Title: The Girl Who Refuses to Sing the National Anthem”
Station: Radio Free Asia
Air Date: 10/02/2009
Producer/Host/Writer: Jill Ku
Description:
This exclusive interview is of a 13-year-old fatherless girl who expresses her dissent by refusing to sing the Chinese national anthem. Wenwen breaks down in tears during this compelling conversation recounting the harsh discrimination she endures. But because of her astute commentary, her silence speaks louder than China’s resounding nationalism.
Translation:
The Girl Who Refuses to Sing the National Anthem
(Theme Music)
(Voice of Host Jill Ku)
Welcome to “Different Voices”, this is Jill Ku. China is celebrating 60 years of communist rule in a sea of red flags. During non-stop military parades and cultural performances, the sounds of patriotic songs and the Chinese national anthem are virtually constant.
(Sound of Chinese national anthem)
However, in China, there is a high school girl who refuses to sing the national anthem.
(Voice of Xu Jiaowen, Wenwen)
I am China’s first high school student who refuses to sing the national anthem. This started 6 years ago when I was in the 2nd grade. My school was sold and turned into condominiums. All my classmates who had money were transferred to a prestigious school. My father passed away, so we didn’t have money, and no school wanted to take me. I finally got into an elementary school in the countryside after staying home for six months. Since then, I have refused to sing China’s national anthem.
(Voice of Host Jill Ku)
This girl is Xu Jiaowen, 13 years old. She is in her 2nd year at the Baoding High School in Hebei province. What you just heard is a segment from her diary.
This fatherless girl endures significant discrimination which forges her independence and sharpens her power of observation. During my interview with Xu Jiaowen we’ll experience a unique and deeper look into today’s China through her pure and sensitive eyes.
(Music)
Jill: During China’s 60th anniversary, patriotism is stimulated [by the Communist Party] to the highest level. Did you sing the national anthem?
Wenwen: No.
Jill: Still not. Why?
Wenwen: I am not interested. It’s been a long time since my rights were infringed upon but no one cares. What’s wrong with China’s system?
Jill: Do you run into problems for your thinking?
Wenwen: I am always in fear, because I don’t want to sing the national anthem.
Jill: Has any of your teachers given you trouble?
Wenwen: No, I’ve never let them find out.
Jill: What do you do when others are singing the national anthem? Do you lip sync or simply keep you mouth closed?
Wenwen: I just pretend. I am able to fool them.
Jill: Why do you resent singing the national anthem so much?
Wenwen: Mainly because I am afraid of them. The people who run the Provincial Education Department will not even treat me as a human being. It‘s so dark, so scary.
Jill: When you were in the 2nd grade.
Wenwen: Back then the school started the building project. My teacher told my mom I was mentally disabled so I could not go to the new school. I was devastated...I sat on the stairs… outside the school and cried my heart out. (Choking and weeping)
Jill: Did they really not let you transfer?
Wenwen: They kicked me out.
Jill: Obviously, it was very painful. Even now you’re still very emotional about it.
Wenwen: Yes. (Shivering voice)
Jill: What impact has this had on you?
Wenwen: In fact, it’s no big deal. Wouldn’t it be better [for me] to be a happy girl? (Choking)
Jill: But, why? Why did they kick you out? You mentioned that they said you were mentally disabled. How could that be? You sound very intelligent.
Wenwen: Because the teacher looked down upon me.
Jill: Why?
Wenwen: My teacher despised fatherless children. I hated listening to his lectures. So he went to the principal and said that I had learning problems. Later when the school was relocating, the principal asked my family to pay a 30,000-dollar transfer fee and used that as an excuse to expel me.
Jill: Did your family pay that 30,000?
Wenwen: No.
Jill: You did not pay the money so they wouldn’t let you transfer to the new school. In other words, who got to be transferred depended on whether the fees were paid?
Wenwen: Rich families got transferred. My father had died, so I didn’t have any connections or money.
Jill: So only those with connections and money had the priority. How old were you?
