说英语，但不要失去你的亚洲身份和文化

@OLDBChannel
As a black british person it is so interesting and refreshing to hear certain thoughts on heritage and identity in the diaspora from the Chinese perspective. I'm definitely going to try to learn more.

作为一名英国黑人，听到从华人视角对散居海外的遗产和身份的某些思考，既有趣又令人耳目一新。我一定会尝试了解更多。

@Waterflux
Someone with a Korea background here. There is a caveat: If you live away from your country of birth for a very long time, you effectively become a foreigner. This is particularly the case if your country of birth has experienced rapid social and economic changes relative to your host country. Take me as an example. If I were to jump over to Korea after living over 40 years in the US, I will find myself in a very awkward predicament. Within the last 40 years, South Korea has undergone changes at rates far in excess of that of the US. Furthermore, my attitude and way of thinking diverge quite a lot from the mainland Koreans, meaning I will be hard-pressed to behave in such a way that would be compatible with South Korean cultural norms. (I know a plenty of bad sides to Korean culture and there are many things I really really dislike and even despise, but I will not delve into them here.) This predicament is particularly pronounced since I left Korea by the time I became an adolescent. So, in the end, as a 0th generation immigrant, I find myself in a limbo. With regards to the US, I am someone holding a US citizenship who was born in South Korea. In other words, while I am legally a US citizen, there are many things in the US I do not like and even absurd. At the same time, I am someone who has ceased to be a South Korean citizen for almost 40 years and have lost all contacts from Korea for ever 20 years. Does this state of being hurt my ego? Not at all. I have come to the conclusion that this is a price a 0th generation immigrant must pay.

我是一名有韩国背景的人。这里有一个警告：如果你离开出生国生活很长时间，你实际上会变成一个外国人。如果你的出生国相对于你所在的国家经历了快速的社会和经济变化，情况尤其如此。以我为例。如果我在美国生活了40多年后突然回到韩国，我会发现自己处于一个非常尴尬的境地。在过去的40年里，韩国的变化速度远远超过了美国。此外，我的态度和思维方式与韩国本土人差异很大，这意味着我将很难做出符合韩国文化规范的行为（我知道韩国文化有很多不好的方面，有很多我非常不喜欢甚至鄙视的东西，但我不会在这里深入探讨）。这种困境在我青少年时期离开韩国后尤为明显。所以，最终，作为第一代移民，我发现自己处于一种两难境地。对于美国来说，我是一个持有美国公民身份的韩国出生的人。换句话说，虽然我在法律上是美国公民，但美国有很多我不喜欢甚至荒谬的事情。同时，我已经不再是韩国公民近40年，并且已经与韩国失去联系20多年。这种状态会伤害我的自尊吗？一点也不。我得出的结论是这是第一代移民必须付出的代价。

@SThrillz
People don't realise but languages is not just communication it's your identity. Our languages are embedded into our very biology and it evolves with us. That's why colonialists always destroys the language because it affects more than your ability to communicate, it affects your ability to reason. The Englishman is reading Shakespeare in old style English completely absolved and you're reading it going like "what the hell is this"

人们没有意识到语言不仅仅是交流工具，它是你的身份，我们的语言会深深嵌入我们的生物本质中并随着我们进化。这就是为什么殖民者总是摧毁语言，因为它不仅影响你的交流能力，还影响你的推理能力。英国人用古老的英语阅读莎士比亚，完全沉浸其中，而你读起来却像在说“这是什么鬼东西”。

@freemanol
I grew up in a whitewashed family. I lived in the UK for 10 years, only to realise the dream and promise of being one of them was a mistake. Race blindness is a pipe dream, and losing our heritage is nothing to be celebrated, but rather lamented.

