Daphne Lowe Kelly, President of the Chinese Heritage Association of Australia, Dr Yow Yit Seng, Mr Tony Pun, Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for inviting me to perform the Sydney launch of Dr Yow Yit Seng’s book Chinese Dimensions: Their Roots, Mindset and Psyche. It is indeed a great honour, this in the Year of the Rat.

But first, I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land, the Eora Nation, on whose land we stand today.

I think it is quite fitting that we are meeting to day at the Museum of Sydney. The Museum is built on the site of the earliest foundations of British colonization in Australia. Here, in 1788, Australia’s first Governor-General, Governor Arthur Phillip, built the first government House – the homes, offices and seat of authority for the first nine Governors of New South Wales.

In 1983, archaeologists unearthed the original footings of the house, which had lain preserved since its demolition in 1846.

The Museum is a place of discovery which chronicles the history of Sydney, 1788 and beyond juxtaposing old and new, historic and contemporary Sydney explored, using the past to inform the now – much like Dr Yow’s book, Chinese Dimensions: Their Roots, Mindsest and Psyche which is an exploration of Chinese history and cultural and psychological keystones which shape the Chinese psyche of today.

As we stand on the site of early British Australia, we should also pause to reflect that the Chinese too, were early visitors to Australia. Chinese traders were recorded as visiting the north coast of Australia as early as the 1750s – possibly earlier. After British settlement of Australia, small numbers of Chinese men arrived as indentured labourers, convicts and free settlers. However, the numbers of Chinese migrants did not really become significant until the Victorian (1850s) and New South Wales (1860s) gold rushes. But it wasn’t until the lifting of the discriminatory White Australia Policy in 1973 did we see a dramatic increase in migration by people of Chinese ancestry.

Today, we have a dynamic, vibrant and influential Chinese community in Australia which is making a profound contribution to our way of life through business, politics, medicine, academia, the Arts, in fact in every sector of society. And we are the richer for it. The Chinese have a culture which is rich, complex and spans the ages. But in the words of the author, the Chinese are possibly the least understood amongst all ethnic groups.

Dr Yow seeks to redress this in his comprehensive, well researched, erudite and authoritative book. To quote from the introduction – it is longish but I think sums up the book very elegantly,

 “This book is dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of ethnic Chinese throughout the world, ethnic Chinese citizens or residents who would like to know more about their own heritage. The book serves as a source of information to those, though no fault of their own, were deprived of an environment to know or learn their own language or practice their culture. To those who seek to find out what their surname or name means, or where their dialect comes from, we seek to deliver the basic background information. To those who would like to know in simple English terms, common habits, customs, culture, historical perspectives, Chinese zodiac interpretations, philosophy and outlook, will find this book a valuable resource. Last but not least, the book seeks to serve as a guide for the wider community to understand the ethnic Chinese, either as neighbours, colleagues, church members, team members, classmates, partners or simply as friends. It is also useful for anyone involved in retail business, import or export trade, diplomatic missions, government agencies or departments, ….”

And all of this in just 460 odd pages!

Born in Malaysia, educated in Malaysia and France and now settled in Australia, Dr Yow is a long serving and highly respected member of Western Australia’s Chinese community. With his PhD in food engineering and technology, Dr Yow speaks fluent English, Mandarin, French and Bahasa Malay and has served as a lecturer in several universities in Malaysia.

His commitment to his community and to broader multicultural Australia is reflected in his tireless dedication to the Ching Wah Association which is the major Chinese Association in WA. His family’s history with Chinese school education and his own interests as editor of a bilingual newsletter (The Chung Wah), the writing of many articles about the ethnic Chinese and as Chairman of the Chung Wah Chinese Community language schools sees Dr Yow highly credentialed to write a book of this scope and magnitude.

When reading his CV however, I was taken by the breadth of his involvement with his community and the deep respect with which he is held both within and without the community. As an ambassador for the WA Chinese community, Dr Yow has actively served to strengthen relations and foster friendship and understanding between mainstream Australia and the Chinese community and which has culminated in Chinese Dimensions.

Divided into 10 Chapters, the book eloquently yet simply, traverses the historical, psychological, physical and metaphysical planes of what it means to be Chinese in today’s society. The impact of China and the Diaspora Chinese society cannot be ignored as their influence grows daily. As quoted by the visionary Bertrand Russell from his History of Western Philosophy and which appears in the forward of this book

 “I think if we are to feel at home in the world, we shall have to admit Asia to equality in our thoughts, not only politically but culturally. What changes this will bring about I do not know, but I am convinced that they will be profound and of the greatest importance”.

