Representation Michelle Xin

Representation

By Michelle Xin

In China, I am an anomaly. Elders gawk as I stroll down the streets of Shanghai conversing in a language that reminds them of a great Western power; they whisper when they see the rust-colored freckles dancing across my cheeks. Judging when I struggle to speak in my mother’s mother tongue.

In America, I am a stereotype. The age-old perception of the Oriental lotus flower shackles me to chains of quietude and submissiveness. Modern norms reduce me to a statistic: A contributor to academic excellence, a competitive candidate within the highly selective processes of recruitment.

My ivory skin tinted yellow from the Huang He categorizes me under a label so narrow that there is no escape from the shallow abyss of prejudice. Representation to me means a world of equal opportunity and justness. A narrative that is inclusive and exemplary of my culture and the preceding generations that have cultivated such traditions.

28 ASIAN OUTLOOK

Vol. Xl, Issue I 29