Will the Real Wu Ze Tian Please Stand up?

I am so sad and disappointed right now. When I got up this morning, I saw a post from my friend Jacky Lee that included a clip from an ABC kids show that showed a Chinese/English actor in "yellow face" in ancient Chinese costume, portraying the badass Emperor Wu Zetian, being served a plate of insects and stating "ooh lovely!!"

I cannot tell you how much I just wanted to cry when I saw this and this is absolutely the last straw for me as I have watched over the last year how poorly Chinese people are treated in this country and it has to stop.

I took my first Chinese class some 26 years ago in 1994 at Perth TAFE with the aim of being able to understand my Chinese partner and sharing the language culture and traditions with my beautiful Chinese daughter. That was my goal; not to make money, become a translator, engage in cross border commerce or convince Chinese to buy overpriced agricultural land. That was it, to UNDERSTAND and to COMMUNICATE and APPRECIATE this incredible, ancient and truly beautiful culture and people.

I have spent my entire career pursuing that goal and helping my clients to gain the same understanding and appreciation so that they can CONNECT on a deeper level with their Chinese customers. The goal has never been to make more coin, and I am very strong believer ( based on years of observation) that in order to succeed in business, the relationship always comes first.  And that relationship has to be based on trust, respect and friendship. 

Australia has really f***ked up with our relationship with China and they have quite understandably had enough.  

Chinese people make an incredible contribution to this country and any other country they call home.  They invest, set up businesses, contribute to many charities, educate their children in our school systems, work on our farms and grow vegetables, feed us with their incredible cuisines and are kind, open and easy to make friends with.  They have done this since the Gold Rush and to today and everyday are in general, wonderful citizens of this country. 

In return, they are vilified, bullied, spat on, described in the media and greedy, selfish scammers, told to deny the communist party, and portrayed as savage dog eating reprobates.  

It has to stop. Our schools, tourism, agriculture, viticulture, and society will suffer, along with our economy.

It is time for some collective self-awareness, to look at ourselves individually and as a country and work hard on changing our perceptions of Chinese culture.  

This is not about politics, this is about UNDERSTANDING, COMMUNICATION and APPRECIATION.  It has to start with US.  

We are all connected, now more so than ever, and our societies cannot afford the cultural and economic consequences of failing to change.  

For the real story of Wu Zetian, who was the most badass Emperor and had a dynasty named after here, read https://www.theworldofchinese.com/2014/09/badass-ladies-of-chinese-history-wu-zetian/