One Half Nesting In A Pearl: My Journey

One half from the east

one half from the west.

One half made of water and earth.

one half made of heart and soul.

one half staying at the shores.

And one half nesting in a pearl.

-(Rumi)

Part 1 :

I am born in the East. The dragon seeds wisdom carried by my father. Journey across the south china sea from Quang Dong province in 1920s. Civil wars. British still occupied Hong Kong and establish opium trade. To destablish the Qing empire and weaken chinese rebels and corrupt the officials. Communist movement just launched by Mao and Zhou. Dr.Sun Yatsen raising funds to establish a new republic. Same as my grandpa generation who read Tao Te Ching, I Ching, Three Kingdoms, Water Margins, Zhugeliang and Genghis Khan, Analects and Mencius, Huai Nanzi, Chuang Tzu, Lipo, Tufu and Lu Xun.

My family great surname of Zhou were shared by Han Suyin another novelist whose life struggle stradle east and west. She also migrated to Malaya then, worked as teacher, doctor and met our elders Haji Mustapha Ma and Hajjah Aliyah Ma, the childen of Haji Ibrahim Ma. Diplomat and consul of China in British Malaya before independent. Here is another great epic diaspora story to be written. Her original name was Zhou Guanghu. Her mother was Flemish and father chinese belgian educated. Hansuyin great works/novels are:

The Mountain Is Young, Mortal Flowers, A Many Splendoured Things

Destination Chungking, Zhou Enlai: First Son, The Rain Is our Drink

Fleur De Soleil, Winter Love, Cast But One Shadow, Birdless Summer

Crippled Tree, My House Had Two Doors, Wind In The Tower (Mao) etc

My mum father was also born in Quangzhou. Studied chinese medicine, went to Taiwan and later came down to Singapore and Malaysia. But he died early due to exhaustion and cancer. Ex-Singapore PM Lee Kuan Yew was also coming from my dad home province. Only he studied in english school, go to London and became a lawyer, politician and the rest is history.

We have not reached the saga of West yet. This seeker manage to fight, struggle and partake the independence of Malaysia in 31 August 1957 just for about 9 months. His grandpa and dad thought hard deep and long, taking account of our nationhood future decided to send this eldest son to national malay language school instead of chinese or english medium school for the other 9 sisters and brothers. It from here the spiritual journey to seek truth, light, wisdom and new faith begin. It culminates in the pilgrimage to the ancient sacred house of mecca and illuminated prophetic city of madina in 2004. Some of my siblings do reach/touched by the west. Eldest sister married to a US citizen of Hawaii. Another sister with MA degree married and emigrated to Auckland, NZ. Five of them became Christians. One became a neo-Rumi, wandering disciple of Chuang Tzi, a stranger poet and half baked philosopher !

Part 2 :

Almost 40 years later, a daughter managed to travel furthest to west. She finished the Baccalaurettte in malaysia and stole into Manchester University to became a doctor of all trades. Half east, half west, half chinese and half rebel of post-hafiz era. Another daughter travelled south to Australia to earn another tiger stripe of medical degree ! The young dragons and tigers are roaring. Another prodigal son already targeting the Marco Polo adventures : Ukraine, Russia or UK. But one of our faqir companion already in Nantes, France pursuing his Ph.D in articial intellingence. Nope, not spywares or secret services training. May be planting a deep cover, precious seed of sufic pearl and jasmine tea tree to be harvested later. Now the misty terrains of Li Po and Tu Fu began to suffer from winter snows. Our master Miyazaki in Japan already closed his zen retreat until next March 2009.

to be continued..part 3 : Journey India