A Helpful Introduction
Up until my high school years, I had never really stopped to think about the fact that I am Chinese. I knew that I was adopted from China, but it meant nothing to me beyond the fact that I got to celebrate an Adoption Day as well as a Birthday every year (which was great, as it meant I got two days per year that were all about me). I felt no desire to visit China or learn Chinese, as I didn't feel Chinese.
Gradually, during my sophomore year of high school, I began to realize what it really means to be American and Chinese. It meant that even though I had never known anything other than American life, there exists an undeniable connection between me and a whole country of millions of people on the opposite side of the world. A country who's past, traditions, not to mention food, are radically different from America's. I could finally see my Chinese heritage as something worth investigating.
This blog is a way for me to express what I learn as I explore China's culture. I chose the phrase Blood is Thicker than Water as the title not because I finally acknowledge my Chinese "blood ties" as being more important than the ties I share with my adopted family, but because of the original meaning of the saying.
The phrase was originally coined during a war, with the 'blood' symbolizing the blood shed with your fellow soldiers, and the 'water' symbolizing the amniotic fluid of the womb. Essentially, it meant that bonds forged through adversity trump all others, including family ties, inverting the original meaning.
This interpretation resonates with me as a person who has adoptive parents. I consider the ties that I share with my Caucasian parents and my adopted sisters, forged through shared experiences, to be stronger than the ones that connect me to my Chinese birth parents. Nonetheless, I think it is important for me to try and understand my birth country. I'm inviting you as a reader to share in my journey and discoveries.
Gradually, during my sophomore year of high school, I began to realize what it really means to be American and Chinese. It meant that even though I had never known anything other than American life, there exists an undeniable connection between me and a whole country of millions of people on the opposite side of the world. A country who's past, traditions, not to mention food, are radically different from America's. I could finally see my Chinese heritage as something worth investigating.
This blog is a way for me to express what I learn as I explore China's culture. I chose the phrase Blood is Thicker than Water as the title not because I finally acknowledge my Chinese "blood ties" as being more important than the ties I share with my adopted family, but because of the original meaning of the saying.
The phrase was originally coined during a war, with the 'blood' symbolizing the blood shed with your fellow soldiers, and the 'water' symbolizing the amniotic fluid of the womb. Essentially, it meant that bonds forged through adversity trump all others, including family ties, inverting the original meaning.
This interpretation resonates with me as a person who has adoptive parents. I consider the ties that I share with my Caucasian parents and my adopted sisters, forged through shared experiences, to be stronger than the ones that connect me to my Chinese birth parents. Nonetheless, I think it is important for me to try and understand my birth country. I'm inviting you as a reader to share in my journey and discoveries.
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