Why I Learn Chinese.docVIP

Why I Learn Chinese Even today， I still ask myself why I am so fascinated with Chinese language， history， culture， films， photos and economic development. My interest in China was not a spur-of-the-moment move； instead， all sorts of lucky chances since my childhood made me irresistibly interested in this great and impressive country. I was born in a small seaside town in Brest. In the 1970s， the only foreigners that could be seen in the town were Indians who ran restaurants and sailors from various countries waiting for their cargos to be unloaded at the harbor. When I was about six or seven years old， however， I asked my father where those sailors in tunic suits were from. Father told me that they should be Chinese and these sailors were very lucky， for only few citizens of that country could have the chance to go abroad. Several years later， I asked my grandmother where those teacups that were used only on important occasions came from， she told me that her uncle who had worked for the East India Company bought them while working in China. He also brought back home two very big cloisonne vases now standing on each side of her big desk. Every time I went to my grandmother’s home， I would yearn to see that fantastic world where there were sedan chairs carried on men’s shoulders， upward-bending eaves， princesses holding small umbrellas or fans in their hands and ladies wearing wide-sleeved garments. On another occasion， I was very surprised to see my seven-yearold British cousin in qipao （mandarin gown）， dressing up as a proud Chinese princess with yellow hair. Later， I came to know that， to my grandparents’generation， China was a synonym for powerfulness. Later on， a Chinese shop was opened in our town. In it， decorated with bright and beautiful Chinese colors， were shiny silks， figurines and images of Buddha， necklaces in odd shapes and also the intoxicating smell of incense. Recommended by the shop owner， I happily bought a Chinese incense coil， and excitedly lit