Vol. 81/No. 48 December 25, 2017
‘A Chinese Cuban general? How is that possible?’
Below is the foreword by Wang Lusha to the new edition of Our History Is Still Being Written. Wang translated the Chinese edition of this book, published in Beijing in 2008. He works in the film and TV industry in China, and was the scriptwriter for a 28-part TV series on the Chinese in Cuba. He lives in Huhehaote, Inner Mongolia, and in Beijing. Copyright © 2017 by Pathfinder Press. Reprinted by permission.
When I was growing up, I often heard my father talk about how, during the prime of his youth, he took part in protests against the Americans. During street rallies they would chant “Cuba sí, yanquis no!” in support of the Cuban Revolution and against the US blockade. The song “Beautiful Havana” was a huge hit in China back then. Many young people were captivated by the charisma of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, and other Cuban leaders. Cuba, with its unique attraction, touched and inspired an entire generation of Chinese youth.
Yet, with the passage of time, new generations in China have seemingly forgotten Cuba — this faraway country situated in the Caribbean — a land that had once immensely stirred our great national pride and spirit. But the history of Cuba is still being written by generation after generation of Cubans. This history, while unknown to young Chinese, has not been forgotten by the rest of the world. People around the globe seeking freedom and justice continue to look to this promised land called Cuba. And one of them is the American journalist Mary-Alice Waters. She conceived this book with a deep passion for Cuba. I hope my translation is able to convey this feeling to all Chinese who are similarly interested and want to know more about Cuba.
Two things stand out vividly in my memory. The first was in New Zealand when I visited a cultural exhibit on Chinese immigration, which featured many derogatory cartoons drawn by Westerners a century ago. The Chinese were mainly depicted with buck teeth, sporting a pigtail, two small tufts of mustache, slit eyes, and long fingernails. People who saw these drawings would easily view Chinese as nasty and treacherous villains. Most of the drawings portrayed Chinese as foreigners coming to New Zealand to open laundries or restaurants, or to work as coolies, thus forcing many New Zealanders out of work or out of business.
Today, while the status of the Chinese in the West has improved considerably, the stereotype still exists that Chinese are only good at two things: running a restaurant and doing math. (The reason Chinese are superior to others in math is because of the strong basic education established by the Chinese government in the aftermath of the “Cultural Revolution.” Beginning in primary school, students are not allowed to use calculators — they are taught to do math with pencil and paper.)
The second thing that remains fresh in my memory is my conversation with an African classmate from Cameroon while I was studying in the Netherlands. After learning that I came from China, he told me there were a lot of Chinese in his country, adding that I must be a good cook. I found it very strange and asked him what made him think that. He replied that all the Chinese in his country open restaurants, so he concluded that we must all be excellent cooks. Fortunately he didn’t think cooking was the only thing we can do. It seems that, from the most advanced countries such as the United States to the underdeveloped continent of Africa, all Chinese are seen as engaging in the culinary profession.
During my few years living abroad, I too worked in a restaurant, and almost every compatriot I have met abroad has done the same (including those born and raised in the Netherlands and New Zealand). So is cooking the only thing we are capable of? No. There’s now another career Chinese are also considered good at — computer programming. That’s because it requires basic math skills.
The reality is that many overseas Chinese are exceedingly wealthy, yet they are still not given recognition or accepted by the society, much less by the government of the countries where they live. For a time I was sad that I had been born Chinese. I wished I’d had an American father because I became fixated on one thing — that Americans are highly regarded and sought after all over the world, while in contrast, Chinese are seen as incompetent and inferior.
But one man changed my way of thinking and made me reconsider everything. That man was General Moisés Sío Wong. The first article I read about him online introduced him as a Chinese descendant in Cuba who through his own efforts became a general and even served as adjutant to Raúl Castro. That couldn’t be true, I thought. A Chinese Cuban general? Humph! How is that possible? Chinese in other countries are only suitable for working in a kitchen — how can they go past the chopping block and become leaders? I used to have this view. However, my long-suppressed national pride and dignity pushed me to quietly search on my own for more information about General Sío Wong.
Fortunately, by pure coincidence I discovered this book, Our History Is Still Being Written. Through interviews with General Sío Wong as well as Armando Choy and Gustavo Chui, the two other Chinese Cuban generals, the book presents the modern history of Cuba from a unique perspective.
I felt overwhelmed as I read through the pages of the book. I discovered that, in addition to General Sío Wong, there are many other Chinese who made remarkable contributions in Cuba. They played important roles not only in the economic field but in the political arena. These included José Wong, José Bu, José Tolón (Lai Wa), Armando Choy, Gustavo Chui, and many more. Together, these Chinese Cubans added a powerful and compelling chapter to the history of Chinese overseas.
It seems then that Chinese were not born to be cooks! Nor are we inferior to other nationalities. There is nothing sad or shameful about being born Chinese! So I asked myself, what happened in Cuba that gave Chinese the status and positions they enjoy today, something they are denied in other countries?
General Sío Wong in this book explains: “[In Cuba] a socialist revolution took place. The revolution uprooted discrimination based on the color of a person’s skin. That’s because, above all, we overturned the property relations that create not only economic but also social inequality between rich and poor.”
This is what the socialist revolution has given us — the elimination of the foundations of racism and class inequality. This is also why all foreigners in China today are treated fairly and hospitably, regardless of their skin color or wealth. This is the greatness of the socialist revolution!
Through interviews with General Sío Wong, General Choy, and General Chui, the book, Our History Is Still Being Written, narrates their experiences during the socialist revolution in Cuba and describes the country before and after the revolution. As they speak to us in their own words of the struggles and hardships of Chinese Cubans, they also provide us with a telling insight — the Chinese never saw themselves as a race separate from the Cuban people, but rather as fighting together with Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and other Cubans in the struggle for the liberation of their country. In a socialist revolution there are no racial differences, only hands that strive and fight for freedom.
2008
Related articles:
Cuba’s socialist revolution uprooted anti-Chinese discrimination
New edition of ‘Our History Is Still Being Written’ highlights Cuba’s rich history of revolutionary transformation
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