Growing up in America, like many kids, I was pretty ignorant. Trying to assimilate and fit in, most of us if not all Asians who were born or grew up in America are guilty of this - shunned our own Asian cultures in favor of extreme Americanism. For myself, I regretted studying Japanese instead of Mandarin. When I was a kid, my mother told me that my cousin who was from France went to learn Chinese in China. I mocked and laughed at the idea. Now, he speaks French and Mandarin fluently and is a Chinese language teacher in France. Kudos to him for having an opened-mind.
In 2001, as a kid playing video games, I discovered a Playstation video game called "DYNASTY WARRIORS 3". Played and fell in love with it. Curiosity got me started digging about China and learning so much. I then went on to study Chinese archaeology, anthropology, and history. This then tied in to my Hmong ancestry and history, which made it even more intriguing and interesting to learn. All Hmong people came from China - to basically put it, Hmong people are Chinese. Chi You (Hmong), Huang Di, and Yan Di were the ancient ancestors of East Asian people in China. Whether, they are living in Asia now or in America, Europe or South America like French Guyana, we all originated from China.
It's amazing what the POWER of video games can do to people. If it hadn't been for this Japanese video game about a Chinese historical event - the three kingdoms period, I would still be in the dark. I would never have discovered China. Not to boast or anything, but I know more about China and Chinese history than most native Chinese people. I think I need to learn Mandarin-Chinese.
In 2001, as a kid playing video games, I discovered a Playstation video game called "DYNASTY WARRIORS 3". Played and fell in love with it. Curiosity got me started digging about China and learning so much. I then went on to study Chinese archaeology, anthropology, and history. This then tied in to my Hmong ancestry and history, which made it even more intriguing and interesting to learn. All Hmong people came from China - to basically put it, Hmong people are Chinese. Chi You (Hmong), Huang Di, and Yan Di were the ancient ancestors of East Asian people in China. Whether, they are living in Asia now or in America, Europe or South America like French Guyana, we all originated from China.
It's amazing what the POWER of video games can do to people. If it hadn't been for this Japanese video game about a Chinese historical event - the three kingdoms period, I would still be in the dark. I would never have discovered China. Not to boast or anything, but I know more about China and Chinese history than most native Chinese people. I think I need to learn Mandarin-Chinese.