Crossing the ocean to see "you"

[Malaysia] Darren Lee Jia Hao, Central South University

Chinese culture has not only exerted an important influence on East Asian countries, forming a “Chinese Cultural Circle”, but also has a profound impact on Southeast Asian countries and even the Americas. Due to the coronavirus, I was unable to attend on-site lectures at Central South University, so I could not tell the experiences and insights I experienced in China from the perspective of studying, living or working in China. As an overseas Chinese, I have planted a seed of Chinese culture in my heart since I was a little child.

My country, Malaysia, is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural country with a Chinese population of 22% of total. Chinese is one of the three major ethnic groups in Malaysia. Although ethnic groups have different religious beliefs, cultures and skin colors, the major ethnic groups are inheriting and preserving their own cultures and influencing each other. The government respects and preserves the traditional culture and festivals of various ethnic groups, so the Chinese Spring Festival is also a legal public holiday here, and I would spend other festivals with my family, such as the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival.

When I was a child, I didn’t know much about China. If I was asked what China was? The first answer that came to my mind would be “my grandparents’ hometown.” I had never met my grandmother, the only and last time I saw my grandfather was to attend his funeral when I was 5 years old.

My most memorable thing is at that time, my family and relatives all changed into clothes that I had never seen. It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized that it was a traditional cultural custom – “put on mourning apparel.” It has a deep and broad meaning, with its focus on filial piety. The philosophy that “Filial piety should be first among all merits” has always been a traditional virtue adhered to by the Chinese nation.

After I grew up, my father told me stories about my grandparents, who were Hakka. They came from a place called Heshan in Guangdong Province during the Republic of China (1912-1949) period. At that time, they went to Southeast Asia to make a living and ran a rubber plantation in Malaysia to feed a family of more than 10 people. After learning the stories about my grandparents, I had more yearning for China.

At the age of schooling, I went to the Chinese primary school in the county town – “Chung Hua Public School.” Local Chinese will teach the basics of Chinese language in primary schools, as well as English and Malay. When I was a child, I have learned Tang poetry, calligraphy, abacus and other courses.

Among them, the Chinese mythological stories were told in the classrooms such as “Pangu made the world,” “Nüwa mending the sky,” “Yugong Moving Mountains,” and “King Yu tamed the flood.” All these stories were deeply imprinted in my mind. I remember when I was in the fourth grade, I borrowed a graphic version of “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” from the school library.

The episodes of the Yellow Turban Uprising, Taking Oath in the Peach Garden, killing Hua Xiong before the wine cooled down, and Hua Tuo scraped the bone to heal the wound deeply attracted me. For the first time, I found myself deeply interested in Chinese literature. I had read this book more than 100 times at that time, so I had germinated the idea of studying Chinese literature.

After graduating from senior high school, I started working to save money for tuition. After I saved some money, I decided to travel to China. The moment after I arrived at Xiamen Airport, I noticed there are Chinese road signs all around, and everyone speaks Chinese. I talked to the driver about the purpose of my trip, and he introduced me the scenic spots nearby, which made me feel particularly intimate. Due to these experiences, I never feel strange and lonely even if I am in a foreign country. After this trip, I made my mind that I would definitely like to study in China in the future, and to experience the people and customs.

When I was a little child, I was always asked why I spoke Chinese, wrote Chinese characters, celebrated Chinese traditional festivals, and inherited Chinese cultural customs though I was not born in China. It has been 70 years since my father was born, he has never set foot on Chinese land, but he pays attention to China all the time. My father would regard it as an honor to tell the achievements and development China has made. He would tell me what he had seen, heard and understood. When I grew up, I realized that this is what the Chinese tradition calls “root”, even if we were not born in China, we still have this bond in our hearts, and we have a sense of cultural identity with China. The subground of Hakka people was formed by the Gei Ke system (the Eastern Jin dynasty (317-420) promulgated a system that recognized the possession of private guests by nobles) during the time of Northern and Southern Dynasties. Many generations have kept moving to the southern region. Until my grandpa’s generation went to Southeast Asia to make a living, they spread Chinese culture to Malaysia and inherited it. After the epidemic, I want to accompany my parents on a trip to China, let them see my grandparents’ hometown, and listen to the stories behind time.

The story is from "My Beautiful Encounter with China" Essay Competition organized by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchanges (CSCSE).