Wenwen: Eight.
Jill: It must be difficult for an 8-year-old to suffer such a blow. How are you getting along with your teacher now?
Wenwen: I am an obedient girl in his eyes. (Laugh)
Jill: What if the teacher finds out that you refuse to sing the national anthem and are dissatisfied with the country? Do you think he would mind?
Wenwen: I am sure he would. He will definitely give me some, some…
Jill: Discipline?
Wenwen: Right.
Jill: How about your mom? What does she think?
Wenwen: My mom is very supportive of me.
Jill: What does she do?
Wenwen: She cleans houses for others.
Jill: How are you getting along with your friends? Do they share your thoughts?
Wenwen: I generally don’t talk about this kind of things with them.
Jill: What then made you talk to me?
Wenwen: Because…I listen to your program a lot and I envy you, respect you very much. I wanted to talk to you.
Jill: That’s wonderful. Thank you.
Wenwen: I only want to be a normal high school student. But I also want the world to know how the system in China works.
Jill: Do you have any thought to share with children your age?
Wenwen: Live happily. Don’t keep all the stress to yourself. Talk to your parents more. (Sobbing) I am sure everyone envies my relationship with my mom.
Jill: You communicate very well with your mom.
Wenwen: Right.
Jill: You also mentioned that you are a child without a father. How does it affect your life?
Wenwen: Maybe it makes me stronger. I experience more struggles in my heart.
Jill: How old were you when your father passed away?
Wenwen: I think I was 1-year-old. I have no memory of him at all.
Jill: Do you know why he passed away?
Wenwen: Late stage colon cancer.
Jill: Your mother naturally plays a very important role in your life.
Wenwen: Yes. We only had each other.
Jill: Can you describe your mom for us?
Wenwen: She is very kind. Although she is not very pretty, I think she is the most beautiful woman in the world. (Choking) She has brought me much happiness and joy.
Jill: Could you tell us the influence your mother has had on you? Is there any event or occasion that can depict the relation between you and your mom?
Wenwen: I was often bullied when I was in the elementary school. Others kids didn’t want to have anything to do with me. Once my mom went to school and talked to my classmates and asked them to be nice to me...She said I was spoiled and fragile… (Crying)
Jill: You get emotional talking about your mother.
Wenwen: Yes. She advised me not to care about what other people think. “Let people talk. Walk your own path!”
Jill: Did you often feel the hostility from others when you were little?
Wenwen: I knew they didn’t like me so I just didn’t talk to them. I would just cry in the dark.
Jill: Cry in the dark. Why so sad?
Wenwen: When people don’t like you, don’t talk to you, don’t play with you, that’s not a normal relationship among students.
Jill: I can imagine the pain of a young girl who no one wants to play with. But why were they so unfriendly to you?
Wenwen: They were all from rich families. And I was a fatherless kid.
Jill: So they discriminated against you because your father passed away.
Wenwen: Yes.
Jill: Your mother is also experiencing unfair treatment, isn’t she?
Wenwen: She has been petitioning for almost a year.
Jill: What happened to her?
Wenwen: My uncle helped her established a newsstand near the train station to make money. Everything was approved. But later the city officials forbid her from opening and tore down her stand. My mom filed a lawsuit and started petitioning.
Jill: Why was she treated like that?
Wenwen: The officials wanted to take over the newsstand.
Jill: You learned a lot going during the petitioning process with your mom. You mentioned in your diary that you’ve been through some dangerous situations.
Wenwen: Yes.
Jill: Were you scared?
Wenwen: When I saw other people being handcuffed, I thought “Will I also be arrested? Will I be thrown to jail?”
Jill: Can you describe your experience of petitioning in Beijing for us?
Wenwen: My mom and I took the train to Beijing. We went to the Public Security Bureau near Tiananmen. We told them we were there to petition. They let us in. In there, I saw a lot of other petitioners. I noticed two people were handcuffed. I felt so sorry for them. I couldn’t understand why they were handcuffed. I thought to myself, I might get handcuffed as well.
