Who is Angela Meng? This may be the biggest thing in the Chinese encryption circle in the past two days.
In the crypto industry, news of marriage can also spark a discussion, especially when the protagonist is Brian Armstrong, the co-founder and CEO of Coinbase, the world's most famous cryptocurrency trading platform. Recently, Brian announced on the social platform that he had been married to Angela Meng for a week. This news quickly triggered a heated discussion in the crypto community. Well-known figures from the global encryption field sent their blessings. Cathie Wood of Ark Invest and the founder of MicroStrategy both expressed sincere congratulations to the newlyweds.
Image source: (BlockBeats)
As one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, Coinbase has a market capitalization of $41.4 billion. Coinbase is not only the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the Western world, but also one of the most influential financial technology companies in the world. Even before its listing, Coinbase was already a company with no worries about funds, and it has become even more popular after its listing. According to data, around 13 out of every 100 people in the United States use Coinbase for transactions.
Brian Armstrong's personal wealth has also been rising with the rise of Coinbase. He is currently worth approximately US$7.4 billion, firmly ranking him as one of the important figures in the global cryptocurrency field.
The appearance of Angela Meng naturally aroused great curiosity about her, especially because her Asian identity makes her feel familiar to the Chinese community. Some members of the crypto community even compared her to another Chinese “exchange boss lady” - He Yi of Binance. Although Angela seems to have no trace of being involved in the encryption field before, everyone can't help but imagine whether she will become a right-hand assistant in Brian's career, play an important role in the encryption world like He Yi, or continue her own reporter in the encryption industry career.
From the limited information, Rhythm BlockBeats pieced together Angela's growth experience: she immigrated to the United States at the age of 11 and shared a house with two other families. She believed that her native family was between the working class and the new peasant class; when she attended American middle school Like most children who immigrated since childhood, it was difficult to integrate and was often bullied by local children; she had raised a German Shepherd mixed dog for more than half a year, but her parents could not afford the cost of adoption; she entered UCLA in college and became a reporter after graduation and models…
Immigrated to the United States at the age of 11, living in a house with three families
During the ten years she left China, Angela lived with her grandmother and grandfather. Angela's grandmother first worked in a paper mill and had only a middle school education. However, after the university reopened, she entered the University of Science and Technology of China as a laboratory assistant. She was so popular among students that she was eventually promoted to professor.
Angela’s childhood memories include many hours spent in the kitchen with her grandmother. The kitchen was dimly lit, there was no hot water, the mung beans were sizzling in the wok, and the kettle on the stove began to emit a high-pitched chirp. Grandma moved a small stool for her and asked her to sit next to it and help cut vegetables while she was responsible for cooking. After eating, they did homework together, tidied the kitchen, and occasionally watched the news. She also dyes her grandmother's hair every month, and her grandmother braids her hair.
Childhood Angela Meng with her grandmother, photo source Angela
As a generation under China's one-child policy, Angela and her peers are usually spoiled, but her grandmother gave her a good early education. Like her surrogate mother, her grandmother taught her diligence, humility and integrity. Angela’s grandmother passed away on the morning of May 6, 2020. Angela was in California at the time, and the 15-hour time difference made her feel that her grandmother was still alive in her own time when she received the news.
When Angela was 11 years old, she and her mother traveled to the United States to reunite with their father, and the family of three lived in a single-story room. They shared the cabin with two other immigrant families, renting the cheapest middle bedroom for $400 a month, sharing the front door with one family and the back door with another, and taking turns using the bathroom.
One of the two neighbors is a family of three. Angela’s parents respect them very much because they have green cards and can speak basic English. They occupied the prettiest part of the house, with a rose plant and some wild mint in the front yard. Annie, the mother of this family, works as a warehouse receptionist and often practices yoga. She often shows Angela’s family “real American life” through brief remarks: “Americans like pickup trucks, burgers, pizza, and sometimes they eat vegetables. If you eat it raw, it's called salad."
Angela is fascinated by her neighbor Annie's descriptions of social class in America. Because in her opinion, China, the place where she was born, is composed of three parts:
1) A person who is politically connected and therefore wealthy and educated;
2) the working class, which is far less wealthy and less educated;
3) The peasant class, uneducated and poor agricultural workers, literally called "peasants", who made up about 65% of the population.
My family is probably in the working class and the new peasant class. Angela remembers going to the supermarket with her mother. She wanted to buy a box of strawberries that ripened quickly, but her mother saw the price and apologized to Angela. She asked her to put down the strawberries that cost $3.99 per pound and go get some that cost $0.69 per pound. Fuji apples.
