Dreaming of China

As a student of Politics and International Relations in the United Kingdom and Belgium, I had the opportunity to conduct in-depth study on the relations between China and the European Union. Throughout the years I studied on the one hand, the history and political system of China; and on the other hand the history and development of the European Union. Then I went further and studied the connections, especially those related to trade, between these two great international actors.

This could have been the beginning of a novel, or a short story or even a letter, as a bottle in the sea, as a “do not forget, always remember.”

An amazing story …. for a second , you realize that everything could change.

It´s 15th century, the Ming dynasty reigns China. My name is Meifeng and I live in a small village that happens to be 10 li (5 kilometres) away from the Shaolin temple.

China in My Suburbs

I timidly tiptoe after Ling Ling. The small black-haired Chinese girl approaches tall metal gates and calls out in a sharp voice sounds of a language not familiar to me, so foreign to the ear that they seem only an accidental mix of vowels and consonants. Someone answers from the other side and the heavy gates slide to the side. Ling Ling tells me to wait and promptly talks to a middle aged Chinese man, who keeps angrily glancing to my side. Ling Ling waves her hand – I can come in.

Sydney, 23^rd of May 2014.

Do you sometimes wonder what would have happened if you had been born in another time or other place? If you had been born only a few hundred kilometers south or east or north – west is not relevant in my case, since it is not very likely I would have been born in the ocean – would you be a different person? Would you be better off? Happier? Or would you find your way through life, experiencing ups and downs, just like you are now?