A couple of months ago, my father told me something about my great-grandfather, and even my grandfather for that matter, that really made me think about my career.
Before I get into that, a little background on how I chose my profession. When I was growing up, I wasn't allowed to watch a lot of television. Some cartoons here, a movie there. Mostly, I watched the news. When we got a video camera, I would "broadcast" my own newscasts from the coffee table. I'd highlight what we had for dinner or where we were going for the day. During Christmas, I went "live" from our Christmas tree explaining how there were different types of Christmas carols.
When I went to college, it was only natural that I study journalism. I went to Mizzou because my grandfather was accepted to its journalism school when he was young, but did not have the money or means to leave China. So I was fulfilling his destiny, if you will. I loved every moment of my experience there and on most days, I love my job now. I always thought I was meant to work in journalism. My great-grandfather was a writer, published in numerous magazines and newspaper in his day. My grandfather also worked for magazines in China. My own father is routinely published in newspapers in the U.S. (Chinese ones) and in China. I truly believed continuing the family tradition was my fate...journalism was in my blood.
Until my father told me technically...technically, both my great-grandfather and grandfather helped spread propaganda
You know, that dirty word in the world of journalism.
Now, I suppose in China, there is no true journalism. It is all propaganda. My great-grandfather even became the director of propaganda at one point. Not for the Communists, but for the Kuomingtang. My grandfather had an amazing understanding of the English language so during the Cultural Revolution, he was forced by the Communists to spread its propaganda in English. So it really wasn't his choice.
Nevertheless, I can't help but feel like I was led astray in a way. Here I was, thinking I was continuing a great family tradition. Only to find out my ancestors did the very thing that true journalism frowns upon.
Don't get me wrong, I still think my great-grandfather was an amazing man. Reading (or listening to) my father's book is making me realize his strength in character. He was so strong and stayed so firm to his convictions during such a difficult time in Chinese history. He never wavered from his beliefs: never judge one's appearance, always strive to be intelligent and treat others with respect and you will receive it in return.
My grandfather as well. But I wonder, if my grandfather had the opportunity to attend the University of Missouri School of Journalism, would he have gone back to China, where journalism is synonymous with propaganda? Would he have taken part in that...even if he didn't have a choice? Would he have gone on to do something else? Of course, I don't want to think about that too much because if my grandfather had gone, I would not be here.
I still love what I do...most of the time. And I'm glad I chose this profession...again, most of the time. But I guess knowing my path was not as paved as I previously thought, takes some of the pressure off. And that does feel really good.
Showing posts with label Communists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Communists. Show all posts
Monday, October 4, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Getting Back To My Father's Book
Wow! It's been so long since I've updated this blog. This summer has been so busy, between my vacations and co-workers' vacations, which mean I have a forever alternating work schedule, I just have not had time to concentrate on this project! But now, I'm back at it. I spent three hours on the phone with my father yesterday and got two interesting blog topics to write about. What I'm focusing on today is mostly historical. 1927 was really a turning point in Chinese history, particularly how it led to the fall of the Kuomingtang and the Communist Revolution. (Keep in mind, I'm writing this as a descendant of so-called "Communist traitors.")
For many years, China was split into states, all of them controlled by warlords. In 1926, the Kuomingtang began what was called the Northern Expedition, which was an effort to unify China. It began in the south and moved north, hence the name. The Communist Party, which was smaller at the time, joined in on the effort. During this period, the Communist Party consisted of a lot of peasants and it was still relatively disorganized so most of its movements were somewhat chaotic.
In April of 1927, Chiang Kai-shek, who was an important military leader then, announced he wanted the Kuomingtang to separate from the Communist Party. As a result, many of the Communists were caught and executed. A few months later, in July, the Kuomingtang officially announced it was going to split from the Communist Party. The Communists retreated from Wuhan quietly. It was from here on out that the Communist Party was declared an illegal organization.
However, just because they were no longer "in power" the Communists did not stop organizing. In fact, it was probably because they were forced to retreat that anger and resentment grew. The party recruited peasants and other uneducated people who were unhappy with the way they were treated by the wealthy. Therefore, the Chinese Communist Party become the force that eventually overthrew the Kuomingtang.
Back to 1926-1927, Wuhan served as a center for all of this activity. This was when my great-grandfather joined the movement and served as an instructor at a military school there. He supported the idea of a unified China. However, he was mortified by the amount of unnecessary violence the Communist Party used to gain control. When the Kuomingtang announced the separation, my great-grandfather was afraid he would be captured by the Communists so he went into hiding with his family. They rented a small apartment in another section of Wuhan and used another name for a while. It wasn't until the Kuomingtang took complete control of Wuhan that my great-grandfather and my family were able to lead somewhat normal lives again.
This was always a very confusing part of Chinese history for me. I wasn't aware the Kuomingtang and the Communist Party worked together for a while. I remember my LaoLao (my mother's mother) telling me when she was young, she was a part of the Communist Party. I was shocked because I know my grandfather, her husband, died at the hands of the Communists during the Revolution in the 1960s. Now I understand. At one point, the two parties were mixed, supposedly fighting for the same goal on the surface, while each secretly wanted to gain total control of the country.
Through this process, I am not only learning about my family's history, I'm learning so much more about Chinese history as well. And what I wrote here is an over-simplified version of events. China's history is so much more complicated than I think I will ever understand. I just hope I can get enough insight to know where I come from.
For many years, China was split into states, all of them controlled by warlords. In 1926, the Kuomingtang began what was called the Northern Expedition, which was an effort to unify China. It began in the south and moved north, hence the name. The Communist Party, which was smaller at the time, joined in on the effort. During this period, the Communist Party consisted of a lot of peasants and it was still relatively disorganized so most of its movements were somewhat chaotic.
In April of 1927, Chiang Kai-shek, who was an important military leader then, announced he wanted the Kuomingtang to separate from the Communist Party. As a result, many of the Communists were caught and executed. A few months later, in July, the Kuomingtang officially announced it was going to split from the Communist Party. The Communists retreated from Wuhan quietly. It was from here on out that the Communist Party was declared an illegal organization.
However, just because they were no longer "in power" the Communists did not stop organizing. In fact, it was probably because they were forced to retreat that anger and resentment grew. The party recruited peasants and other uneducated people who were unhappy with the way they were treated by the wealthy. Therefore, the Chinese Communist Party become the force that eventually overthrew the Kuomingtang.
Back to 1926-1927, Wuhan served as a center for all of this activity. This was when my great-grandfather joined the movement and served as an instructor at a military school there. He supported the idea of a unified China. However, he was mortified by the amount of unnecessary violence the Communist Party used to gain control. When the Kuomingtang announced the separation, my great-grandfather was afraid he would be captured by the Communists so he went into hiding with his family. They rented a small apartment in another section of Wuhan and used another name for a while. It wasn't until the Kuomingtang took complete control of Wuhan that my great-grandfather and my family were able to lead somewhat normal lives again.
This was always a very confusing part of Chinese history for me. I wasn't aware the Kuomingtang and the Communist Party worked together for a while. I remember my LaoLao (my mother's mother) telling me when she was young, she was a part of the Communist Party. I was shocked because I know my grandfather, her husband, died at the hands of the Communists during the Revolution in the 1960s. Now I understand. At one point, the two parties were mixed, supposedly fighting for the same goal on the surface, while each secretly wanted to gain total control of the country.
Through this process, I am not only learning about my family's history, I'm learning so much more about Chinese history as well. And what I wrote here is an over-simplified version of events. China's history is so much more complicated than I think I will ever understand. I just hope I can get enough insight to know where I come from.
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