In addition to her respected neighbors, Annie's family, Angela also has a family of four illegal immigrants, a set of parents and a set of twins. Angela's parents and neighbor Annie both looked down on the illegal immigrant family because they worked below minimum wage jobs with irregular hours that were suitable for undocumented workers but harmful to health. The neighbor's father worked at a construction site three hours away, and her mother He is a nursing assistant for the elderly and was an illiterate farmer in China. But Angela has a good impression of this neighbor because they do not show obvious cultural inferiority complex like their neighbor Annie and her parents. With them, there is no talk of class or social status, no jealousy or feelings of superiority. Although they often come home covered in dust or smelling of sewage, they are warm without self-pity, curious without being preachy, and seem to have a natural talent for accepting life.
The twin children were troublemakers, but they were also Angela's childhood friends. The twin boys are named Kevin, while the twin girls keep changing their names because they are excited about having an English name, April (April), June (June), Olivia (Olivia), and this week they are called Samantha.
"Outsiders", bullied middle school life
On the first day of high school in the United States, her mother dressed Angela in something that is considered “cool” in China: a bright blue sweater with “BABY SEXY DREAM” written on it and a magenta bear underneath. pattern. There was also a so-called "Louis Vuitton" headband (Louis Vuitton doesn't make headbands at all), and a pair of color-blocked blue pants that were too big in the waist and too short in the hem.
Unlike today, where she always smiles and models for Elite Model Management and LA Models, at that time Angela almost never smiled, always staring down at her shoes, afraid that others wouldn't smile back. She had absolutely no social skills and spoke terrible English. When someone asked her why she didn't climb the monkey bars, she said in her broken English: "It's very painful" (meaning "very painful"), which she thought could express her fear of falling.
She grew up very quickly. In middle school, she was about 152 centimeters tall but weighed only 32 kilograms. Most of the children in her class were about 135 centimeters tall and of normal build, so Angela stood out among them. Afraid of being laughed at, she often walks with a hunched back and avoids eye contact.
Angela hated the playground because she had never used her body for anything except letting it carry her thoughts. On the playground, she appears clumsy, unbalanced, and uncoordinated. She never lost the ball, let alone caught it. Dodgeball is Angela's pet peeve, and she feels like it's the ultimate cause of PTSD in elementary school. During the game, she would either shuffle awkwardly or jerk back, waving her arms wildly. Most of her classmates grew up in a diverse education system with the agility of a cheetah and the gymnastics skills of a jungle monkey.
Like most children who immigrated since childhood, Angela was born with a lanky body shape and an unsociable appearance. It was difficult for her to integrate into this group of middle school students, and she became the target of ridicule and bullying by her peers. They did not hesitate to call her various vicious nicknames, such as "skinny bone jones" (skinny bone jones), "bulimic bitch" (bulimic bitch), "Jap" (Japanese), "chink" (Chinese) guy), "gook" (yellow-skinned monkey) and "dumpling dumpster" (dumpling trash can).
Angela was thrown into a world completely different from the Chinese education system she was familiar with. In Chinese schools, academic excellence is the only criterion, respect is earned through perfect grades and mastery of an instrument, and any unruly behavior will not be tolerated. However, American schools are more like a state of anarchy. The students cursed and threw paper balls at each other, and the teacher would just say a perfunctory "Stop it" and let the situation get worse. Here, everyone seems to have a fixed social role, hard-working children are labeled "nerds" and "losers", and respect is often not earned in the classroom, but through physical advantages on the playground during recess. of.
One afternoon, as Angela was walking home, three classmates from her science class caught up with her. "Hey you!" the leader of the clique shouted. Angela said nothing, but quickened her pace to get home quickly. A few hours ago, they had seemed friendly and civilized as they huddled together to complete a group project under the supervision of their teacher, but now they had turned into savages.
"Hey, SKINNY-ASS BITCH!" The leader of the small group shouted louder and grabbed the handle of Angela's backpack. "Do you think you are better than us?" Angela's hair was grabbed She stopped and dragged her aside; the other person opened her backpack and started to get things.
Angela tried to pull away, but the struggle only made the other guy push harder. They pulled for a whole block until they got close to Angela's house, where her mother heard the commotion outside and stuck her head out the window.
Years of experience dealing with bullying have taught Angela that the most humiliating thing is for her mother to see her being bullied at school. So, she chose to do the only thing she could think of at the time - laugh. She laughed so loudly that the whole block could hear her. Although her reaction confused the bullies, they still didn't let go.
Just when she was about to despair, a mixed German shepherd dog flew out, raised the hair on its back, let out a low growl, and rushed straight towards the children who bullied Angela. It kept barking until the bullies Ran away in panic.
