Dear China

San Fransisco 2014

The writer wrote this poem during orientation before she went to China to work. This poem attempts to communicate her love of China without minimizing the things that make it difficult to love. The writer hopes to express that none of the unlikeable things done by or to the country can make her love it any less.

 

Gunpowder

Datong 2015

This poem was inspired by the fireworks at night on Chinese New Year. It refers to China's invention of gunpowder, how it was passed into the hands of European countries, and how they then used it against the Chinese. But the story was not over and China each year lights up its skies with amounts of fireworks that are unimaginable to Westerners.

 

The Face Game

Beijing 2014

Placement in a Chinese university was difficult for the writer because she was of Chinese descent and many universities preferred foreign teachers who looked "foreign," or else they would lose face. The writer wants to communicate that despite this, she still loves them and is willing to be subjected to this treatment because she doesn't want them to lose face.

 

The Teacher

Beijing 2015

The writer was a teacher in China for one school year. She wants to tell her students that she may not be able to give them the knowledge that they need to change the world, but she can teach them that it is possible.

 

You and Us

Beijing 2015

This is the writer's protest against Western nations trying to make China adapt their values and policies when China is a developed nation that knows what it's doing much better than the Western world does.