Olympics 2008 Memories

I was watching this show on ABC Family called Samurai Girl where the leading character is of Oriental descent. Seeing her last name on the credits confirmed that she is Chinese.

Now, my memories went back to Beijing again. I'm talking of the Olympics. Truly, the Chinese people have a rich heritage and interesting culture. The performance they had during the opening ceremony spoke of a country that has magnificent people, sublime tradition, and awesome history. I remember myself feeling sorry for the Chinese people who were not born in China and was raised somewhere else. Truly, China has a cultural legacy that one should be proud of.

I grew up in a community where there were lots of Chinese. My mother said they came as merchants and started out small but steadily built up their businesses to the point that they were considered rich and influential. Where I came from, Chinese have good lives albeit being foreigners or aliens as some people will call it.

One thing that struck me about Chinese people are that they are good in business. I have not known any Chinese who were poor. They really know how to make money, how to live, and how to get along. They made friends and they were accepted, even if they speak Chinese at home, even if they have different last names. They were like us.

But I felt bad or sad for them when I saw that China is such an awe-inspiring country and I know it has so much more than what was seen through the Olympics. I just can imagine the feeling of not fully embracing one's own heritage because one was not born in it.