Chinese culture celebrated in SA

THE similarities between the South African and the Chinese community living in the country far outweigh the differences when it comes to promoting heritage and language.

That’s according to Paulette Leong, head of marketing and executive assistant at The Chinese Association (TCA).

The organisation is Gauteng-based and has been working towards propagating Chinese culture within the South African context – beginning with the Chinese community and spreading out to people of different ethnicities.

Leong said she was proud to be a South African-born Chinese.

“My grandfather immigrated to South Africa many decades ago from southern China, and being third generation South African-born Chinese, has made me feel a sense of pride that the Chinese history and culture is thousands of years old with rich traditions, ancient language, and a lot of history.

“I grew up in Pretoria, and the Pretoria Chinese Association and Pretoria Chinese School often hosted events to celebrate the many important Chinese holidays, such as the Chinese New Year and the Mid-autumn Festival.

“In Johannesburg – the TCA and the Kuo Ting School also hosted many events and even winter camp during school holidays so the youngsters could learn Chinese arts, crafts, dancing, kung fu and the language,” said Leong.

She said Chinese heritage was commemorated in the country through education.

“Being a third-generation South African-born Chinese, I didn’t have the chance to learn the Cantonese or Mandarin language when I was young as I attended an English-speaking school. I am also happy to be proudly South African,” said Leong.

The TCA aimed to showcase Chinese culture and would be co-hosting its annual fundraiser on Heritage Day in Gauteng.