Most of the people I know when they find out that I like Chinese culture, music, anything that's related with it they find it strange. Sometimes, I'm the butt of joke, a fried of mine wayback often say sarcastically, (whenever we encounter oriental or 'chinky eyed' people), "Oh your friends, your people!".
Sometimes I get annoyed and pissed when they do that to me. Even if I don't show what I really feel, deep inside I'm already fuming. Is it really strange? I don't really think so! We all have our own interests and hobbies in life. Some study Spanish, French and other languages. While others are addicted to Korean and Japanese music, and tv dramas. Maybe, the only thing that's different, in my case I kinda embraced everything, and have really fallen in love with the Chinese culture, anything that's connected with it.
Also, I'm not following any fad. I remember it was the height of Korean dramas when I became an ESL instructor to Koreans. I know a thing or two about Korean culture because I have dealt with Koreans before. Still, my interest in China didn't change, it still there lying dormant. It was only now that this passion of mine has been awakened. I guess, you always come back to the one you love doing. Besides, I already have finished doing my masteral, and I'm not really that occupied now so I can really spend a lot of time doing what I love. That is studying and writing about my interest.
Someday, I dream of becoming like Dashan. I read a story before about Dashan in my Lonely Planet: China travel book. That was one of my expensive books with regards to China. I bought it during my college days. I remember in our Chinese class yesterday we learned how to say 'big'. The Chinese character for that is 大 it reads as 'da' using the pinyin system. You'll really be amazed because Dashan, Mark Henry Rowswell is his real name, speaks really good Chinese. Actually there are a lot of Caucasians who can speak Chinese very well. I won't mention them all here. My point is, I'm not the only one in love with the Chinese language and culture, and it's not strange at all. 
In the music scene, I came to know Frankie P., he is an Italian-American born and raised in the U.S. He speaks and can sing Cantonese very well. Just check out his videos on YouTube. It's really encouraging to see someone who also has the same interest. I've got some encouraging words from him, to just keep on practicing. Another one is an English woman named Mary Jess, she won and bagged the grand price in a singing contest in China, entitled 'I Want to Sing to the Stars.' 民星唱翻天 (Min Xing Chang Fan Tian). "Mary-Jess began studying Chinese at the age of 13 when it was offered as an extra-curricular GCSE at St. Peters RC High School in Gloucester. At the age of 15, Mary-Jess travelled to China for the first time with the school and whilst there she sang at the opening ceremony the summer school that she was attending. Her performance was credited by a lot of local press coverage. During this trip she fell in love with China and knew that she would continue to study Mandarin Chinese." (source: mary-jess.com)So it's not only me. A lot of people around the world likes and appreciate the Chinese culture. Why? there are a hundreds of reasons and maybe, because its the cradle of the civilization, as mentioned in a local newspaper that I've read wayback. Here in my country, you can't deny the influence and the role of the Chinese in the Philippines way of life and culture.
I also don't understand why a lot of people blame the Filipino-Chinese here in the Philippines, saying they are controlling everything. Most of the successful leaders here are PBC or Philippine Born Chinese and of Chinese lineage. It's not their fault, if you knew the life of early Chinese settlers here in the Philippines, it was not easy for them. They were the first peddlers, selling 'taho', dimsum (Chinese snacks), etc. on the streets. (visit Bahay Tsinoy in Intramuros to see the life like dioramas, and to learn more about the Filipino-Chinese history). They are just simply hardworking, and the times back then if you really work hard success is not that far behind. That's one thing we should learn from them. In appreciating the Chinese culture and language, I hope I have proven my point, that truly, I am not the only one in love!
(All Photos here were taken from Google Images).
