My experiences in China from a Malaysian Chinese perspective

I am Lee Say Wah (李雪华), a Malaysian Chinese whose grandparents migrated from the Fujian province in China to Malaysia decades ago. Mandarin is my mother tongue, but as a result of listening to my parents conversing in Hokkien, a Fujian language, with each other for years, I could also speak a little bit of Hokkien. During my teenage years, I moved to a Chinese-majority town in Kuala Lumpur where the Malaysian Chinese mostly originated from the Guangdong province, so I started picking up on Cantonese as well, a language which I spoke on a daily basis then, besides Mandarin, Malay, and English. In Malaysia, we celebrate all the major festivals that are being celebrated in China, such as the Dragon Boat festival when we make dumplings, the Winter Solstice festival when we eat mooncakes, the Qingming festival when we pray to our ancestors, and of course, the Lunar New Year when we visit our relatives and have reunion dinners. Growing up in Malaysia, I had always wondered what things were really like in China. For over 20 years of my life, I had never visited China, nor had I ever contacted any long-lost relative in China (we do not have any number to call in the first place). I am intrinsically a Chinese who follows Chinese traditions and speaks Chinese languages, but I had no idea how different or similar I was compared to the locals of China. I felt the urge to visit China and experience for myself the everyday life in the country, therefore I chose to study in China.

I first came to China five years ago to pursue my Master's degree in Xi'an Jiaotong University under the Chinese Government Scholarship-ASEAN University Network program. Xi'an made me feel as if I was living my ancestors' lives, although they were from a different province. There were ancient walls, pagodas, antique restaurants and buildings, and replicas of terracotta warriors here and there. The dishes that I tried in the city tasted nothing like what was served back home. I was completely in a whole new world that I did not know existed. I came to China wanting to find out what it would really be like, and I got what I wished for. It was truly an incredible experience. Over the course of two years in the city, the professors and staff of Xi'an Jiaotong University as well as the locals had been treating me very well, making me feel right at home. I also had my international friends whom I was closest to during my stay there. Most of us did not have much experience outside our home countries before being in Xi'an so we could relate to each other a lot and we became each other's pillar of support. While I really enjoyed my time in Xi'an exploring the historical city's attractions and trying out its delicious, signature dishes, I figured it was time for me to move on to experience life in a modern city in China instead, so toward the end of my Master's program, I applied for PhD in Shanghai Jiao Tong University, which later became one of the best decisions I have ever made.

When I arrived in Shanghai, after settling my dorm and university registration matters, I went straight to Nanjing Road. I was in awe when I reached there at night, with the building lights, the bustling crowd, and the blend of old and modern architectures. It was a precious moment walking along the historical street in the upscale city where I felt privileged to be. That day was a public holiday for the Dragon Boat festival, so it was really crowded and I had no choice but to follow the crowd who were all directed by the police to move in one direction on each side of the street. After a while of walking without knowing where I was walking to, the shining Pearl Tower appeared right before my eyes from behind the buildings. I was completely star-struck. The view of the city's skyline was nothing like what I had seen before in my life. I rushed to the side of the river; there were so many people at the time but I just felt so serene and at peace with myself. "Shanghai, I am finally here!" I thought to myself and then I hummed the "夜上海" song my mother used to sing to me in the past.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) is one of the top 50 universities in the world based on the QS World University Rankings 2022. SJTU provides high quality education and a good environment for students to study, grow, and excel in. I really like the spacious buildings and roads in the Minhang campus with the flowing rivers and abundant greeneries, all the signs of good feng shui. The campus is like a mini town on its own with necessities sufficient for me to lead a comfortable life while I was living in the dormitory during my first year of study. During my PhD program in SJTU, I have learnt a lot from the courses I took, particularly with regard to research writing and methods, to an extent where I managed to write and publish SSCI journal articles even though I had very limited experience in academic research prior to joining SJTU. All the readings and assignments that we were required to do helped me to brush up my research writing skills. On top of that, the university's professors, including my supervisor, Professor Dr. Xue Ke, have been very supportive in my academic pursuits and achievements. I have had a lot of space and time needed for me to focus on my study and research. All in all, I am immensely thankful for the opportunities given by the Chinese government for me to be a part of this wonderful country and its two excellent universities.

Hello, everyone! I am Lee Say Wah (Say Wah Lee) from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. My Chinese name is 李雪华; you can also call me by nickname, Sarah. I am currently an international PhD student in the School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiaotong University under the Shanghai Government Scholarship. Previously, I graduated with my master's degree in management from Xi'an Jiaotong University as a Chinese Government Scholarship holder. I love China because I myself am a Chinese descendant whose ancestors migrated from China to Malaysia decades ago. Besides English and my national language, Malay, I can speak three dialects of Chinese, which are Mandarin, Cantonese, and Hokkien.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.