Slater Rhea

Rhea was born and raised in Alexandria, Louisiana, where he was first singled out to sing solos in his Catholic church choir[1][7][8] and learned piano and violin in local music programs.[5][9] He was enrolled in the Boy Scouts of America from grade one and earned the rank of Eagle Scout at age 13.[10][11]

He graduated from the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts[12][13] in Natchitoches, Louisiana, before attending the University of Oklahoma as a National Merit Scholar,[1][5] where he earned dual bachelor's degrees in Chinese Language and Literature and Asian Studies.[14] He attended the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies in Nanjing, China, where he studied, wrote and defended a 100-page thesis in Mandarin[5][14] and earned dual master's degrees in China Studies and International Politics[5][1] from Johns Hopkins University and Nanjing University while first performing on Nanjing-based Jiangsu TV.[5]

Rhea writes and explains a "biang" character on Xi'an TV.

Rhea has a close connection with the ancient Chinese capital of Xi'an (and Shaanxi Province) and its culture, having first visited the city and established connections there in 2010.[15] 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,[16] including his love of Shaanxi's distinctive cuisine, including roujiamo ("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).[15][16]

The "biang" in biangbiang noodles is known for being one of the most complex Chinese characters;[17] and Rhea made front-page news in Shaanxi province's Chinese Business View when he first wrote the character on CCTV.[18] 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);[19] in other cases, Rhea has taught other TV personalities, for instance Hong Kong singer Leo Ku, to write the character while reciting a mnemonic poem for remembering the character's 43 strokes.[19]