Anonymous | nationality: British | ethnicity: Chinese
“Yellow”.
Happiness
Skin colour
Sunlight
Warning
Summer afternoons
Not particularly fond of the word because of it'sracial connotations as I
was often categorised as 'yellow' in terms of skincolour in class
censuses.
“Asian”.
Our blood, our culture and our acceptance of ourselvesas Asians. I
believe being Asian is our ability to endure throughhardship and
remain humble in our experiences. Anyone with Asianancestry can call
themselves Asian, I think its something that willnever go away even if
we are generations removed, raised elsewhere etc.
Being born in Britain meant a large degree of my upbringingwould be
influenced by British culture. However, I was alwaysreminded of my
ancestry and identity by my parents.They would saybeing Asian was a
proud thing because we come from a nation of peoplewhom have
overcome hardships and achieved so much. 2-3 generationsof my
family experienced displacement and faced prejudiceand have endured
difficulties so that we (the future generation) maylive in comfort. In
that, what brings Asians together is our collectiveintegrity and
diligence.
Ethnicity|part1.
Chinese, Culture, Indifference and Pride
In terms of memories, I think about placing incenseinto shrines every
morning, afternoon and evening.
Ethnicity|part2.
My perception of my ethnicity has been largely influencedby my family.
They have always shared a deep patriotism to my ancestralroots. My
sense of pride comes their strong beliefs and diligenceto preserve our
roots, so that we may experience a life immersed inour culture.
Moreover, ancestral worship and incense burning cometo mind as it’s
the deepest form of which I experience my ethnicityin practice.
Part of my perception of my ethnicity was influencedby my experience
of being bullied and looking different. This feelingof indifference grew
from the constant comparisons I made between my ethnicityand those
of others. I would question if I was truly Chineseif I wasn’t born in
China or if my British accent seeped through my Chineseor in others
say that I was a ‘banana’ (term used for addressingan Asian person
who acts like they were white).
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