我在一个被“西化”的家庭中长大。我在英国生活了10年并最终意识到成为他们中的一员的梦想和承诺是一个错误。超越种族是一个白日梦，失去我们的传统不值得庆祝，而是应该被哀悼。

@norcalducati209
Just turned 50. My dad fought for the US in Laos. Can to America when I was 4 yrs. old. I read and speak my native language all because of my parents. My mother would tell me, “When you leave the house. Your shoes go on and you speak English. When you come home, the shoes come off, and you speak your native language.” My father always told us, “You’re the first generation of refugees. You’re a guest in this country, respected their laws, and contribute to society and your community. I traveled back to Laos many of time to see where myself and my siblings were born. Only when I was in my birth country, that’s when I felt a sense of belonging. No matter where I travel around this planet. I always return back to my place of birth. My dad made a great choice to help the US and my mother made sure we practice our language, customs, and culture while growing up yin the states.

我刚满50岁。我父亲曾为美国在老挝作战，我4岁时来到美国，我能读和说我的母语完全是因为我的父母。我母亲会告诉我，“当你离开家时，穿上鞋子，说英语。当你回家时，脱下鞋子，说你的母语。”我父亲总是告诉我们，“你们是第一代难民，你们是这个国家的客人，要尊重他们的法律并为社会和社区做出贡献。”我多次回到老挝，看看我和我的兄弟姐妹出生的地方。只有在我出生的国家，我才感到一种归属感。无论我在地球上旅行到哪里，我总是回到我的出生地。我父亲做出了一个伟大的选择来帮助美国，而我母亲确保我们在美国成长时练习我们的语言、习俗和文化。

@tallibethau7713
I'm Malaysian and was heavily influenced by western pop culture in my teens. Fast forward to adulthood - the more I work with westerners and know about the ways of the world, the prouder I am of my Chinese roots. I am lucky that even though I'm not Chinese-educated, I'm in an environment that enables me to speak and read the language since I was a child. Even though I can't write the characters, I can type. Many of my friends who went to Chinese schools had commented on how my Mandarin is actually better than theirs. People just think I'm Chinese-educated if I don't tell them. I'm even in a job that requires me to speak professional and proper Mandarin. I also had to write professionally in Chinese in my previous job. I often feel grateful and think about how ironic it is that money was spent for me to pursue a college education of my choice, which has absolutely nothing to do with my current career, but in the end, it's what I spent nothing on that landed me in a promising career. And that is my language ability. The best things in life are indeed free.

我是马来西亚人，在青少年时期深受西方流行文化的影响。快进到成年——我越与西方人合作，越了解世界的方式，我就越为自己的中国根源感到自豪。我很幸运，尽管我没有接受中文教育，但我从小就处于一个能让我说和读中文的环境中。尽管我不会写汉字，但我会打字。许多上过中文学校的朋友都评论说，我的普通话实际上比他们的好。如果我不告诉他们，人们会认为我接受过中文教育，我甚至从事过一份需要我说专业和标准普通话的工作。在我之前的工作中，我还必须用中文进行专业写作。我常常感到感激并思考这有多么讽刺，钱花在了我选择的大学教育上，这与我目前的职业毫无关系，但最终，是我没有花钱的东西让我进入了一个有前途的职业，那就是我的语言能力。生活中最好的东西确实是免费的。

@jtnguyen8105
He’s right I’m Vietnamese American born in America. For years I dealt with self-esteem issues, racism, bullying, and overall feeling of being under a microscope and under. It was not until I re-adopted eastern values, re-learned my mother tongue, and traveling and lived in my ancestral country that I developed a sense of belonging, self confidence, maturity, and growth. I felt safe and that I had a support system around me. LKY was right, I strongly encourage Asians living in the West to travel to their ancestral nations to heal from the traumas of their western lives. We will never truly be or seen as “American”. We always will be seen as perpetual foreigners no matter how hard we try to assimilate. It is a zero sum game. We must continue upkeep our Asian values.

