From indentured labourers exported to work on American railroads and Samoan plantations to refugees fleeing the Japanese occupation and beyond; the southern county of Taishan, Guangdong 台山，广东 has experienced an exodus of millions moving abroad since the early 19th century. For Chunjie 春节, Chinese New Year, Kiwese felt it was time to ship on down to Guangzhou and get on a bus to see her Great Uncle KanContinueContinue reading “Roots Manoeuvre: Chinese New Year in the Motherland”
Category Archives: Speak
“Are you not Chinese?”: Reassessing my Chinese identity in China
I pissed all over the floor. Argh, squat toilets. Two Chinese girls who went in afterwards burst out laughing. There has got to be nothing more private and subsequently humiliating than what goes on in the bathroom. This was my first day in Beijing two years ago. Kiwese offers some thoughts about traversing the seas between cultural difference and racial assimilation in China,ContinueContinue reading ““Are you not Chinese?”: Reassessing my Chinese identity in China”
Huh, where are my roots? Oh, there they are.
“Don’t forget your roots, my friend,” jangled that awful song by Six60, bringing flashbacks of some drunk chick’s ass crack in my face as she shoulder rode her boo at Homegrown 2011. Though the concept remains present. How can I forget my roots if I’ve never seen them before? The time has come to return toContinueContinue reading “Huh, where are my roots? Oh, there they are.”
Kiwese Prize Pack Giveaway!!
One year ago, amidst the panoramic plume of grey sky and uncontrollable heating units of Beijing, over a tenuous VPN connection in a dank, cramped dorm room at BLCU, Kiwese was born. To celebrate this milestone, Kiwese has a prize pack to giveaway to one lucky winner! This is a bunch of original notes I hacked out while thinking about what I wantedContinueContinue reading “Kiwese Prize Pack Giveaway!!”
Zaomengshe Turns 1: Interview with Lydia McAulay
While the Chinese Government plaster the streets with images of the ‘Chinese Dream’ 中国梦, there are quite different dreams being conjured in the belly of the Chengdu underground. Zaomengshe.com 造梦社 is crowd funding website that provides a platform for the local creative community. Co-founder and Marmite enthusiast Lydia McAulay came over for a cuppa to talk about the website’s one year anniversary. The music scene in Chengdu is probably the mainContinueContinue reading “Zaomengshe Turns 1: Interview with Lydia McAulay”
The 75th Anniversary of Chinese War Refugees in New Zealand
Seventy five years ago, 239 women and 244 children fled the brutal Japanese invasion of Canton and made their way to New Zealand; marking the beginning Chinese family settlement in Aotearoa. Kiwese spoke with Helen Wong from the New Zealand Chinese Association to find out more. Hi Helen! What’s your family’s story in New Zealand? My family are from Jung Seng (nowContinueContinue reading “The 75th Anniversary of Chinese War Refugees in New Zealand”
Don’t Wah Lee, Be Happy: Interview with Barry Wah Lee
Established in 1904, the iconic Asian goods emporium Wah Lees has been around longer than Pineapple Lumps or Marmite (NZ). Kiwese caught up with Barry Wah Lee at the counter of his red and yellow shop to talk about the ongoing challenges facing independent food and Chinese medicine retailers. Hey Barry! The store front says Wah Lees was established in 1904, that mustContinueContinue reading “Don’t Wah Lee, Be Happy: Interview with Barry Wah Lee”
The Literary Blossom: Interview with Renee Liang
Last month, I managed to catch up with poet, playwright, paediatrician and mother of two Renee Liang while she was in Wellington on locum at Hutt Hospital. Juggling a baby, a chocolate cake and a multi-faceted career, we commenced. Hey Renee! The Chinese name your Yeh Yeh (paternal grandfather) gave you was ‘Literary Blossom,’ as opposedContinueContinue reading “The Literary Blossom: Interview with Renee Liang”
KIWESE 