[Republic of Korea] Yu Ki Wha, Qingdao University
I am probably the oldest international student in China. I started studying in China when I was nearly 60 and I am now an old lady of over 70. The reason why I have stayed in China is simply because I have a strong love of China.
Getting to Know China
My parents are enthusiasts of Chinese culture and they admire the Confucianism preached by Confucius and Mencius. They started to introduce to me the Chinese-text “The Thousand-Character Classic” when I was in primary school. Although at that time I was very ignorant of the meaning and writing of these Chinese characters, I was still interested in learning Chinese – my acquaintance with the Chinese language had planted a seed in my heart.
In secondary school, I began to study The Four Books and The Five Classics in Chinese class. At school, I was not very interested in other subjects, to be honest, but I enjoyed learning Chinese and got the best grades. As the saying goes, “A genius cannot win out over a hard worker, but a hard worker cannot win a victory over a person who enjoys working”. My curiosity about Confucius and Mencius and my love for Confucian culture made me eager to keep on learning. My teacher often encouraged me, “If you study hard, you might become a Korean Confucius or Mencius in the future.” These words gave me a strong motivation and strengthened my determination to continue learning Chinese. At that time, I often thought, “When on earth can I set foot on China myself?”
Experiencing China
If there is a will, there will be a way. With dreams and hard work, wishes will come true one day. When the Olympic Games were held in Beijing in 2008, I came to China and visited the Great Wall and many other places in China. It was only when I saw the majestic Great Wall that I understood the true meaning of the phrase “One who fails to reach the Great Wall is not a hero.” It was only when I saw the mighty Yangtze River, which stretches for thousands of miles, that I truly felt the meaning of the saying, “After seeing the vast and steaming clouds of Wushan Mountain, the clouds elsewhere are all overshadowed.” It was only when I saw the beautiful scenery of Qingdao’s waterfront that I truly experienced the beauty of “red tiles, green trees, turquoise hills and blue sea”, as Kang Youwei had praised. I was deeply impressed by the magnificent scenery and the and cultural landscape of China.
I could feel the confident power and the demeanour of a great country. I fell in love with China and I made up my mind to experience it more deeply!
Shortly after I returned home, I packed my bags and came back to Qingdao, China. This time, however, I was no longer a tourist but an international student at Qingdao University. I love my campus life. I participate in various campus activities. I practice tai chi in the playground, I do catwalk on stage in a cheongsam, I perform at a gala in costume... The university students are particularly surprised when they find out that I am an international student, because they cannot imagine that there is among such an “old” student.
“Grandmother” as I am called, I am still active on the university campus. Sometimes I wonder how I could still have such a youth mentality. Perhaps this is the energy that the city of Qingdao brings to me. After school, I socialize with my Chinese neighbors, learning to speak the dialect of Qingdao, eating clams, drinking beer, strolling in streets and wandering around night fairs... I have already adapted to the life in Qingdao and I have become a true “Qingdao person” I have a sense of belonging.
When Korean friends or students come to Qingdao, I often volunteer to be their tour guide. I take them to go hiking and sea-watching; I show them the famous historical sites of Qingdao; I lead them to walk along the stone paths of Bo Luo You Zi (a unique style of winding path made of stone bricks in Qingdao), everything enables them to feel the living atmosphere of Qingdao, to witness how China was changing day by day and to experience the real life of Chinese people. Although I am just an ordinary Korean grandmother, I am affectionately known as the “Promoter of China.”
My life abroad in China is full of excitement, adventure and fun, and I am proud of myself.
Love for China
Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, international students were unable to attend classes face to face as we used to. We had to take online classes. This was a good chance for me to see more of China’s massive development of technology and internet. I was elderly and very unskilled in using the computer network. At the beginning, I was slow to learn and I was often anxious. But after five semesters’ online classes, I am now capable of making a good use of the internet to learn Chinese language.
People often say that “when you are alone in a foreign country, you will miss your family more than ever during the festive season.” However, in China, I do not feel loneliness or melancholy. What I have is my deep love for Qingdao — my second home.
The story is from "My Beautiful Encounter with China" Essay Competition organized by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchanges (CSCSE).