他说得对。我是在美国出生的越南裔美国人，多年来，我一直面临自尊问题、种族歧视、欺凌以及一种被放在显微镜下审视的压抑感。直到我重新接纳东方价值观，重新学习母语，并前往祖籍国生活后，我才找到了归属感、自信、成熟和成长。我感到安全并意识到周围有一个支持系统。李光耀是对的，我强烈鼓励生活在西方的亚洲人前往他们的祖籍国，治愈他们在西方生活中的创伤。我们永远不会真正成为或被看作“美国人”，无论我们多么努力地融入，我们始终会被视为永久的外国人。这是一场零和游戏，我们必须继续维护我们的亚洲价值观。

@RobinsWood1
Today at 70 yrs of age. As a Malaysian born Chinese - still living in the west since 79. Wife Swedish. Looking back my 45 years journey in the west, walked through many broken bridges and have had transparent the differences. I must confess that Mr Lee is so right!

如今我已经70岁了。作为马来西亚出生的华人，我自1979年以来一直生活在西方，我的妻子是瑞典人。回顾我在西方45年的旅程，我经历了许多破碎的桥梁，也看清了差异。我必须承认，李先生说得太对了！

@Bulkinstein
Not Asian, but as someone of Mexican descent born in the US. This video hits for me different as well. It reminds me to stay with my roots and always deep down to be proud of who I am and where my family worked hard and came from. Stay proud of your heritage as well, my Asian friends.

虽然我不是亚洲人，但作为在美国出生的墨西哥裔，这段视频也让我深有感触。它提醒我要坚守自己的根，并始终为自己是谁、家人从哪里努力奋斗而来感到自豪。我的亚洲朋友们，也要为你们的传统感到自豪。

@hautaukhang1808
I used to have an English name before I went to the Western country for my education. However, after living a year there and experienced some racial discrimination I suddenly realize that I should be proud to be a Chinese and think like a Chinese. After my first year in the uni I started using my Chinese name again and throw away my English name completely. Some of my Western class mates complain that my Chinese name is difficult to pronounce but I told them your Western name are just as difficult. I also insist that my children use their Chinese name and no English name.

在去西方国家接受教育之前，我曾有一个英文名。然而，在那里生活了一年并经历了一些种族歧视后，我突然意识到我应该为自己是中国人感到自豪并以中国人的方式思考。在大学的第一年后，我开始重新使用我的中文名并完全抛弃了英文名。我的一些西方同学抱怨我的中文名很难发音，但我告诉他们，你们的西方名字同样难发音。我也坚持让我的孩子使用中文名而不是英文名。

@ykchang7171
I am second generation Chinese in Malaysia. I studied Chinese medium primary school and English medium secondary school. I have studied in Australia, New Zealand and UK and lived there. Like my father I use only my Chinese name given to me by my parents and practised Chinese culture and tradition. I will always be Chinese in body and soul until the day I died proud to be a Chinese.

我是马来西亚的第二代华人，我在华文小学和英文中学读书。我曾在澳大利亚、新西兰和英国学习并生活。像我的父亲一样，我只使用父母给我的中文名并践行中国的文化和传统。我将永远是身心合一的中国人，直到我死去的那一天，我都为身为中国人感到自豪。

@conti-vl6tx
China foreign Minister Wang Yi said before--> It doesn't matter how much you dye your hair blonde, how sharp you make your nose, you'll never become Europeans or Americans. You'll never become Westerners. We have to know where our roots are. Most Europeans and Americans aren't able to tell Chinese, Japanese, or Korean people apart.

中国外交部长王毅曾说过：无论你把头发染得多金黄，把鼻子整得多挺，你永远不会成为欧洲人或美国人。你永远不会成为西方人，我们必须知道自己的根在哪里，大多数欧洲人和美国人无法区分中国人、日本人和韩国人。

@soundrat
Lee Kwan Yew, my favorite Asian Prime Minister. May he RIP. I’m a first gen Chinese American born and raised in NYC. My father was a former UN Diplomat and mom graduated from a North Carolina college on a student visa. She tells me how proud she is of Lee and that Lee is a Hakka Chinese which my mom is also. I’m 69 now and proud to be Chinese regardless of where I was raised.

