GROWING UP CHINESE

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Being Chinese has always made me proud. But not until I got pregnant with my daughter did I start to ponder the question, "What makes a person Chinese?" It began with a search for a name for my daughter. Most of my Chinese friends gave their children English names and some warned me that a Chinese name would cause problems for my daughter in the future. The majority of Chinese immigrants adopt English names for the same reason. And yet, they send their children to Chinese schools on weekends, hoping that the next generation will still speak and read the Chinese language and know Chinese culture. A few American-born Chinese that I have met do not understand or speak Chinese as adults, even though they attended weekend Chinese schools for many years. So, what makes a person Chinese? What should I teach my daughter to make her a Chinese and be proud of being Chinese?

These questions cannot be answered easily. And I don't pretend to know the answers. In this short essay, I would like to share with you my thoughts about being Chinese that arose from reading a nursery rhyme "Hong ching-ting," by Li Tze-Rong. The transliteration (see Note) of this poem reads:

The following is my translation:

This poem brings back memories of my childhood. Reading it, I remember this field right in front of our house, covered by shallow water, mud, and water plants and flowers. Dragonflies were seen all over in Spring and Summer. Most of them were in dark colors. Once in a while, we saw a few red ones that were smaller in size. I remember how other children and I loved to watch dragonflies fly and stop. Dragonflies could fly fast to escape from us. When we were quiet and at a distance, dragonflies would stop frequently, on the lotuses, on the water, on the mud, and sometimes in the air. When they stopped, their movements were always gentle, slow, and elegant--just what "ching ching" means in Chinese.

Amazingly, two influential Chinese beliefs are successfully conveyed in this short poem. One is the teaching of appreciating nature. Chinese in general believe that human beings should live in harmony with nature. The author effectively uses only a few words to paint a picture in which nature and human lives seem real and harmonious. This lovely painting has rich colors and sounds: the colors of the dragonflies, the rocks, and the stream; the soothing sounds made by the stream and the breeze. Portrayed in this way, nature is so lovable and the reader thus easily falls in love with it.

And implied is the observer of this scene--a child or a few children. In order to see how dragonflies move and stop, they must be very quiet and attentive, not to disturb the dragonflies. This leads to my second point. Chinese believe that human beings need to be active (dong) at times, to work and to play, and to be still (jing) at other times, to reflect and to observe the environment. The Chinese character "jing" connotes more than the meaning of being inactive. It is sometimes translated into "stillness," referring to a quality of mind being peaceful and at ease. Being "jing" is not the same as being physically inactive or dormant. It is a state of observing, thinking and reflecting. The repetitive use of "ching ching" in this poem not only gives nice rhymes but also provides us with the idea of "jing"--a lack of disturbing movements and sounds and thus creating harmony.

There are deep cultural meanings behind language, symbols, history and customs. A person who knows language, symbols, history and customs of China may not understand their underlying cultural meanings. I am convinced that teaching the language, etc., alone to my daughter is not enough to make her a Chinese. When she learns to appreciate the meanings of Chinese culture, she will then be proud of being Chinese. In addition, if she understands the meanings, she will be able to make wise choices to carry on those aspects in Chinese culture that are truly valuable to her.

Note

Li, Tze-Rong. 1995. "Yueh erh liang" (The mooning is shining). Taipei, Taiwan: Hsin Yi Publications.

Created July 4, 1997 and is continuously revised

SCILS, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey