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A Hyphenated National Affiliation

20 September 2010 by alex | No comments

Where do you think the picture below was taken?

It may look like China (and, indeed, Betty and I took pictures like this in Suzhou earlier this year), but this was in fact taken in San Marino, California at the new Chinese garden exhibit at the Huntington Library.

I recently came across two very interesting news articles that highlight the question of national pride for ethnic Chinese in countries outside of China:

  • LA Times article about the celebration of the founding of communist China in Southern California.
  • CBC article about the Chinese government funding a Chinese language course in the Greater Vancouver area of BC, Canada.

The question that I want to pose is: is it unpatriotic to the US (which I am a citizen) if I were to be proud of China (which is where my ethnic origins are) and its latest accomplishments?  This is something that seems to come up quite a bit (esp. if you read the seemingly racist comments by some readers of the CBC article).

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Freedom of Religion is a Farce

27 January 2010 by alex | 5 comments

A French parliamentary committee has recommended banning Muslim headcoverings. The committee’s report claims that it “is the symbol of the repression of women, and… of extremist fundamentalism.” [1]

BBC reports that many in the UK also want this ban, claiming that it is “not British.” There is obviously a racist underpinning to such a statement, but I’m not even going to go there for now. What really unnerved me was what the journalist was implying about freedom of religion: “In a country [France] where the separation of state and religion is enshrined in law, a parliamentary committee report ruled the veil as “contrary to the values of the republic’…” [2]

And now begins my rant. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Middle Kingdom Once Again

8 August 2008 by alex | 1 comment

8-8-08 at 8:08:08pm. This most lucky number of Chinese culture was the precise moment when China again has become the Middle Kingdom. I have yet to see the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but plan to later this afternoon with some friends. I just saw some of the most magnificent photos from the celebrations at Gizomodo. The Chinese really know how to put on a show.  I mean, my Americanized palate says it is sometimes a little corny, but really, they know how to celebrate.  And celebrate they should — all eyes are on them.

China, of course, has a major self-esteem complex — she has lived through centuries of suppression by foreign powers.  Known in the Chinese language as the “Middle Kingdom,” for millennia, China has claimed its status as the center of the world.  But the Age of Imperialism changed this.

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The Father of Pinyin (Pīnyīn zhī fù)

8 August 2008 by alex | No comments

The Father of Pinyin

An illiteracy rate in China in the last 50 years has dropped from 80% to 10%.  In this fascinating 4 minute interview in February, 102 year old Zhou Youguang remembers being told by the Communist government to create the pinyin romanization system in the 1950s.  Pinyin has become the standard mechanism for learning how to pronounce Chinese characters, both inside and outside of China.  To Zhou and his system, I am greatly indebted.  Now if I can only memorize several hundred more characters…

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Why I love working for Liferay

30 May 2008 by alex | 2 comments

Many who know me well know that I have a special interest in China.  Many who know me even better know that my parents were part of the Chinese diaspora in Burma (known to some as Myanmar).  Ironically, until recently, I have taken up little interest in the disasters that have recently rocked the Asian world.  Perhaps it was due to the busyness involved in planning a wedding and attending a honeymoon.  Or maybe I needed to devote more time to nurture a new marriage while balancing the other demands of life.  I remained quite disinterested until the company I work for part-time did something like this (see link):

My CEO explains in his blog the very essence of Liferay’s existence: bless others as we too are blessed.  That is what I want all non-Christian institutions to embrace.  It is the gospel message.  It is the Abrahamic calling.  In fact, it really lies at the core of why us humans were made.

This reminds me of the parable of the good Samaritan.  Aside from religious and cultural status, what makes the Samaritan different from the others?  The others were too busy with other things.  The others were too much in love with their own lives to sacrifice some of their precious time to love one who was in need.  The others are me.

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