The police were very rude. After they took our information, they sent another petitioner to detention to wait to be picked up by officials from my hometown, Baoding. Later that night we were sent to the Letters and Visits Office. They didn’t let us go home until the next morning.
Jill: What did you learn about the Chinese society from this experience?
Wenwen: I feel the laws are invisible but formidable. I normally don’t like crowds but I enjoyed petitioning. It allowed me to see a lot of different people and different things. China is a nation of a big population. It has a wide array of human beings. It made me feel that this world is full of color!
Jill: So through the petitioning experience, you got to see people from all walks of life. It is a reflection of the big society.
Wenwen: Right.
Jill: Recently China spared no cost in celebrating its 60th national day and its own accomplishments. What the Chinese government tries to project is very different from the China you just described. It’s a huge contrast. (Wenwen: Right.) Can’t you see the glorious side of China that they portray?
Wenwen: I see it too. China has indeed made progress but it has not awakened. The people are educated; they have knowledge and minds, but no class. I feel like they are wasting their lives.
Jill: Why do you think they have minds but no class?
Wenwen: Look at those ladies, who wear earrings and clothes that show their belly buttons. Look at those guys with long, red and green hair. They are scary to look at. Look at the filthy languages written on the chairs and ceilings on buses. They are disgusting. And on the walls in our classrooms, a new coat of paint becomes a sea of graffiti within a week.
Jill: So you think the quality of people is low?
Wenwen: Yes.
Jill: How about China’s achievement? Do they exist?
Wenwen: They exist alright. Even though technology has improved, decency has dramatically decreased. Don’t you think that is the same as “Pick up the sesame seeds and lose the watermelon” [A common Chinese expression]?
Jill: You mean - Penny wise, pound foolish – correct?
Wenwen: Right.
Jill: You are a high school student. In this age, many high school students are only concerned about movie stars, singers or beauty. How about you? Do you like anything?
Wenwen: I like to paint, listen to music and write. I don’t want much. And I can do all these easily.
Jill: You are still young. You have a long way ahead of you. Do you have plans for your future?
Wenwen: I want to be a reporter. I wish one day I can report from Iraq riding on a truck and witness the grand scene. It would be worth it even if I die.
Jill: What do you think is the biggest responsibility of a good reporter?
Wenwen: To report the truth.
Jill: Do you think Chinese reporters are doing it?
Wenwen: No.
Jill: You have a lot of complaints about China. What do you want China to be like?
Wenwen: I hope China’s environment will be like that of Singapore, fertile and beautiful. I hope that someday there will not be so many corrupt officials. I hope all reporters will report the truth. Then I will be satisfied.
Jill: Thank you.
(Music)
(Voice of Host Jill Ku)
Xu Jiaowen’s voice is tender and soft like a child but it is also sincere and serious. In her recent article, “The Rise of a Great Nation”, she reflects on China’s 60th anniversary.
(Voice of Wenwen)
I believe China can be called a great nation, but it has not risen. A country is strong if its youth is strong; wealthy if its youth is wealthy. A youth like me, has my rights infringed upon but no one cares. I have been refusing to sing the national anthem for 6 years, but no one cares. This is China. On China’s 60th anniversary, I don’t have as much joy as others do, but I have more worries than others do. It’s reported that after the national day celebration ceremony, there was millions of tons of trash left on the square. That’s unbelievable. Where are our morals? Where is our quality? Where is our national pride? Perhaps, we have forgotten them while fighting to be No. 1! Roads are paved; buildings are built; bridges are laid; Olympics gold medals are grabbed; astronauts are in the space; the 60th anniversary is celebrated. Has this made our nation great?
(Music)
(Voice of Host Jill Ku)
Today we interviewed Xu Jiaowen, a 13-year-old high school girl who refuses to sing the national anthem. That’s it for now. I am Jill Ku, see you next time.
(Theme Music)