Tomorrow I will fly 5,000 miles to a place I’ve never been to. Yet, somehow, this place has had a tremendous influence on who I am today as a person. From the food I eat, to my physical appearance, to my last name… This place, this Motherland, has had a direct hand in creating my identity without me ever having to set foot on its soil.
I will be traveling to China for the first time with 17 of my relatives. My mom, my brother, my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. 17 of us, across three generations, traveling back to the place of our origin. Some of us were born there and immigrated to Canada when we were young. Some of us have never left the North American continent.
For two weeks, we will visit Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and the village in Canton where my grandparents grew up in; Each city a crux in our personal family history.
How does cultural heritage define your identity? What impact does it have on the way you live day to day? Is it a fundamental part of your own self definition? These are some of the questions I will explore on my travels.