Chinese Dimensions provides a portal of understanding which allows us all to journey along this profound and important road together in a spirit of respect, appreciation and friendship.

I won’t go into details here about the specifics of the book other than to highlight that each chapter was a revelation to me. Having worked in the field of ethnic affairs and multiculturalism for almost 30 years, and having worked and recreated with many people of Chinese ancestry over the years, I thought I had a fair understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture and practice. Being Greek myself, I have often been heard to remark how similar in values and outlook Greek and Chinese cultures are sharing many touchpoints. Yet, this book has opened my eyes very widely indeed.

Dr Yow has succinctly outlined key attributes and explanations about what makes up the ethnic Chinese identity in the first chapter, and simply explains the Chinese naming system and other factors which go to the core of cultural roots and identity in Chapter Two. The fascinating intricacies of the Chinese language, structure, origins and development became clear for me in Chapter Three and the writing appeared far less intimidating once I understood their derivation.

While Chapters Four and Five provide a potted history, for me it is the following Chapters there were especially powerful and poignant for me as a non Chinese Australian – where the Chinese psyche is revealed and the collective wisdom is illuminated. Three hundred and sixty-five proverbs – one for every day – have been included in the book and help shed light into the conscious and subconscious shapers of reasoning, mentality and cultural sensitivities. Whilst there are many proverbs which transverse culture and continent, there are many which show the uniqueness of the Chinese perspective. Some of my favourites are:

“A hundred flowers blooming together” – referring to the richness of life; or

“The heart is not afraid when someone knocks at the door in the middle of the night” meaning keep your conscience clear; or

“When the horse arrives it signal success” normally referring to something successfully achieved or used to wish someone well on a mission; and finally

“Know the person, know the face, but does not know his heart”.

And who has not heard of Sun Zi’s Art of War which now graces many corporate board rooms and executive suites around the globe?  Originally a book on the strategy of war 2,500 years ago, Zi’s wisdom and logic has reached through the millennia as fresh and relevant as the day it was written. Yow has insightfully extracted the essence of each chapter for the reader giving us a 13 point strategy manual for success.

Moving on, Taoist and Confucianist teachings are explained and cited with many pearls for the taking - even with a quick dip into Chapter 7. But so too are cultural practices and I was impressed with Dr Yow’s courage in acknowledging and highlighting some historical but controversial aspects of Chinese culture – especially around women – and how things have changed today.

In reading the final three chapters, I was reminded just how much of a contribution ancient Chinese mysticism and paradigms such as Yin and Yang, the Five Determinate Elements, the Chinese Zodiac and the art of future prediction through divination, have permeated Western Society. I confess I quickly discovered that I am a wood goat – and as a Wood person, I am in the fine company of Song dynasty General Yue Fei, Kublai Khan … and Princess Diana and Elvis Presley! And as this is the Year of the Rat, what attributes? Clever, quick witted, curious, creative, optimistic and sensitive! Whilst this aspect is popularist, the underlying philosophy and its complexity and intricacies were not lost on me. And Dr Yow has managed to convey the essence of these pillars of destiny with clarity, respect and simplicity.

But the final Chapter is where Dr Yow synthesizes the richness and learning of the previous chapters and guides us to take the steps to learning that will allow the growth of understanding and appreciation of what a magnificent, complex and ancient culture you have.

Yet another quote from the book:

“Confucius said that “In the company of two others, there is always someone who could be my teacher. Select what is good and learn from it. Whatever is not good, correct it”. In the long run, each of us would pick and chose what is relevant and good for us, and rejects anything irrelevant and useless.

We are all on a journey of life, experience and learning. And we are traveling this road with many people, all with their own stories. This book enables us to access one people’s story, albeit a people of major world presence. And my key realization has been, that no matter how different the Chinese psyche and semiotics may appear in the first instance, not too deep below the surface, there are many commonalities between us all – in values, codes of morality, hope, loyalty, spirituality and family to mention just a few. We are all united in our common humanity whilst living within an exciting culturally diverse nation.

I commend this book to you all, and congratulate Dr Yow on bringing together the vast, complex, dynamic history and wisdom that is the wonder of the Chinese Dimension: roots, mindset and psyche in a clear, concise way that opens up the Chinese culture for us all to understand with respect and awe.

I declare the book launched.