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Vol. 81/No. 48 December 25, 2017
‘A Chinese Cuban general? How is that possible?’
Below is the foreword by Wang Lusha to the new edition of Our History
Is Still Being Written. Wang translated the Chinese edition of this
book, published in Beijing in 2008. He works in the film and TV industry
in China, and was the scriptwriter for a 28-part TV series on the
Chinese in Cuba. He lives in Huhehaote, Inner Mongolia, and in Beijing.
Copyright © 2017 by Pathfinder Press. Reprinted by permission.
BY WANG LUSHA
For Chinese born after the 1970s, Cuba remains a foreign and unfamiliar
country. We know very little about its geographical location, its
customs and traditions, its history and culture. Maybe our only
impression of Cuba comes from that iconic image of Che Guevara, sporting
a black beret with a five-pointed star, emblazoned on T-shirts. So, what
is the real significance of Cuba for us?
When I was growing up, I often heard my father talk about how, during
the prime of his youth, he took part in protests against the Americans.
During street rallies they would chant “Cuba sí, yanquis no!” in support
of the Cuban Revolution and against the US blockade. The song “Beautiful
Havana” was a huge hit in China back then. Many young people were
captivated by the charisma of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, and other Cuban
leaders. Cuba, with its unique attraction, touched and inspired an
entire generation of Chinese youth.
Yet, with the passage of time, new generations in China have seemingly
forgotten Cuba — this faraway country situated in the Caribbean — a land
that had once immensely stirred our great national pride and spirit. But
the history of Cuba is still being written by generation after
generation of Cubans. This history, while unknown to young Chinese, has
not been forgotten by the rest of the world. People around the globe
seeking freedom and justice continue to look to this promised land
called Cuba. And one of them is the American journalist Mary-Alice
Waters. She conceived this book with a deep passion for Cuba. I hope my
translation is able to convey this feeling to all Chinese who are
similarly interested and want to know more about Cuba.
***
Although I have not traveled or walked every inch of this earth, nor do
I claim to be highly experienced and knowledgeable, I lived for five
years in the Netherlands in the northern region of the globe and in New
Zealand at the opposing southern end. Those years allowed me to learn a
little about Western civilization and gain a deeper understanding of the
lives of the Chinese overseas.
Two things stand out vividly in my memory. The first was in New Zealand
when I visited a cultural exhibit on Chinese immigration, which featured
many derogatory cartoons drawn by Westerners a century ago. The Chinese
were mainly depicted with buck teeth, sporting a pigtail, two small
tufts of mustache, slit eyes, and long fingernails. People who saw these
drawings would easily view Chinese as nasty and treacherous villains.
Most of the drawings portrayed Chinese as foreigners coming to New
Zealand to open laundries or restaurants, or to work as coolies, thus
forcing many New Zealanders out of work or out of business.
Today, while the status of the Chinese in the West has improved
considerably, the stereotype still exists that Chinese are only good at
two things: running a restaurant and doing math. (The reason Chinese are
superior to others in math is because of the strong basic education
established by the Chinese government in the aftermath of the “Cultural
Revolution.” Beginning in primary school, students are not allowed to
use calculators — they are taught to do math with pencil and paper.)
The second thing that remains fresh in my memory is my conversation with
an African classmate from Cameroon while I was studying in the
Netherlands. After learning that I came from China, he told me there
were a lot of Chinese in his country, adding that I must be a good cook.
I found it very strange and asked him what made him think that. He
replied that all the Chinese in his country open restaurants, so he
concluded that we must all be excellent cooks. Fortunately he didn’t
think cooking was the only thing we can do. It seems that, from the most
advanced countries such as the United States to the underdeveloped
continent of Africa, all Chinese are seen as engaging in the culinary
profession.
During my few years living abroad, I too worked in a restaurant, and
almost every compatriot I have met abroad has done the same (including
those born and raised in the Netherlands and New Zealand). So is cooking
the only thing we are capable of? No. There’s now another career Chinese
are also considered good at — computer programming. That’s because it
requires basic math skills.
