Where is the animosity?
At a time when there is heightened tension between India and China at the political front, life for ordinary people revolves around business, work, and shared moments.
A trip to my first home now - Nepal, gives me the greater sense of brewing hatred towards Indians. Anti- India sentiments reign high at every corner of Nepalese cities. I talk to people and they only think of reaping profit. I meet scholars and every word of my scholarly proposition is weighted in lean towards India or seen as an Indian government propaganda, as though I was a special envoy of the Indian government. With so much closeness between culture and civilization, I remain an unwelcomed guest in Nepal, which should love and treat me as a member of the family. A home remains a far dream.
However, a short visit to China, takes my confidence as a woman to a rather new heights. Though, I should call China as my third home, the feeling of being in China is unusual and relaxed. People around are too happy to know that I can speak Chinese. The initial inhibitions of communicating with a foreigner disappears by uttering few words in Chinese. That follows with a flood of questions and surprises....'how can you speak Chinese? How come your Chinese is so good? You must be settled here in China for long, isn't it?...' Any response in negative is coupled with more inquisitiveness and surprises of unbelivable facts. The short meetings turn in long chats filled with laughter and joy. Some even pulling you and holding you to know more about your life, some giving suggestions of settling in China for life, and some checking all parts of your body and dresses. The jokes and comments go beyond business.
Just yesterday, I bought a bottle of cold drink from a small street vendor, when heat made me all dry. The lady was too happy to hear me speak in Chinese at ease. Followed was her explanation of how difficult it is to communicate with foreigners. As I drank the coke, the husband sitting next joked, 'gan ba' (bottoms up). I stopped and laughed saying, 'this is not beer'. Immediately, the woman tells her husband, she is from India and her putonghua (standard Chinese) is very good. A compliment almost all Chinese give hearing few words in Chinese. The man was full of smiles and replied to me, 'Ok, then if this is not beer, come tomorrow and I will treat you two bottles of beer. Then you finish at one go.' At the expression of my inability, both and few people around gathered to convince, 'yes you can and we join you tomorrow. We will share some moments of joy'. I laughed and moved back to my hotel.
Learnt politics remains, border problem is too complicated to solve, but all Indians and Chinese need is to 'gan liang bei' (empty two glasses) to understand and share.
At a time when there is heightened tension between India and China at the political front, life for ordinary people revolves around business, work, and shared moments.
A trip to my first home now - Nepal, gives me the greater sense of brewing hatred towards Indians. Anti- India sentiments reign high at every corner of Nepalese cities. I talk to people and they only think of reaping profit. I meet scholars and every word of my scholarly proposition is weighted in lean towards India or seen as an Indian government propaganda, as though I was a special envoy of the Indian government. With so much closeness between culture and civilization, I remain an unwelcomed guest in Nepal, which should love and treat me as a member of the family. A home remains a far dream.
However, a short visit to China, takes my confidence as a woman to a rather new heights. Though, I should call China as my third home, the feeling of being in China is unusual and relaxed. People around are too happy to know that I can speak Chinese. The initial inhibitions of communicating with a foreigner disappears by uttering few words in Chinese. That follows with a flood of questions and surprises....'how can you speak Chinese? How come your Chinese is so good? You must be settled here in China for long, isn't it?...' Any response in negative is coupled with more inquisitiveness and surprises of unbelivable facts. The short meetings turn in long chats filled with laughter and joy. Some even pulling you and holding you to know more about your life, some giving suggestions of settling in China for life, and some checking all parts of your body and dresses. The jokes and comments go beyond business.
Just yesterday, I bought a bottle of cold drink from a small street vendor, when heat made me all dry. The lady was too happy to hear me speak in Chinese at ease. Followed was her explanation of how difficult it is to communicate with foreigners. As I drank the coke, the husband sitting next joked, 'gan ba' (bottoms up). I stopped and laughed saying, 'this is not beer'. Immediately, the woman tells her husband, she is from India and her putonghua (standard Chinese) is very good. A compliment almost all Chinese give hearing few words in Chinese. The man was full of smiles and replied to me, 'Ok, then if this is not beer, come tomorrow and I will treat you two bottles of beer. Then you finish at one go.' At the expression of my inability, both and few people around gathered to convince, 'yes you can and we join you tomorrow. We will share some moments of joy'. I laughed and moved back to my hotel.
Learnt politics remains, border problem is too complicated to solve, but all Indians and Chinese need is to 'gan liang bei' (empty two glasses) to understand and share.
posted by Ji Xiaojie @ 6:57 PM
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