My Chinese Story

Seng Let from the School of Ethnology and Sociology at Yunnan University. [Photo/WeChat account of School of International Chinese Language Education, Yunnan University]

My name is Seng Let. I am an international student from Myanmar and have studied and lived in Kunming for seven years. During those years, I have transformed from a beginner in the Chinese language to a proficient Chinese user able to write Chinese articles by myself, and from an undergraduate to a postgraduate with observing and thinking abilities. I have witnessed my own growth as well as the development and changes that China has undergone. Today, I’d like to share my Chinese story.

China and Myanmar are neighbors, like close brothers. As an international student, I often wonder why my country is still in the chaos of war, with people living in hardship. I come from the northern Myitkyina of Myanmar where large rivers converge. I also grew up there. My parents are both farmers. They worked very hard to raise me and my brothers. When I graduated from high school, thanks to a scholarship, I had the honor of studying in Kunming, China, majoring in hydropower engineering. This not only alleviated the economic pressure on my parents, but also convinced me that the specialized knowledge I acquired here can contribute to the hydraulic development of my hometown and Myanmar as a whole due to the sophistication of China's hydraulic system and the international reputation of the Three Gorges. In addition, located in the upper reaches of the Mekong River, Yunnan boasts abundant water resources and has worked with Myanmar on several projects, which provides me with the ideal platform for practice.

One summer seven years ago, with dreams and expectations, I started my Chinese trip from the bank of the Ayeyarwady River and was destined for the beach of Dian Lake. I was both nervous and excited: it was my first time setting foot in China and I knew nothing about the life, environment, or academic tasks I was to face. However, I was confident in my choice and I believed that I could forge a new way of life in China and meet countless opportunities and challenges. Upon arriving in China, I met lots of friends and teachers from different places throughout China. They are warm and nice and curious about my hometown. They are also happy to share stories about their hometowns. By asking and answering questions, we established deep friendships. They not only gave me a lot of advice about life in China, but also often invited me to their homes to taste local food and feel the warmth of a family. Communicating with them improved my Chinese significantly and I deeply felt the kindness and sincerity of the Chinese people.

At first, I focused on learning about hydraulic and hydropower engineering, wanting to help with the modernization of my hometown. However, the occurrence of the Myitsone Hydropower Station incident made me realize that Myanmar needs not only professional technicians, but also interdisciplinary talents familiar with the country's politics, economy, social status and relations with surrounding countries. For this reason, I decided to turn to ethnology in my postgraduate studies.

Yunnan, like my hometown, is home to many ethnic groups. When communicating with my Chinese friends, I gradually learned about the diverse cultures of China's ethnic minorities and developed a strong interest in the Chinese people and ethnic groups. Therefore, I chose to major in ethnology, aiming to explore how China accommodates 56 ethnic groups with multiple languages and cultures; how to realize ethnic and national unity while maintaining ethnic features and cultural diversity; and how to protect ethnic traditions and cultural heritage while promoting modernization and economic development.

During my postgraduate studies, I went with my tutor and classmates to visit some villages of ethnic minorities in Yunnan. There I witnessed mutual respect, exchanges and integration between different ethnic groups, witnessed interactions and mutual learning between different languages, and experienced the mutual appreciation and respect between different cultures. Such experiences gave me deep insights into the unity and diversity of Chinese ethnic groups. The nearly three-year postgraduate study has deepened my understanding of China and I began to observe and understand China from my own perspective, coming a long way from the naivety I experienced seven years ago. Last year, I went to Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province for a field investigation. Nujiang Prefecture gets its name from the Nujiang River. Built against the mountains, it is home to special ethnic minorities such as the Nu and Dulong people. Surprisingly, even the remote Dulong people with a population of less than 10,000 realized complete poverty elimination under the comprehensive guidance of the Chinese government. Now the Dulong people all live in settlement houses and engage in emerging industries. Dulongjiang today is rising with booming industries, a natural living environment, improved rural civilization, efficient governance and a high quality of life.

During this process, I accidentally discovered my passion for photography. I love to record my life with cameras, as each photo is a snapshot of my life experience. I use the camera to catch moments of beauty and share them with my Chinese friends and show my family in Myanmar what China really looks like. Recently, I shot a series of documentaries about China's southwest villages, which showed the magnificent natural landscapes, unique folk customs, fading lifestyle and social development and changes. I hope that these documentaries can preserve the memories of village life and allow more people to appreciate the charm and vitality of the countryside.

During my seven years in China, I not only acquired a new language, mastered two disciplines and met lots of good friends, but more importantly, I received many new life experiences in an exotic land. I witnessed both the traditional charm and modern development of China, and the self-transformation from innocence to maturity, openness, tolerance and understanding. The thing about China that impresses me the most is the sense of security, unlike my home country. The unity and harmony between the different ethnic groups of China help create a stable social environment. I chose to study ethnology in a bid to more deeply understand the cultural differences between different nations and seek to solve ethnic issues and promote ethnic unity based on understanding. I will bring back the successful experiences of China to make my compatriots feel safer. In the meantime, I also pondered issues concerning my homeland of Myanmar: how to tolerate different cultures and languages in a multinational country; how to balance the benefits and demands of different stakeholders when solving ethnic issues and promoting economic development; and how to learn from the experiences and wisdom of China and other countries while protecting ethnic traditions and cultural heritage.

I am still working on my postgraduate studies and plan to continue with a doctoral degree, so as to study the development history of China from a deeper perspective and witness the achievements and progress it has made in different sectors. I hope that my works can help more people understand the charm and vitality of China and appreciate its culture and wisdom. China, this great and beautiful country, provided me with countless challenges and opportunities, and also helped me write this ordinary but special, complicated but wonderful Chinese story. In the future, I hope to tell more Chinese stories from my perspective.