My name is Nathan Liao, and I am a Economics and Political Science student at McGill University. Today, we held a solidarity event with our brothers and sisters in the streets of Hong Kong-- fighting for true, transparent, democratic elections. Right after it ended, I hurried off to my class-- Chinese economy (Oh, the irony). When the professor opened the classroom up for comments about HK, I was disgusted and ashamed by the mindset of my fellow Han Chinese (mostly from the Mainland). Their views, ranging from timid calls for internal political processes to opposing the protests and approving of Beijings ideology, were not remotely conducive to universal human freedoms. China(HK) is not ready for democracy. They are not educated enough to make their own informed decisions. These statements uttered by Mainlanders who do not support HKs right to universal suffrage and freedom of speech either 1. Have vested interests in keeping the status quo for personal gain and dont give a damn about Hong Kong people (nor the poor and marginalized in China) 2. Believe HK is the same as the rest of China and arent informed about historical/social/political context in which this protest arose. HK has not belonged to China before 1997 for 155 years! If they have ever spent any amount of time in Hong Kong they would know this (Timeline: bbc/news/world-asia-pacific-16526765). A girl in my class brought up her belief of how Taiwanese and Hong Kongers look down upon them (Mainlanders). Which I find hysterical because we need China economically and, to be frank, Im scared shitless of China. I will be doing my mandatory military service in Taiwan after I graduate in 2016. The threat-- no matter how slim-- of staring down the cannon of a Chinese naval vessel is always present. I am not anti-China; I am pro-democracy. Although we speak different dialects and have different norms we are all Chinese and thus should respect the HK peoples right to a democratic election system. We must also not forget our fellow compatriots and pro-democracy dissidents in the Mainland who are being jailed or worse for speaking out against the Communist Party and Beijing. One of the speakers at the solidarity event was from the Mainland. His championing of democratic freedoms moved me deeply. In that moment, I felt truly proud to be Chinese. Why do I have the right to speak on the issue? I was born in raised in the democratic, free, beautiful country of New Zealand! However, my parents are first generation immigrants from Taiwan. After my grandfather fought against Japanese imperialism during WW2, he was forced to flee from Anhui during the ensuing civil war and communist takeover. Since my mums lineage is originally from Fujian, I consider myself Chinese, just as much as I consider myself Taiwanese or a New Zealander. And as of October 11th I will also consider myself a Canadian. My whole life has been a struggle to precariously balance my 3rd cultureness -- between my New Zealand Western values, my Chinese heritage, and my new Canadian existence. Because of my unique habitus I have always felt culturally different and have been treated poorly by some Chinese because I spoke with a Taiwanese dialect or because I was deemed white-washed. For the record, Im not white-washed; Im just a human being-- a cosmopolitan traveler trying to figure out his existentialist dilemma. Any sane person that grew up in a free, liberal country like New Zealand would know that freedom and democracy are a work in progress; it is never perfected but it must be something we strive for constantly for all people. Today I felt shame for being Chinese but also a deep sense of pride. We are Hong Kongers. We are Taiwanese. We are Chinese. We are human beings. Whether it is impending ecological catastrophe, or rising inequality, or totalitarian societies of control, this is the century where the world looks to the Chinese. This is the century that decides the fate of not only China but the human race. 我們是香港人，我們是台灣人，我們是中國人，我們都是人類。 Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:31 ✌☮
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 03:03:22 +0000
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