Having watched Ip Man 2 (twice), I have been thinking a lot about Chinese culture & history. Having been in a SAP (Special Assistance Programme) school for 10 years, a lot of Chinese culture and sense of identity has been inculcated in me.

(For those who don't know, SAP schools are the rather cheena top schools that the government has preserved after wiping out the last of the Chinese-ed schools in 1987. Even then, these schools teach all examinable subjects in English, except Mother Tongue, of course. However, there are a lot of programmes and periods within our curriculum that are conducted in Chinese. Moral Education was in Chinese from P1 till Sec 2. In Catholic High, we had calligraphy lessons in sec 1 and 国画 - Chinese painting - in sec 2. We even had Confucius ethics classes throughout lower sec...)

I know... it's really cheena right? Our school song is also in Chinese, heh.

But I loved it. I was trained to understand the importance of Chinese as a language. But beyond that, I was taught to be embrace the essence of Chinese culture and morality. It wasn't just a language or an art. It was identity. Like, in Church, where there's MGs and ACs all over, and it's like a matter of fact thing where people just do poorly for Chinese... No one really understands the depth of Chinese, feel proud of it, or appreciate it as much as I do... sigh... Even though I don't really use Chinese in everyday life, I made sure I did pass it during my 'O's and 'A's.

I really enjoy Chinese thought, or philosophy. A majority of it is biblical. Like, starkingly. Like, how there is continuity in history, or that there is an order of things that should be actively preserved by us stubborn humans... "Education" is not a means to know things or get a good job. It is about moral values, life lessons, identity, getting the bigger picture, and realising that we don't know that much after all. That's why our 课本 is all about stories. We learn best about life when we read about how good people past and present have lived theirs. It is in this context that we are (supposedly) taught the language.

I really love Chinese ideals. They're pure in essence, but practiced legalistically by our ancestors. That's why Confucianism has become such a rigid stupid thing. Its not supposed to be that way, if you even take a peek in the Classics. Taoism - it isn't even a religion in its original essence. Buddhism - its not even Chinese. At this point, I'd like to just briefly state that a lot of Chinese written sources match the Old Testament of the Bible. My ancestors, at one point while already identifying themselves as Chinese, knew God!

That's why I'm adamant to keep up with Chinese. I'm interested in the language, southern dialects such as Canto and Teochew (Mandarin is really but a dialect in northern China, made compulsory only because Beijing is the capital and the government officials speak it), history, culture etc. But ultimately, I'm still on the journey to figure out why God created me to be a Chinese - and one who is in Singapore at that.

I believe the reason is not simple. I believe it's the key to my destiny.
O wells, who knows, I may save China one day (: