Chinatown 2.0 - Ep. 4: History Professor Sixiang Wang reconciles his Sino-US identity from studying Korean history

Ep. 4: History Professor Sixiang Wang reconciles his Sino-US identity from studying Korean history

08/07/20 • 33 min

Sixiang Wang is an assistant professor in Asian Languages and Cultures at UCLA, specializing in Korea’s premodern history. He speaks fluent mandarin, writes Chinese poems and is well-versed in China's history and culture. Sixiang described his journey of attempting to self-distance from his Chinese identity to embracing and mastering the language and culture. He shared how studying Korean history somehow helped him reconcile a lifelong passion for Chinese studies with his American identity. We also talked about the current state of Sino-US relation and analogized Trump's presidency with past Chinese emperors. Lastly, we touched upon Sixiang's philosophy of child-raising that deviates from the traditional Chinese parenting style.

Sixiang shared with us:

Guest intro
* Growing up in a rough Queens Hispanic neighborhood as "the only Chino"
* Childhood struggles between desire to be American vs love for Chinese language & culture
* Epiphany in reconciling American and Chinese identity from reading Korean history
* Sentiment towards US-China tensions from a Chinese American perspective
* Ways to understand Trump presidency, e.g., the angle of history of Chinese emperors
* De-emphasizing goals of admittance to top colleges and high test scores in raising children

Sixiang shared with us:

Previous Episode

Ep. 3: Software Architect Nuo Yan on avoiding shortcuts in life and the appeals of living in Japan

Nuo Yan is a Tokyo-based software architect. He was previously based in Seattle and San Francisco, and was founding engineer at multiple tech startups, one of which was acquired by Pinterest. Nuo discussed his philosophy of avoiding shortcuts in software design and implementation, the purpose of life as completing a journey instead of checking boxes, and why Japan is a great place to live for him.

Nuo shared with us:

Joining a startup right out of undergrad
* Reluctance in taking shortcuts in code (or in life)
* Anxiety of China citizens explained by country's rapid rise, similar to 90s Japan
* Japan's extremely stable and equitable society
* Why Japan's life quality trumps that in the US for Asians
* Friendly Japan immigration policies
* Japan's startup scene doesn't measure up to that in the US/China
* Exploration of why Japan feels like Nuo's home city (nowhere else does)
* Decision to become a software engineer very early in life
* Why being treated as a foreigner in Japan is a good thing

Next Episode

Ep. 5: (Mandarin) Children's Chinese Magazine Publisher Jing Cheng believes the power of print media

Jing Cheng is the co-founder and CEO of the largest North American Children's Chinese magazine, Pipa Magazine. She shares her inspirations for starting the publication, the challenges of running the business of print media against digital headwinds, and her philosophy and suggestions for Chinese immigrants raising bilingual kids.
To learn more about Pipa Magazine, visit: pipamag.org
You can also subscribe to their WeChat public account by searching for 小枇杷
Jing shared with us:
* Pipa Magazine as a companion to kids and bridge to communicate with older generations
* Why young kids like to read the same books repeatedly
* Self-identity for kids with Chinese heritage
* Learning Chinese culture in addition to the language
* Maintaining emotional intimacy between first and second generation immigrants
* Immigrant parents need continual self education to keep up with kids' American ideas
* Pipa Magazine's way of teaching Chinese language in the context of Chinese culture
* The development of Pipa Magazine as a business since 2012
* The difficult business of the Chinese culture-themed magazine
* Pipa Magazine as between a nonprofit organization and a commercial business
* How donations can help Pipa Magazine's missions
Jing shared with us:
* Pipa Magazine as a companion to kids and bridge to communicate with older generations
* Why young kids like to read the same books repeatedly
* Self-identity for kids with Chinese heritage
* Learning Chinese culture in addition to the language
* Maintaining emotional intimacy between first and second generation immigrants
* Immigrant parents need continual self education to keep up with kids' American ideas
* Pipa Magazine's way of teaching Chinese language in the context of Chinese culture
* The development of Pipa Magazine as a business since 2012
* The difficult business of the Chinese culture-themed magazine
* Pipa Magazine as between a nonprofit organization and a commercial business
* How donations can help Pipa Magazine's missions