-page thesis in Mandarin
and earned dual master's degrees in China Studies and International Politics
from
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...
and
Nanjing University
Nanjing University (NJU; ) is a national public research university in Nanjing, Jiangsu. It is a member of C9 League and a Class A Double First Class University designated by the Chinese central government. NJU has two main campuses: the Xianl ...
while first performing on Nanjing-based
Jiangsu TV
Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation (JSBC) () is China's third biggest television network after China Central Television (CCTV) and Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS). The television network is owned by the Jiangsu provincial government. The network is ...
.
Connection to Xi'an, Shaanxi folk songs, and biangbiang noodles
![SlaterRheaBiang](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/SlaterRheaBiang.jpg)
Rhea has a close connection with the ancient Chinese capital of
Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...
(and
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
Province) and its culture, having first visited the city and established connections there in 2010.
Rhea often sings
North Shaanxi folk songs, which he first heard and fell in love with on his first visit to China. His connection to Xi'an and Shaanxi Province is often discussed in his TV appearances,
including his love of Shaanxi's distinctive
cuisine
A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...
, including
roujiamo
Roujiamo or rougamo () is a street food originating from the cuisine of Shaanxi Province and widely consumed all over China. In the United States, it is sometimes called a Chinese hamburger.
Overview
The meat is most commonly pork, stewed for ...
("Chinese hamburger"),
liangpi
Liangpi () is a Chinese dish composed of cold skin noodles made from wheat or rice flour. It is a specialty dish originating from the cuisine of Shaanxi Province, but has now spread throghout all of China. In northwestern areas of China, it is o ...
(cold noodles),
yangrou paomo (lamb stew with bits of crumbled flatbread), fried persimmon cakes, and, most prominently,
biangbiang noodles
Biangbiang noodles ( zh, s=, t=𰻞𰻞麵, p=Biángbiángmiàn), alternatively known as ''youpo chemian'' () in Chinese, are a type of Chinese noodle originating from Shaanxi cuisine. The noodles, touted as one of the "eight curiosities" of ...
(Shaanxi's famous 'thick-as-a-belt' handmade noodles).
The "biang" in biangbiang noodles is known for being one of the most complex Chinese characters; and Rhea made front-page news in Shaanxi province's Chinese Business View when he first wrote the character on CCTV.
Show hosts and guests often "test" Rhea's ability to write it, and as a result, Rhea has since been associated with the character in Chinese media. For instance, CCTV host
Zhu Jun demonstrated to him how Shaanxi people crouch down to eat the noodles (a folk custom in Shaanxi);
in other cases, Rhea has taught other TV personalities, for instance
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
singer
Leo Ku
Leo Ku Kui-kei is a Hong Kong Cantopop and Mandopop singer, actor, TV host, model, cartoonist, MV director, and producer and designer. He employs falsetto as a singing technique and was named as one of the "Five Fresh Tigers of TVB".
Career ...
, to write the character while reciting a
mnemonic
A mnemonic ( ) device, or memory device, is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval (remembering) in the human memory for better understanding.
Mnemonics make use of elaborative encoding, retrieval cues, and imag ...
poem for remembering the character's 43 strokes.
Discography
Albums
*2019: ''
Sing Chinese With Slater'' (''跟帅德一起唱中文!'')
Singles
*2021:《过大年》("Happy Chinese New Year")
*2019:《中国我的家》("China, My Home")
*2019:《中国姑娘》("Chinese Girl")
*2019:《天籁之爱》(with 阿鲁阿卓)
*2019:《敖包相会》(with 阿木古楞)
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhea, Slater
Living people
Johns Hopkins University alumni
Nanjing University alumni
University of Oklahoma alumni
Academic staff of Beijing Foreign Studies University
People from Alexandria, Louisiana
Singers from Louisiana
21st-century American singers
American expatriates in China
Cantopop singers
Mandopop singers
Television personalities from Louisiana
American male pop singers
American rock singers
American jazz singers
Jazz musicians from Louisiana
21st-century American male singers
1987 births