李光耀是我最喜欢的亚洲总理，愿他安息。我是第一代华裔美国人，在纽约出生和长大。我的父亲曾是联合国外交官，母亲以学生签证毕业于北卡罗来纳州的一所大学。她告诉我她为李光耀感到多么自豪，而李光耀是客家人，我母亲也是。我现在69岁，无论在哪里长大，我都为身为华人感到自豪。

@Mrs.A-z6m
I am not Chinese but this is a cool advice. My daughter is half asian half russian and i teach her to be proud of both. I think it boils down to not running away from your heritage from both sides. Celebraring the good parts of your culture and being proud of it.

我不是中国人，但这是一个很好的建议。我的女儿是亚裔和俄罗斯混血，我教她为两者感到自豪。我认为关键在于不要逃避任何一方的传统，我们应该庆祝你文化中的美好部分并为之感到自豪。

@manchu-qu9mw
LKY was a brilliant statesman with quintessential Chinese virtue and value. He was blessed with a good Western education and with his eloquence in English, floored and humiliated the Western media provocative questions. LKY is a true Chinese son rooted from China and proud of it.

李光耀是一位杰出的政治家，具有典型的中国美德和价值观。他接受了良好的西方教育，凭借流利的英语让西方媒体的挑衅性问题哑口无言。李光耀是一个真正扎根于中国并为中国感到自豪的中国的儿子。

@MrDolfo1
I agree with you Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. I am a filipino living in USA but we maintain our culture at home. We don't speak English at home and we always cook Asian food. We respect the elderly and we take care our parents.

我同意你的观点，李光耀先生。我是生活在美国的菲律宾人，但我们在家中保持我们的文化。我们在家不说英语，总是做亚洲菜。我们尊重老人并照顾我们的父母。

@oldskoolmusicnostalgia
Wise words as ever from LKY. He beautifully articulates the difficulties faced by children of immigrants: the trauma of not being fully accepted into either culture, the lack of linguistic bonds with their "home country". Language anchors you into a culture and if you only speak one language like English, you lose that culture. I come from a country with a tiny but vibrant Chinese community and I appreciate the fact that they identify fully with the country but also strive not to lose the traditions that make them unique.

李光耀一如既往地发表了明智的言论，他精彩地阐述了移民子女面临的困难：无法完全融入任何一种文化的创伤，与“祖国”缺乏语言纽带。语言将你锚定在一种文化中，如果你只说一种语言，比如英语，你就会失去那种文化。我来自一个拥有小而充满活力的华人社区的国家，我欣赏他们完全认同这个国家，同时也努力不失去使他们独特的传统。

@cs2730
Beautiful, Lee really understood the struggles of being a minority and what happens to those who lose their own culture. Also, those who have not lived the life of a minority have no right criticizing Lee's words. Though not a equivalency, to this day, Native Americans and Aboriginals suffer the generational trauma from having their roots and cultures almost destroyed - you cannot expect groups with long histories to simply forget and integrate into a new one, as much as you would like to. The key is accepting this fact rather than ignoring it, then we can work together for a more inclusive future than blindly offering solutions that sound good but will never work.

李光耀真正理解了作为少数族裔的挣扎以及那些失去自己文化的人会发生什么。此外，那些没有经历过少数族裔生活的人无权批评李光耀的话。虽然不完全等同，但时至今日，美洲原住民和澳大利亚原住民仍然遭受着因他们的根和文化几乎被摧毁而带来的代际创伤——你不能期望拥有悠久历史的群体简单地忘记并融入一个新的文化，无论你多么希望如此。关键是接受这一事实而不是忽视它，然后我们可以共同努力，创造一个更具包容性的未来，而不是盲目提供听起来不错但永远不会奏效的解决方案。

@dedelim
I completely agree with his perspective. As a Singaporean Chinese, I once thought speaking Mandarin was "not cool," largely influenced by Western pop culture, especially sitcoms like Friends and How I Met Your Mother. However, after living in various Western, Asian (non-Chinese), and Chinese societies, I've noticed a significant difference in how people treat and accept you based on your appearance. A wake-up call came when a Taiwanese colleague remarked, "You’re Chinese, but you can’t speak Mandarin at all. Don’t you feel ashamed for not honoring your roots?" Since that day, I’ve committed to improving my Mandarin!