Mickey, Angela’s first adopted dog
The German shepherd mix was the neighborhood's wild dog, and Angela often secretly cared for it. Angela had spent a long time dazed on the front steps that day, dealing with her feelings of shame and fear, while he sat in front of her, a fat paw on her knee, holding up the world.
"On those days when I came home bruised and humiliated, it saved me, kept me optimistic with its innate wit and wisdom, and seemed to say to me: this is life." These are Angela's original words.
Left: Wedding scene; Right: Angela instagram Source: (BlockBeats)
Just as they walked the aisle with a dog at their wedding, the German shepherd was crucial to Angela's life growing up.
Angela named the German Shepherd mix Mickey because Mickey Mouse was the only American cartoon character she knew at the time. As time passed, Mickey became an important partner in her life.
German Shepherd. Photo: Jena Ardell/Getty Images
There is a scientific theory that when pet owners describe their pets, they will assign their own egos: for example, bodybuilders will describe their pets as the strongest, politicians will think that their pets are picky and independent, and celebrities will describe their pets as their own. Pets are princesses. Angela is also well versed in this theory. Her description of Mickey seems to give us a glimpse of the ego and character of the Chinese wife of the American encryption giant:
Mickey never complains, as if he understands the true meaning of the world like a philosopher: if there is no hardship and pain, there will be no happiness. She is determined and steady, not the kind of dog to jump on furniture or flip her belly to please. Every movement she makes is slow and cautious, strong and confident, as calm and calm as a Sphinx (an Egyptian griffin-headed creature that symbolizes strength and wisdom).
Angela, photo source thebigthing.org
However, this delicate balance was suddenly broken. One day, Angela discovers that Mickey is missing. She asked her mother anxiously: "Mom, where is Mickey?" Her mother did not answer her question directly, with a deliberate indifference on her face, and asked her to do her homework. Angela asked again and again, but her mother asked coldly: "What kind of dog?" and fell into silence.
This answer instantly plunged Angela into deep confusion and pain. She knew her mother must know what was going on, but her mother's coldness made her feel rejected and alienated. At this time, the mother was not unaware of Angela’s emotions, but she was facing a difficult reality in her own way: she could no longer let her daughter rely too much on this dog. The family was already experiencing too many stresses and challenges, and owning a dog was not an affordable option at the moment, and Angela's mother had a deep fear of dogs.
In China, dogs are an animal that is almost never respected. It was not until 2020 that dogs were removed from the definition of "livestock" and became "companion animals". For Angela's mother, the long-standing legend about rabies Fears and stereotypes are not going away so quickly.
Eventually, Angela used her own methods to learn that Mickey had his leg broken by a neighbor who shared the house because he barked too much, and was then dumped at a construction site three hours away from home. When she confronted her parents, they were thrown into an endless stream of excuses and accusations.
"What else can we do, Angela? Have you forgotten? How many sacrifices have we made in order for you to receive an education here? How much sweat and tears have we shed? How many relatives and friends have we given up? We don't even have our own medical care How can I afford to take my dog to the doctor if I don’t have insurance?
Every word of the mother's words was filled with helplessness about real life. She did not intentionally hurt Angela, but it left some trauma to the young Angela. When she grew up, Angela was often asked: "Have you ever had a dog?", and she would always answer: "Yes. It's a German shepherd mix called Mickey. The name is taken from a Disney character, but I have one." Not long after she passed away." She decided not to tell them the truth because everyone has their own frustrations in this story.
For a long time after that, Angela decided never to talk to her parents again, expressing her unyieldingness in this way, and then grew up silent, found a job to support herself, and did not invite them to her Graduations or weddings, or even their own funerals if they died earlier.
Until one day before going to school, Angela put on her schoolbag and made sure her face was expressionless in front of the mirror. Her mother called her over, holding a wrinkled hundred-dollar bill in her hand. For Angela at that time, The hundred dollar bill is an urban legend.
But the woman who bought Fuji apples for $0.69 per pound instead of strawberries for $3.99 per pound, Angela's mother, unzipped the side of Angela's school bag and put the money into her bag without saying anything. Then he touched her head gently.
Angela suddenly understood that love does not always appear in the expected way, and that "love languages" can take many forms. Unlike Mickey's companionship, this hundred dollars is a quarter of their family's monthly rent. Perhaps from the mother's perspective, it is the only support and "love language" she can give Angela.
From UCLA to journalist, model and author
In West Africa, there are minstrels, storytellers, who are responsible for preserving the history of entire villages. People came to the rioters with their memories, and the rioters remembered them for future generations.
Angela Meng mentioned these "bards" in her stories, and she always seemed to put herself in such a role and position. When she encountered some unexpected stories, she would always take out a pen and paper to think about it. Taking note of it, this also seemed to destined her career development to become a journalist.
