Slater Rhea

Slater David Rhea(Chinese:帅德;pinyin:Shuài Dé; literally: "Handsome Virtue") is an American singer, songwriter and TV personality on national TV in China.Rhea is a performer of Chinese music and has made appearances onChina Central Television,China Education Televisionas well as local and provincial television stations across China.Rhea performs inChinese(primarilyMandarin, but also inShaanxidialect),Mongolian, andEnglish.While he rose to prominence in China for singing traditional Chinese folk tunes, he also writes and sings Chinesepopand educational music and performs a variety of English-language material including Americanjazz standardsandrock-and-roll.
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 formerU.S. Secretary of StateMadeleine Albright, whom he met and sang for in 2016, as an inspiration to pursue a career in cultural diplomacy.
Rhea lives inBeijingand, in addition to his entertainment career, holds a position as lecturer in English and International Studies atBeijing Foreign Studies University.
Rhea was born and raised inAlexandria,Louisiana, where he was first singled out to sing solos in hisCatholicchurch choirand learned piano and violin in local music programs.He was enrolled in theBoy Scouts of Americafrom grade one and earned the rank ofEagle Scoutat age 13.
He graduated from theLouisiana School for Math, Science and the ArtsinNatchitoches, Louisiana, before attending theUniversity of Oklahomaas aNational Merit Scholar,where he earned dual bachelor's degrees in Chinese Language and Literature and Asian Studies.He attended theJohns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American StudiesinNanjing, China, where he studied, wrote and defended a 100-page thesis in Mandarinand earned dual master's degrees in China Studies and International PoliticsfromJohns Hopkins UniversityandNanjing Universitywhile first performing on Nanjing-basedJiangsu TV.
Rhea has a close connection with the ancient Chinese capital ofXi'an(andShaanxiProvince) and its culture, having first visited the city and established connections there in 2010.Rhea often singsNorth 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 distinctivecuisine, includingroujiamo("Chinese hamburger"),liangpi(cold noodles),yangrou paomo(lamb stew with bits of crumbled flatbread), fried persimmon cakes, and, most prominently,biangbiang noodles(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 hostZhu Jundemonstrated 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 instanceHong KongsingerLeo Ku, to write the character while reciting amnemonicpoem for remembering the character's 43 strokes.