“China has come a long way from the feudal regime it was only 100 years ago, and it will reach democracy on its own terms.” Christina Feng, a reader of Time magazine wrote to the editor after she read the article concerned with modern China which was published in a previous edition. Her words are in the latest Time magazine. 

To some extent, she is right. Democracy is not a concept inherent in Chinese culture or political philosophy. In fact, it is in complete opposition to Confucian ideology, which stresses harmony and obedience. Although in recent years this word has gradually taken hold in the minds of Chinese youth, I do not believe the western democracy system could be totally implemented in Chinese society, at least for now.

Perhaps most Chinese college students around my age have seen a documentary about the Tiananmen Event which is a taboo subject in China. In 1989, democracy was the slogan for the student parade. The students were fighting for a morally desirable system of governance involving free elections, clean politics and etc. Finally, the movement was put down as a rebellion by the army and a large number of intellectuals were exiled overseas.

A governor of Beijing Council of Culture once said to me that China will not become a real democracy unless there were several political parties and free elections. Even though he is a Chinese communist, he does not agree with the current policy of the CPC (The Communist Party of China). At the same time, he admitted that stability and peace are paramount importance for China and the western style democratization could not be dangerous for Chinese society. Actually, most Chinese citizens feel this kind of ambivalence.

H: Were you born in Cardiff?

J: Yes

H: Are you the second generation in Cardiff? I mean when did your parents come to Cardiff…

J: Oh, I’m the 1^st generation. My parents came to
Cardiff 30 years ago.

H: In that way, you should be the second generation in your family who live in
Cardiff. Because you have to include your parents.

J: Oh, I am the third generation as you count. My grandparents live here too.

H: Where is your original family home? Have you been there before?

J: Vietnam and Hu Bei (湖北) China, to be specific, 天公橋, 武漢, 湖北

H: Can you speak Chinese or Cantonese? If you can, how did you learn the language? (family or language class) Do you use Chinese or Cantonese very often?

J: I speak Cantonese fluently, mandarin to an intermediate standard and Hu Bei dialect and Vietnamese basic. I learnt all these languages from my family. This is because my grandparents are from Hu Bei so spoke the Hu Bei dialect, my parents were born in Vietnam so spoke Vietnamese, however they were schooled in Mandarin and Cantonese. I also learnt Cantonese when I went to Sunday Chinese School and from TVB, a television channel you know?

H: Yes, I know. TVB8 is my favorite. Do you know any Chinese Language Class in Cardiff?

J:Yes. Fitzalan High School Chinese Sunday Class and the Sunday Chinese School run by the Cardiff Chinese Christian Church (卡迪夫華人基督會)

H: When you talk with your BBC friends, which language do you speak?J: Both English and Cantonese. Mostly my BBC friends are from Hong Kong backgrounds and speak Hakka.

H: When you began to school, do you think you are different from native classmates? Are there any advantages or disadvantages?

J: I don’t think I was different to my British classmates, I was treated the same. Two of my closest friends are British. The advantage was that I could speak different languages so it helped me to understand things better and easier. The only real disadvantage was that I’d sometimes come across racism.

H: Do you have any interesting story about your life (because you are BBC) or your friends story, that will be fine

J: I don’t have many interesting stories. Other than working in a takeaway, despite me never wanting to work in a takeaway.

H:  What about China or your father’s home town in your mind? (a remote and irrespective country?)

J: My family history is interesting. My grandfather left Hu Bei because he did not want to join the Red Army. A distant relation of his used to be a Manchu Official (there’s a picture in my aunt’s house). My grandfather left go to Vietnam where he sold flowers to make a living. Soon after my great grandfather sent a letter to him to say that he had to go back to Hu Bei to get married. He married my grandmother and went back to Vietnam and he opened up a dentist surgery. My mother and father had an arranged marriage and left Vietnam shortly after the Vietnam War. My brother was born in Vietnam but I was not.

H: Do you know how many BBC around your age in Cardiff? Do they have the same ideas as you?

J: I know a lot of BBC around my age in Cardiff and the surrounding areas…. Probably upwards of 30. I don’t know if they have the same ideas as me because I’ve never really asked them, but we get on well, so we must be from the same kind of background.

helena 

this is my Chinese blog