BySudeshnaSarkarandChenRan
At71andafterbeingdiagnosedwithdiabetes,well-wishersaskedGuoHuipingtotakethingseasy.Buttheretiredschoolteacherhadotherplans,insteadtakingupanewassignmentthathasbecomehermission.
Onceeveryweek,thesprightlyGuosetsoffinthemorning,undertakinganhour-longbusjourneyduringrushhourtoarriveattheOverseasChineseMuseum,oneoftheculturallandmarksofXiamen,thehistoricalportcityinsoutheastChina’sFujianProvince.
Rediscoveringthepast
SincelastSeptember,shehasbeenworkingthereasavolunteerguide,steeringvisitorsthroughthethreeexhibitpackedhallsthatchronicletheblood,sweat,tearsandalsovictoriesofaresilientgroupofmenandwomenwhoaddedachaptertothestoryofChina’sdevelopment.
“Myinvolvementstartedwiththecelebrationslastyearcommemoratingthe70thanniversaryofthevictoryoftheChinesePeople’sWarofResistanceAgainstJapaneseAggression,”Guosaid.“TheOverseasChineseMuseumhadaspecialexhibitionrememberingtheChineseinSoutheastAsiawhocamebackduringtheJapaneseoccupationtooffertheirservicesasdriversandmechanics.”
Nearly4,000ofthemvolunteeredtotransportsuppliesviathedangerousmountainhighwayknownastheBurmaRoad,builttoconnectsouthwestChinawithwhatwasthenBurma,today’sMyanmar,toresistJapaneseoccupation.Nearlyonethirdofthevolunteersdiedduringtheundertaking.
“ThemuseumauthoritieswerelookingforvolunteersfortheexhibitionandIsaidyes,”Guoadded.Bythetimetheexhibitionended,shehadfoundhermissionanddecidedtostayonwiththemuseum.“BeforeIstarteddoingthis,IknewonlyalittleabouttheoverseasChinesethoughXiamenhasbeenamajorpointforpeoplebothgoingabroadandcomingback,”shesaid.“ButafterIstartedvolunteeringatthemuseum,myknowledgeofhistoryhasincreased.Ifyoudon’tknowhistory,youwouldn’tknowtheoverseasChinese-theindescribablehardshipstheyenduredandtheimmensecontributionstheymade.Thisismywayofshowingrespecttothem.”
Asthenearly7,000photographs,dioramas,modelsandotherexhibitsatthemuseumshow,Chineseemigrationoccurredinseveralwaves.Theearliesttravelerswerethemonkswhowentabroadtosharetheirreligiousknowledge.Thetraderswerethenexttosetforth,followedbyskilledprofessionalsseekingtomaketheirfortunes.Thedarkestwavesoccurredduringtimesofwarandinstability.Ononehand,therewererefugeesfleeingviolence,andontheother,indenturedlaborers.
GuoHuipingguidesvisitorsthroughtheOverseasChineseMuseum,XiamenPhotoChenRanFromfetterstolaurels
Themodelofaslaveshipwherelife-sizedfiguressit,skeletalmen,manyofthemdressedintatterswithdespairandhopelessnesswritontheirfaces,isoneofthemostdisturbingsightsatthemuseum.
AftertheFirstOpiumWar(1840-42),Chinesewereforcedtogooutasindenturedcoolies,explainstheexhibitlabel.“Frommid-19thto20thcentury,itwasapageinChinesehistoryfullofunprecedentedhumiliation.”
From1850-56,sixshipswenttoPeru,GuyanaandCuba,carryingthevirtualChineseprisoners.Theywereshackledandkeptinthesuffocatingholdoftheshipandduringthejourneys,hundredsdied.Thosewhosurvivedweremadetoundergoslavelabor.AclusterofcoppercoinsatthemuseumstandswitnesstohowtheywereusedtokeeptheChineseworkersunderthecontroloftheiroverseasmasters.
“Thesecoinswerenotlegalbutdevisedbytheownersthemselves,”theregularmuseumguide,whoidentifiedherselfonlyasChen,explained.“Theycouldbeexchangedonlyforfoodandotherrationsatthestoresbelongingtotheseowners.”
By2004,therewasasizeableChinesecommunityspreadacrosstheworld.Asamapatthemuseumshows,IndonesiahadthelargestrecordedoverseasChinesepopulationwith7.3million,followedbyMyanmarofover1million.InAfrica,SouthAfricahostedthelargestcommunitywith40,000.TheearliestAfricancountriestheChineseheadedtoincludedTanzania,Nigeriaandsurprisingly,Madagascar,whichhada28,000-strongChinesepresence.
Aninspiringstoryunfoldsfromthesufferingsandchallenges.It’sastoryofresilienceanddoggedpursuitofprogress.Inthemuseum,theearlyChinatownshantiesgivewaytoschools,hospitals,banksandcompaniesstartedbytheoverseasChinese.
“Fromcoolies,cooksandpeddlerstheybecameteachers,doctors,lawyers,entrepreneursandscientists,”themuseumcaptionsadd.“OverseasChineseopenedupthevirginsoilintheirnewhomecountries,creatingcivilization.”
In1957,Chen-NingYangandTsung-DaoLeewhohademigratedtotheUnitedStatesfromHefeiandShanghaicitiesrespectively,becamepartofthebandofmenwithoutborderswhohavecontributedtothecauseofglobaldevelopment.JointlyawardedtheNobelPrizeinphysics,theybecamethefirstChinese-Americanstowinthehonor.
Unperishableumbilicalcord
Wherevertheywent,theoverseasChinesestayedlinkedwiththeircountryofbirth.DuringtheJapaneseoccupationmanyofthemtookpartintheresistancemovementdirectlywhileothersassembledfunds,medicinesandtransport,includingplanes.Intimesofpeacetheybuiltschools,colleges,hospitalsandmuseumsinChina.
“ThisisthefirstmuseumontheoverseasChinese,”saidZengYing,curatorofthemuseum.“Sinceitopenedtothepublicin1959,itisvisitedbytheoverseasChinesefromallovertheworld.ItwasbuiltbyanoverseasChinese,TanKah-kee,withmostoftheexhibitscomingfromhispersonalcollection.”
DubbedtheHenryFordofAsia,TanbuiltarubberempirebasedinSingapore,graduallyexpandingintotinmining,shoesandcosmetics.HefoundedXiamenUniversityandtheJimeiNormalSchool,whicheventuallybecametheJimeiUniversity.WhileXiamenhasaTanKahkeeMemorialMuseum,Singaporehasasubwaystationnamedafterhim.
“Tansaidmuseumsareasimportantasschoolsandlibraries,”Guoadded.“Studentsareencouragedtocomehereandlearntheirhistory.Onceyouenterhere,youhaveaninsightintoallaspectsoftheChinesewhowentoverseas.”CA
Museumsareasimportantasschoolsandlibraries,studentsareencouragedtocomehereandlearntheirhistory.Onceyouenterhere,youhaveaninsightintoallaspectsoftheChinesewhowentoverseas.
GuoHuiping,VoluntaryguideatOverseasChineseMuseum,Xiamen