In light of yesterday’s Double Ten celebration, I’m posting this photo from Taiwan oh so many years ago.
When this photo was taken in 1991, China was officially 80 years free from dynastic rule. But people on the mainland don’t pay much attention to October 10th. That’s become a big holiday in Taiwan. Folks in China instead celebrate October 1st, the founding of the People’s Republic.
I found myself caught between the two some 17-18 years ago. I spent a summer in China, including a couple weeks in Shanghai, where I conducted research for my master’s thesis.
At the Shanghai Institute of Social Sciences, I befriended a researcher who was around my age. We started writing each other after I returned to Hong Kong. And when Liu Hua mentioned that she and a team of colleagues were planning a trip to Hong Kong, I offered to show them around my political science department.
What could be the harm in that?
Well, more than I could know, that’s what!
My professors in Hong Kong mainly hailed from Taiwan. Only one was from the mainland. A few from Hong Kong. In any case, when the Taiwanese chair of the department learned that I had offered to show this Chinese delegation around, he summoned me to his office.
I entered thinking he would praise me for taking a leadership role in the department. But that was NOT on his mind at all.
Instead, he reprimanded me for representing the department and the university without asking for permission. I was speechless, felt terrible, and slunk out of his office in shame. I was embarrassed to even see him in the hall after that.
As for the delegation, I met them for dim sum on campus, but made some excuse about not being able to take them up to the department.
It was a lesson well-learned and something that was obviously way over my head at the time.
A nice photo, Susan.
In the 1950s, my late husband’s family moved from Taiwan to Yokohama. The only Chinese school there was “too Communist” according to his father, so he had to quickly learn English so he could go to the Catholic international school. It was a decision that benefited me, because years later he attended Seattle University where I studied.
Thanks so much, Nicki! That’s so fascinating about your inlaws! In the 90s, I had a good friend also with the surname of Chen whose family moves from Taiwan to Yokohama. My friend was called Lala or Lara and her family owns a Chinese restaurant in Yokohama’s Chinatown. I wonder if your inlaws are related to her family or at the very least if they know them! Lara is still in Japan and married a Japanese guy.