The reality is that many overseas Chinese are exceedingly wealthy, yet
they are still not given recognition or accepted by the society, much
less by the government of the countries where they live. For a time I
was sad that I had been born Chinese. I wished I’d had an American
father because I became fixated on one thing — that Americans are highly
regarded and sought after all over the world, while in contrast, Chinese
are seen as incompetent and inferior.
But one man changed my way of thinking and made me reconsider
everything. That man was General Moisés Sío Wong. The first article I
read about him online introduced him as a Chinese descendant in Cuba who
through his own efforts became a general and even served as adjutant to
Raúl Castro. That couldn’t be true, I thought. A Chinese Cuban general?
Humph! How is that possible? Chinese in other countries are only
suitable for working in a kitchen — how can they go past the chopping
block and become leaders? I used to have this view. However, my
long-suppressed national pride and dignity pushed me to quietly search
on my own for more information about General Sío Wong.
Fortunately, by pure coincidence I discovered this book, Our History Is
Still Being Written. Through interviews with General Sío Wong as well as
Armando Choy and Gustavo Chui, the two other Chinese Cuban generals, the
book presents the modern history of Cuba from a unique perspective.
I felt overwhelmed as I read through the pages of the book. I discovered
that, in addition to General Sío Wong, there are many other Chinese who
made remarkable contributions in Cuba. They played important roles not
only in the economic field but in the political arena. These included
José Wong, José Bu, José Tolón (Lai Wa), Armando Choy, Gustavo Chui, and
many more. Together, these Chinese Cubans added a powerful and
compelling chapter to the history of Chinese overseas.
It seems then that Chinese were not born to be cooks! Nor are we
inferior to other nationalities. There is nothing sad or shameful about
being born Chinese! So I asked myself, what happened in Cuba that gave
Chinese the status and positions they enjoy today, something they are
denied in other countries?
General Sío Wong in this book explains: “[In Cuba] a socialist
revolution took place. The revolution uprooted discrimination based on
the color of a person’s skin. That’s because, above all, we overturned
the property relations that create not only economic but also social
inequality between rich and poor.”
This is what the socialist revolution has given us — the elimination of
the foundations of racism and class inequality. This is also why all
foreigners in China today are treated fairly and hospitably, regardless
of their skin color or wealth. This is the greatness of the socialist
revolution!
Through interviews with General Sío Wong, General Choy, and General
Chui, the book, Our History Is Still Being Written, narrates their
experiences during the socialist revolution in Cuba and describes the
country before and after the revolution. As they speak to us in their
own words of the struggles and hardships of Chinese Cubans, they also
provide us with a telling insight — the Chinese never saw themselves as
a race separate from the Cuban people, but rather as fighting together
with Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and other Cubans in the struggle for the
liberation of their country. In a socialist revolution there are no
racial differences, only hands that strive and fight for freedom.
***
I would like to thank my parents for their continuous support and help
in my life and studies abroad. I would also like to express my gratitude
to television director Wang Xinmin for his guidance and encouragement,
as well as to producers Zhang Mingzhi and Liu Xiangqun for their trust
and for providing me with the English edition of Our History Is Still
Being Written. I thank Mr. Liu Guohua for all the information on the
history of Cuba, Cao Na and Li Wenming for their invaluable assistance
during the translation process, Wang Ludi and Meng Ran for translating
Spanish portions of the book, and Ms. Wang Ping for proofreading my
work. I want to convey my appreciation to everyone who understood and
supported me throughout the entire project. Without all of you, I would
never have succeeded in translating this book. Thank you!
2008
Related articles:
Cuba’s socialist revolution uprooted anti-Chinese discrimination
New edition of ‘Our History Is Still Being Written’ highlights Cuba’s
rich history of revolutionary transformation
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