Chinese Children in the U.S.: Bilingual Chinese Students Write on the Same Topic

Author: Iowa Chinese School, Iowa City, Iowa
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-01
Features: Where is the root of the stranger? Language is the crystallization of culture. That precious crystallization is the root of the stranger. For the Chinese in America, they can still grasp the distant and profound root. Grasping the root means grasping the center of life. From that center, they establish families and careers in the foreign land, with their hearts set on their homeland and their eyes on the future. At the same time, they integrate into American society and fulfill the role of their host country. And what about the children? Are they Americans? It seems not, with yellow or white skin, different complexions. Are they Chinese? Not really, because Chinese people don’t speak Chinese? This sense of loss in children can lead to psychological issues, which may result in severe consequences. The Chinese parents in Iowa had foresight and established the Iowa Chinese School as early as 1993. Over the past decade, they have volunteered to teach children Chinese and organize various cultural activities. Twelve-year-old Zhang Lujia even wrote "The Story of Mulan in America" in Chinese and won the first prize in the Fourth World Chinese Youth Writing Competition in 2000. There were also awards for Min Jie’s "Learning to Swim," Zeng Xiaopeng’s "Fishing," and Lü Wei’s "Learning to Cook Chinese Food for Parents." Many other children have achieved remarkable results in "bridging Eastern and Western cultures." The collection "Iowa Overseas Primary School Student Writing Selections" is the best crystallization of Chinese and American cultures.