Starting from elementary school, all the students gathered at the flag-raising ceremony. I remember that we sang our national anthem and say the Chinese version of allegiance to gratitude altogether. I had no idea about why I had to do that and what that song meant to me. I just knew that I need to follow the instruction and say it aloud every week or I would be punished. The lyrics of Chinese national anthem is:
Arise, you who refuse to be slaves!
With our flesh and blood, let us build a new Great Wall!
From each one, the urgent call to action comes forth.
Arise! Arise! Arise!
Million of us but with one heart.
Getting Brave and fire to the enemies! March on!
It's a song to memorize the Chinese civil war, but as a kid, I didn't know what that means to myself as someone who is born after the war. Nowadays, who are the slaves with chains? Why do we need to sacrifice ourselves to build the wall? Who is our enemy? Which way should we march and fire?
The more I was forced to sing without understanding, the more I hate it. As I grown up, I start to learn how to give the song some new meanings. I should not lie but speak it aloud to my own understanding. We sing and say allegiance to gratitude because we need to thank for who had sacrificed their lives and gave us peace. We thank the people who give us birth and provide us clothes, food, and shelter. We need to fight for freedom, democracy, for and our basic living requirement and against the segregation. Thanksgiving is based on Columbus‘slaughter; however, we can give things as new meanings and thank for our earth, our loves, and be united.
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