Comments | liralen: After Words about China

liralen

After Words about China

Jan 20, 2014 22:22

Dad asked me, a while back, to actually write something about how I felt about going to China. Not just the things we saw, the history that was there, or what it was we did, but how it made me feel ( Read more... )

china, me, travel

Comments 20

Thank you anonymous January 22 2014, 17:53:21 UTC

This was deeper than pleasure to read.

I dipped into the life of China in 1986 as a student, and it was a different world then... so much change, so much change.

I'm guessing you've read "The Girl from Purple Mountain" (perhaps that's the book you refer to, but probably not)... and have you seen the film "A Great Wall"? Both are works by people trying to understand what it means to be American with 20th Century Chinese roots. (Along with so many others!)

I cannot imagine, really, what it is like... but I appreciate being evocatively shown a little bit.

Cheers,

Kevin

Re: Thank you liralen January 22 2014, 19:07:09 UTC

You're so very welcome. Now I shall have to explore that book and movie, too! It might lend me more perspective.

Yes. So much change, and I'll say that it's probably been for the better. That sense of fear I had as a child for how utterly arbitrary and cruel communism could be is now lessened.

There are so many cultures I am not a part of which I study and enjoy, and yet the one which I'm born from is the one that holds the most surprises and the most emotions for me.

Great read! ext_2387525 January 23 2014, 02:44:15 UTC

..and as I posted back on Facebook, your piece was good for many humorous thoughts as I read through it all. I suppose that reaction comes from some of the similarity in our perspectives - being a Detroit-born Boulderite (hah!) with parents and grandparents who were essentially chased out of China.

My mom and I took Nathaniel to give him his first glimpse of China over this past Thanksgiving and I'm very glad no one tried to give him any notion of what he should think or feel about the whole experience. I'm hoping he just soaked it in for what it was. Most of our time was spent in Hong Kong but we did spend a bit of time on a quick trip inside China seeing the villages where my parents spent their youth before their families decided HK (and eventually the US) might be slightly better for their general well being.

Re: Great read! liralen January 23 2014, 05:26:40 UTC

Yeah... and you probably were in some of those situations when you were there...

And I think Jet was able to really get into the trip for its own sake, which I'm really grateful for. He doesn't have the baggage I have, I think, and yeah... about the 'going away' being a healthier alternative than staying. He was also really fascinated with my father's stories while we were there, which was really fun and gave Jet more to work with while we were there.