Creating New Beginnings Bing Rui, an immigration lawyer and Chinese immigrant
Piles of organized, color-coordinated documents and folders lay across the large desk of the office. A phone in one hand and typing with the other, Bing Rui diligently converses with her client who is currently on the other side of the world, eagerly waiting for the opportunity that awaits them in a new country. As an immigrant born in Shanghai, China, Bing, my mother, has had many experiences that shaped her worldview and career path. She overcame many hurdles in her home country and while adjusting to a new one in order to obtain a law degree in the US and establish her own corporation as an immigration lawyer, the US-China Law Group. During her childhood, her life in Shanghai was made difficult by the Communist Party who were in power at the time. Although Mao Zedong died when she was young, the effects of his rule still remained throughout China. Life under Mao could be characterized as a period of “fear, hunger, extreme poverty and relentless political persecutions” (Wang)
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Bing’s community was a direct reflection of the extreme poverty aforementioned. It was a very densely populated area and her large family comprised of her grandparents, parents, and older sister were forced to share one room in a five story apartment, with communal bathrooms as well. Bing notes how a good night’s sleep often escaped her due to the perpetual noises from living in such close proximity with others. However, she never let her harsh living conditions or impoverished lifestyle upset her. Instead, she utilized this hardship to form a resilient and upbeat demeanor and a positive outlook on life, which greatly aided her in future difficulties. Even though privacy was almost non-existent, something that would be extremely bothersome for most, she discovered an upside to it: it created a stronger, more tight-knit community. Bing recalls how all the doors in the apartment buildings would be left open during the summer and “neighbors would just come in and walk through your door...to check out what kind of food you’re having for dinner”. She smiles and adds, “sometimes when it got really hot we would just bring our dinner table outside and...all the neighbors would be eating outside ...so it was like a big potluck party”. Despite her freestyleacademy.rocks | Freestyle Academy Spring 2021 Vol # | 3
less than favorable living conditions, she looks back at her childhood fondly, believing that living in poverty was what taught her to maintain a positive attitude. Due to the Cultural Revolution, educational opportunities were severely limited by Mao’s anti-intellectual policy which devastated Chinese society and economy (Eppley). He had actively encouraged students to rebel against teachers and university acceptance was based solely on recommendation, making it inherently unfair since only those who conformed to Maoism would be favored (Eppley). Luckily, these policies ended before Bing reached high school, however, she recounts how his policies were reflected in her early education that heavily lacked emphasis
on critical thinking. In spite of her mediocre schooling, she worked hard on her studies and was granted admittance into a boarding school which only accepted the top 10% of students in Shanghai. From there, she went on to attend the prestigious Amoy University in Xiamen, China, before transferring to the University of San Diego where she discovered her interest in becoming an immigration lawyer. As an immigrant herself, she understood the hardships of immigration, but also how much it could change a person’s life for the better. She realized she could take on a career where she could help make the immigration process she had gone through easier for other people like her. In the first couple years after immigrating to the US, she was faced with many challenges, particularly the language barrier. This obstacle nearly prevented her from attending law school as it was difficult to digest the material and communicate without a full grasp on the language. “I thought my English was pretty good because I was always the top student in English class,” Bing states, “I was pretty confident in my English until I arrived because, all of the sudden, I realized I couldn’t understand what people were saying”. However, she decided to take a risk and apply even with her clear disadvantage.
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“Looking back, I couldn’t be more proud of myself for making that choice. I put faith in myself even though I wasn’t entirely sure I could become a lawyer in this country”.
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In her first year of law school, she took on a case as a translator for a group of illegal immigrants. Although she was not yet a lawyer at the time, she still regards that case as one of the most memorable encounters she has had that continues to drive her to work hard at her job. The group of illegal immigrants she was working for had tried to come over to the US by boat, but were caught and arrested.
“I remember I was shocked to see that they were all chained by the legs and hands. They were being treated like murderers.'” Chinese temple
“The strange part is they were still in pretty good spirits because they had... at least made it to America alive”. This eye-opening case became a prominent factor in turning being an immigration lawyer from just a potential career into something Bing was passionate about. Today, immigrants are still suffering this kind of inhumane treatment or even worse. ICE detention centers established at the border between the US and Mexico have been repeatedly condemned for abusing the migrants, refugee-seekers, and the undocumented detained there (Najera). There have been many cases of excessive cruelty towards the detainees such as not providing blankets in the freezing holding cells and not providing necessities like menstrual hygeine products and diapers, even sexual abuse (HRW). On top of that, issues like overcrowding have led to a rapid spread of COVID-19 within these detention centers and the separation of parents from their children has caused severe trauma in many situations (HRW). Bing notes that, “They all just want to come to a better place to live a better life” and that these centers were a reflection of major issues with immigration laws in the US.
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Her ideal immigration laws would be for the US to allow for open borders and for the world to eventually be a borderless place. “The US is powerful because it attracts all the talents from different countries and all the different cultures come over here. I think it’s almost like a brainstorm from different kinds of people and that [contributes greatly] to innovation”. Since that remains unlikely, she wants to continue doing the best she can to make the immigration process as smooth as possible.
“Whether immigrants or not, people are pretty much the same. They all want to better their life...it’s important to remember when you deal with someone who looks different or speaks a different language... that the essence of the human being is the same”
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About the Author About the Author goes here
Julie Broch is a junior at Los Altos High School and a student at Freestyle Academy. In her free time she strives to improve her art skills, specifically in sketching and oil painting. She also enjoys spending time with her friends and family, traveling, and thrifting.
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