我完全同意他的观点。作为新加坡华人，我曾经认为说普通话“不酷”，这很大程度上是受到西方流行文化的影响，尤其是像《老友记》和《老爸老妈浪漫史》这样的情景喜剧。然而，在生活在各种西方、亚洲（非华人）和华人社会后，我注意到人们根据你的外表对待和接受你的方式有显著差异。一位台湾（地区）同事的一句话让我警醒：“你是华人，但你根本不会说普通话，你不为不尊重自己的根感到羞耻吗？”从那天起，我决心提高我的普通话水平！

@solpalanpalani7206
Whatever transformation a person may go through in his life, his natural identity and characteristics can never be eradicated. And it can only be highlighted by knowing your own culture first. Mr Lee was perfect in saying that short-cut to your culture is through your mother tongue.

无论一个人在生活中经历怎样的转变，他的自然身份和特征都无法被抹去。而只有首先了解自己的文化，才能凸显这一点。李先生说得很好，通往你文化的捷径就是通过你的母语。

@lwan29
After living in Australia for over 30 years, these words from LKY really resonates. Growing up in Australia, the allure of western culture was very strong. I am fortunate my parents sent me to Chinese school on Saturdays and eventually married my Chinese wife. The friends around me who are white washed are suffering a cultural disconnect, unable to connect fully with the westerners and unable to connect with the Chinese community in Australia. It seems the older we get the more we desire to connect to Chinese culture. I can sense it even amongst the friends who do not speak Chinese, but without the language it's quite impossible.

在澳大利亚生活了30多年后，李光耀的这些话让我深有共鸣。我在澳大利亚长大，西方文化的吸引力非常强烈。我很幸运，我的父母让我在周六去中文学校学习并最终娶了一位华人妻子。我周围那些被“西化”的朋友们正遭受文化脱节的痛苦，他们既无法完全融入西方人，也无法与澳大利亚的华人社区建立联系。似乎随着年龄的增长，我们越来越渴望与中国文化建立联系。我甚至能在那些不会说中文的朋友中感受到这一点，但没有语言，这几乎是不可能的。

@axelaaronccasanihuachua9073
I know a story of Chinese girl that studied in an australian university. Her parents made a lot of things to be able to pay her studies in Australia. Later on, she didn't want to return to China. She had changed her mind and she thought Chinese were inferior. She didn´t want to speak Chinese anymore or visit her parents and family back in China. I'm not even Chinese nor asian, but I think LKY is right.

我知道一个中国女孩的故事，她在澳大利亚的一所大学学习，她的父母为了支付她在澳大利亚的学费做了很多努力。后来，她不想回中国了。她改变了想法，认为中国人低人一等。她不再想说中文，也不想回中国看望父母和家人。我甚至不是华人也不是亚洲人，但我认为李光耀是对的。

@user-jt3dw6vv4x
Lee Kuan Yew and Kishore Mahbubhani are the two prominent Asian figures that I admire the most. Both have always showed Asians and the world that Asian people can succeed and to not feel shame about being Asian. Both of them also happen to be Singaporeans. Singaporeans being of diverse Asian (Chinese, Malay, Indian) origins have really helped them present a pan-Asian way of thinking for Asians.

李光耀和马凯硕是我最钦佩的两位亚洲杰出人物，他们都向亚洲人和世界展示了亚洲人可以成功并不必为身为亚洲人感到羞耻。他们两人恰好都是新加坡人，新加坡人拥有多元的亚洲（华人、马来人、印度人）血统，这确实帮助他们为亚洲人呈现了一种泛亚洲的思维方式。