Angela attended college at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), majoring in history. After graduating from college, he worked in the investment banking department of Lazard in New York, and then successively worked at the South China Morning Post, Phoenix News, and GEN Magazine. During this period, he also recorded his story on Medium and interspersed it with a book.
Because of her outstanding appearance, Angela was discovered by a talent scout and began a four-year modeling career. She worked as a model for Elite Model Management and LA Models, often participating in photo shoots and attending art events.
Angela at the 2022 Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art Gala, photo credit BFA
Angela, who is in her early 20s, is similar but not similar to ordinary women.
Like most young women, Angela had a sweet tooth, especially Jordanian knafeh, a traditional Arab dessert usually made with cheese, clotted cream, pistachios or nuts.
Jordanian knafeh (Jordanian Nafeh), picture source network
But unlike other young women, Angela likes to observe ants. She has a honeypot ant colony on her desk, which can simulate the real ecology of ants. The price of the ant ecological tank is not expensive, around a few hundred dollars, but the most expensive thing is the ants.
It is said that in the minds of some ant lovers, these pet ants are most famous for their origin in Kenya and Mexico. The price of one can reach tens of thousands of yuan, and the price of a nest can even be worth a house.
Ant ecological tank, picture source network
After that, Angela lived in Los Angeles and started her life as a writer. She wrote (The Big Thing: Brave Bea finds silver linings with the help of family and friends during a global pandemic). The book "Finding a glimmer of hope during the epidemic with the help of family and friends" has been published.
This is an illustrated children’s book with themes of family, gratitude and belonging, trying to help children understand the coronavirus period in a positive rather than negative light. The story is presumably about the magical and positive story the protagonist experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. With the help of family, teachers and friends, the protagonist discovers how to find the silver lining and see the positive in a crisis, with all proceeds from the book's sales said to be donated to COVID-19 charities.
Image source thebigthing.org
The watershed of 30 years old, anxiety and struggle
In 2021, Angela Meng is nearly 30 years old and has begun to experience the so-called "30-year-old anxiety".
Although she was told that 30 is the best year of life, with financial stability, a stable life, good health, and a peaceful mind, just like high-end cities like Zurich, Calgary or Copenhagen - clean air, low crime efficiency, sound infrastructure and efficient governance. But Angela 3 years ago felt that all this did not appeal to her. She would rather be like Berlin, Tbilisi or Tel Aviv, full of chaos, full of vitality and full of unknowns.
In the article she wrote (Don't Make Me 30), she frankly expressed her resistance to entering the 30-year-old dividing line, because she was about to give up many things that she liked in the past. She asked with great confusion: "At 30, What exactly is it?”
She is unwilling to give up her favorite nightclub, and she misses the nights wearing a polyester miniskirt and four-inch high heels, shouting loudly in front of the DJ booth, although she may be tired of it. She also doesn’t want to have a mortgage, and she doesn’t want to have friends with mortgages. She prefers to have endless social capital and exploit it with impunity—the privilege that comes with being 20 years old.
She didn’t want to do a pension plan or save money to live a stable life. She would rather spend her money on designer bags and champagne. She does not want to enter into a long-term relationship with a mature man. Instead, she prefers to attract emotionally manipulative men, men who appear to be real and sincere on the surface, because this is the lifestyle she prefers.
Angela doesn’t want to write blog posts about “finally feeling whole,” “becoming stronger,” or “no longer burdened by society’s expectations.” She just wants to remain "very seductive". She also doesn't want to learn to "love herself" because she already has enough people lining up to love her in her 20s. She also didn't want to face the fact that she was getting closer to the female images in "Sex and the City" - going out to dinner with any New York man willing to date, laughing at their boring jokes, and at this time she only had five stars left. The eggs are also ticking in the dark.
Angela is reluctant to start meditating, go to a yoga retreat in India, or start using those empty aphorisms only a 30-year-old woman can say, like "age is just a number" or "30 is the new 20." She knew in her heart that these words were just lies to comfort herself. You’re 30, that’s the reality.
Brian Armstrong bought a villa in Los Angeles for $133 million. Source: (BlockBeats)
In 2024, when Angela and Brian Armstrong entered into marriage, she had already entered the 30-year-old stage. Although she still fell into the kind of life she resisted in her 20s, luckily, 41-year-old Brian Armstrong has a fortune of $7.4 billion, so she can still spend her money on designer bags and champagne. superior. And she can still live in the familiar Los Angeles as before, but she just moved from her apartment to the luxury villa that Brian Armstrong will buy in 2022 for $133 million.
This article is reprinted with permission from: (Blockbeats)
Original author: Jaleel Jialiu, BlockBeats
