Feature: 24-year old Chinese American strives to gain support for Congressional bid

"I am not testing the water. I am fighting with full strength to win," said Lindy Li, a 24-year old Chinese American in the northeastern U.S. state of Pennsylvania who is running for the U.S. Congress.

Lindy, who was born in Sichuan province in southwest China, and moved to the United States when she was five, came to Los Angeles on Saturday from Pennsylvania to gain support for her bid for the U.S. Congress, the youngest woman who has ever done so in U.S. history.

As most Chinese Americans prefer lawyers, doctors or professors as their profession, Lindy has taken a different path. Her enthusiasm started when she campaigned for the student presidency at Princeton University in 2008.

She knocked on 1,200 doors across campus in her first year at Princeton to campaign for the student presidency and succeeded. She held that position for four years, the first female student who had ever been selected to hold that position for so long.

Lindy Li said she will knock on 700,000 doors together with her supporters to win the U.S. Congress election in 2016. Since there are so many voters in the state, she might not be able to visit each of them in person, but will try to reach everyone of them through social media and other means.

"I have won the social media war so far with 5,500 fans while my competitor has just 500 fans," Lindy said proudly.

Asked why she wants to run for the U.S. Congress, Lindy Li said, "I want to share the American dream with young Americans." She said the U.S. Congress should have multiple voices, and her voice represents those young Americans who want new changes at the U.S. Congress.

Although Lindy Li moved to Britain when she was three and came to the United States at five years old, she could speak and read Chinese. "I can read the People's Daily (a leading Chinese newspaper)," Lindy said with pride.

She told Xinhua once she gets elected, she will try to make her fellow members of the U.S. Congress to better understand China and improve U.S.-China relations.

Lindy Li graduated from Princeton University three years ago and worked with Merck & Co. and Morgan Stanley before quitting as a wealth manager to focus on her election campaign.

Li currently lives in Radnor, Pennsylvania. She will face La Salle University's political science professor Mary Ellen Balchunis in the Democratic primary. If she wins, she would run against the Republican incumbent U.S. Congressman Patrick Meehan in the general election.

If Li wins, she will be the youngest serving member at the U.S. Congress as she turns 25 in December, and the only woman to represent Pennsylvania.

Lisa Zhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese CEO Organization in Los Angeles, sponsored the fundraising event at her home in Bradbury with about 50 supporters.

She said she had never met Lindy Li before but was moved by her courage to run for the U.S. Congress at such a young age.

"She has set a good example for the younger generation in the Chinese community to get involved in politics. We have successful businessmen and businesswomen. We have lawyers, doctors and professors. Now we will have a young Chinese woman who was born in China to run for the U.S. Congress. I feel proud of her," said Zhou.

She said even if Lindy fails in the coming election, her courage and enthusiasm will encourage more young Chinese Americans to follow.

Taihe Wang, a Chinese lawyer in Los Angeles, said the U.S. Congress is the highest position any non U.S.-born citizen can run for and he sincerely wishes Lindy Li success in her campaign.

Wang said U.S. congresswoman Judy Chou and congressman Ted Lieu were born in Taiwan. If elected, Lindy Li would be the first woman born in the Chinese mainland to serve in the U.S. Congress. Endi