Saw the follow quote on the front cover of a book by a young Australian-born Chinese girl, about going back to China for Chinese New Year. Including handdrawn pictures by itself, it attempts to bridge the cultural gap between Australians by presenting Chinese culture in an easy to understand format by a young person for other young people.
"
I was born in Australia.Australia is my home.But my parents are from China.China is my motherland."
I think that sums it up quite nicely, for all Overseas Chinese. Yes, we were born outside of China. Yes, we have been brought up outside of China. We have made homes, families, friends, lives, outside of China. We may have adopted the culture and mannerisms of our country of residence. But that doesn't change the fact that, in our heart of hearts, we will always be Chinese.
It's actually really quite difficult to explain how this feeling comes about as strongly as it does in those of Chinese descent. I mean, I know that all people are patriotic about where they come from; South Viets especially detest those from the North, for example, and are justifiably proud of their nation's history of defiance to colonialism. But at the same time, Chinese patriotism is different. Other people consider their descended identity as on par with their adopted identity, but for those of Chinese descent, China comes first and foremost, primary amongst all others. I guess this is because, by being Chinese, you belong to the single largest national identity on this planet...that's a pretty good club to be in. You feel included, protected, and no matter where you go you can find someone else who's Chinese, like you. At the same time, by being Chinese, you can feel proud about all that China is achieving as it surpasses other nations in various fields of excellence, from sports to economics to social.
Anyway, six pages of my China essay are done. If enough people want it, I'll post it up here.