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here seems to be a universal acknowledgement
as to the practical virtues in studying Chinese.
Amidst stares of admiration and appreciative
nods, my admittance to studying Mandarin is
always met with the same sincere remark, “You’re
doing the right thing.” The practical implications of learning
the world’s most spoken language are an obvious attribute,
but what is the true nature of studying Chinese, and what
right do I have to label it virtuous?
I want to begin with a little cluster of high-rise buildings
not far from where I live in Johannesburg. Since I study far
from home, on my return I always enjoy witnessing how the
city has changed in my absence. One day I happened to notice
a new and rather large shadow lying across the road on which I
was driving. Glancing up at its culprit, an impressive structure
met my gaze. The new, 17-storey building towered above me,
and capping it were the large words “Sinosteel Plaza”. It was
official, China was in Sandton.
With the rapidly developing Asian nation f irmly on
my mind, and cruising past the headquarters of several
prominent banks, I began to think. News of the R36-
billion ICBC-Standard Bank deal, one of the largest foreign
investments by a Chinese bank, was still doing the rounds.
Then there were the constant newsletters I received from
the Centre for Chinese Studies in Stellenbosch. Detailing
China-Africa relations and highlighting major transnational
deals, these newsletters served to conf irm the specula-
tions surrounding China’s economic boom. Suddenly this
whole China thing was becoming more real. With a smile,
I thought about my own pursuit in studying the language.
At the time I had already mastered some basic conversation,
maybe it was time to delve into a little commercial vernacu-
lar? I arrived home with a busy mind, and tired from the
day I settled into the couch and f licked on the television.
Somewhere behind the shimmering box a little unobtrusive
sign read “Made in China”.
But economic prosperity was by no means the initial
motivation for my academic journey into the intricacies of
the Chinese language. There is something else about China
and its tongue, something much harder to put your finger
on. I suppose my choice could be attributed to a stroke of
luck. Like so many other Westerners, my interest in Chinese
spawned from an inexplicable fascination for the Orient.
It is always the writing that grabs you first. The intricate
network of strokes forming elaborate characters and sen-
tences always seems like more of an artwork than anything
else (I would later read in a
Wall Street Journal
that the prac-
tice of writing and learning Chinese characters would aide
in an increase in cognitive abilities and memory). Decipher-
ing Chinese is not unlike reading hundreds of little stories,
whose meaning is found in the representation of individual
characters (the symbols used to form words). To put this
into perspective, the character for ‘good’ is depicted through
pictograms of a mother and child placed next to each other.
Chinese logic sees the harmony brought about through ma-
ternal care, as analogous for what they deem as ‘good’. It is
the process of creating these little stories for every character
that suggests the
Wall Street Journal
may have a point. Then
there is the spoken language itself: the first word you learn,
the first sentence you string together, and the first paragraph
you recite.
It’s a funny thing, having Chinese in my life. My nights
are filled with hours of concentrated practice. Bent over a
notepad with pen in hand, the language with a history of
over 3000 years is spilled onto every empty corner of my
page. These are the times I realise I am not merely reciting a
word, but preserving a culture.
I have walked into the informal settlement in Graham-
stown, and engaged with a handful underprivileged yet
eager school children. To them, China was the man who
sold sweets at a corner café (they call him Jackie Chan). Yet
now, they have a new view of China, not as the smiling
shopkeeper with his slit eyes, but as a growing superpower,
with thriving a culture, and whose presence in Africa may
very well become part of their own adulthoods. Of course
a community outreach project such as this was quick to
attract the critical remarks of a few. How could we impose
a foreign culture merely for the convenience of fulfilling a
community engagement project? I feel the teaching of an
ancient text whose central premise is moral righteousness,
filial piety and above all the love of learning can hardly be
called an unjust imposition. After all, if the youth of China
are widely regarded as the smartest and most studious in
the world, surely our own children may find some benefit in
the scriptures that motivate their Asian counter-parts.
As a keen observer, journalist and ardent debater, I have
witnessed perceptions of China and Chinese from a hun-
dred different angles. Amidst whatever political qualms, hu-
manitarian concerns or prejudiced opinions that exist, I feel
a few things may be said about the language of China. To
avoid naivety one needs to step back, because the country
with the second highest economy in the world, the largest
population and a history as old as the Romans, has a lan-
guage that I dare call unique. To study Chinese is to take a
voyage into history, or to study an art form. It is a strategic
move, or an inexplicable passion. It is a cognitive workout,
or a means of global understanding.
For me personally, it is all of the above. But most of all
it is a journey, and I am eager to see where it takes me as I
pack my bags for Beijing.
VIEWS OF CHINA
Confucius Institute
VOLUME 17 | NO.6 NOV. 2011