This is my essay.








I took a trip to some capitals and the resorts of Southeast Asia on the occasion of the end and the beginning of the year. The overseas Chinese's existence is indispensable for us to see the economy of Southeast Asia. There are a lot of Fujian people in Singapore. The majority of Chinese in Kuala Lumpur is Cantonese people. Besides these races, Teochu, Hainan and Hakka are well known overseas Chinese in this region. These people derive from the races inhabited in Chinese Southern coasts. Since the 18th century, because of the population-increase and narrow-fields, their ancestors' generation was urged to go oversea. They are the descendants of these Chinese people. Their number in foreign countries is estimated to exceed fifty-five million people nowadays.

Malay Peninsula was formerly under the rule of Britannia. They needed the physical labor in tin mines and rubber plantation. Chinese workers were introduced in this region. The number of overseas Chinese and their descendants in the Malay Peninsula including Singapore is around eight million people. Now they occupy the core economy in each country.


Of course as the jungle rule prevails in the field of economy, there are the poor and riches among them after the free competition. However as they are the foreigner in nature, they can't rely on the government. So they are forced to work hardly by themselves. In spite of the differences of the race, the culture, the custom and the climate, they have worked very hardly and succeeded in their lives. Is it wonderful, isn't it? Anyway it's worth while praising.

The problem of widening diversification between riches and poor has been pointed out in these days in Japan, which is so-called working poor issue. We are apt to think that the poor are the people who have not endeavored in their lives. Therefore we sometimes think that they should help themselves voluntarily make an effort to the improvement of their lives. However, I realized that think kind of idea is too much one-sided thinking through a certain experience of this time. In conclusion, as the recent Japanese society has lost the social stability and ties of family, there is a limit to request the individual efforts for helping themselves.

In the Christianity society like the United States, the volunteers or church will distribute the boiled rice to the homeless people as charity activities. This maybe plays the role of the safety nets in the society. In the case of the oversea Chinese, the ties and reunion of family and the homeland connection would play the same role.

Among these family groups, they know about each other very well. For example, how much is his annual income? What kind of job is his wife doing? What kind of person is his wife's relative doing? What are the results or scores in school of their nephews or nieces? How is the relationship? They can answer to these questions on the spot, which made me so surprised. Not only that, if the family members would know that one of them would buy a new car, the rest of family would contribute to some extent, in accordance with their income. The poor need not to give so much money. To the contrary, if the riches would not give enough money, he would be looked down among the family.

I think that above-mentioned ties, bonds or reunion of family have the effects of stabilizing system of our society. Unfortunately enough, present Japan lacks such a safety device compared with the last. In addition to this, in Japan, people would think that to relief homeless is the job of the City Halls. Even so, the strong ties and bonds of the family existed in old Japan, before the World War Second. However after the war, these traditional values have been abandoned. Everything has been moving to the diversified society. So at the present Japan, there is no more such "Family bond" as the Chinese family has.

During my trip to the Southeast, I had a very interesting experience. One Singaporean, who stayed at the same hotel as I stayed, invited me to his mother's 80th Happy Birthday Party. I asked him whether the participants don't mind my attendance. He said, "Don't mind, my family invited more than 300. So one or two would not come." So I participated in this party.

It was held at a big Chinese restaurant of a lofty hotel. At the entrance, there were three receptionists' girls, who asked the guests to make a signature on a red cloth. And beside of the desk, there was a main hostess of this day. She was sitting on a chair and blessed by the guests. She wore a China dress and a pearl necklace. She was a very elegant lady.

The guest enters one after another and several men and women who had the flowers on their chest showed them guests' tables. They seemed to be very busy, but they always keep smiles. Some of Indian ladies presented them a big fruit basket to them. However it is very exceptional case. Most of the guests presented some money wrapped in pinkish colored small paper bags.

The party started the cake-cutting by the 80 years-old lady, surrounded by her relatives. More than 40 people gathered around her and sang the song of Happy Birthday to her. I asked the gentleman who happened to sit on the same table; he replied to me that of course all of them were her relatives. I said, "Wow! So many relatives!" He explained to me that they are eight brothers and sisters. All of them had wives and at least three children, so in total... Yes, more than 40 persons. I also asked whether they stayed at the same area. He said, "No, the eldest one is in Singapore, the second one is Kuala Lumpur, the third one... Well, IN Malaysia, Oh! The girl is in Australia." I am surprised. Such relatives, staying here and there gathered together and congratulate their mother or grand mother's birthday. Well, it is great, isn't it? And that the "Gold" necklace that she wore was the present from her grand children.

I was really impressed by their custom to respect mother and grand mother. I was wondering whether a Japanese family would have such a great party to cerebrate their grand mother's 80th Happy Birthday. In my father's case, only myself and sisters' family cerebrated his 80th birthday. I told the 90 years-old lady. She said, "In my family, my children and grandchildren cerebrated my 80th birthday. On the other day, one of my friend was also cerebrated, So this is quite a common custom. However she passed away next month." I asked another gentleman whether this family was rich or not. He laughed and said, "Well, just a normal family. Not so rich and not so poor. However brothers and sisters are so close to each other. This is important." Well, this seemed to be a middle-class family.

When I looked at the stage, I found a young but smart-looking woman is delivering a speech. I asked "Who's that?" He said," That girl is Irene, who is the brilliant star or heroine of this family. She is now attending the Medical School of the Melbourne University." After her speech, a big man was on the stage and with a loud voice, he delivered a speech. This man seemed to be a politician of the local Chinese Party.
I changed my eyes to surrounding tables. I found that their style is very casual. Of course there are a few who wore suits and neckties. And some of them wore batik, which was the formal wear of this country. However most of them are casual wears. If it were in Japan, attendants should have formal wear, black ones. I felt that Japanese style was too formal.

When the speech had finished, the Karaoke had started. I was surprised that the politician himself suddenly started Karaoke, just after his speech. Since then, many people went up to the stage, one after another and non stopping. Some of the songs were Japanese melody. So I relaxed and enjoyed listening. Then a man came to see me unexpectedly and urged me to sing songs! I cordially pardoned.


People sang one after another on the stage without stopping. Just as if neglecting it, all members of the relatives gathered in front of the stage and were screaming "Yarmusen (toast)" very loudly. Grandchildren's generation of the family went up to the stage and sang songs or danced. Wow! Suddenly three girls, who were low teen ages, gripped the microphone and sang songs very loudly, which made me astonished, because their songs were professional levels. Then I said to the lady next to me, "What wonderful singers they are!" She said to me jokingly, "They need not study anymore".

It was a really chaos for this party went in. Oh! All of the relatives gathered to the surrounding of the 80 years-old lady. Each one served the tea and kissed her. Apparently, this is the sign respectfully as the celebration. On their back, Karaoke was still going on. It was a chaos, but all of them were enjoying. I thought that it was very good for them to enjoy themselves. Like this they shared their happiness to participating guests.

About four hours had passed, naturally guests started to leave. The 80 years-old lady and her family men went to the exit and, with making a line, said to them good bye. All of them smiling, shaking hands and bowing to each other. I thought they could enjoy themselves enough.

To compare with Japanese and oversea Chinese, we have the same kind of faces, but the difference of cultures is outstanding. The post-war Japan has succeeded the old "Family System", which was thought to be unnecessary bind each member's independence. As the result, we are free from the old customs of the Family system. However now I realized that at the same time, we lost an important value of ties, bonds and reunion as a family. It means that we should respect our parents and ancestors and if necessary we should gather and recognize the value of reunion of the family naturally.


(January 18, 2007)




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Essay of My Wonderful Life

(c) Yama san 2007, All rights reserved