The Italians are making their pasta,
the French are making things French,
and the Chinese cultivate their silence.
They cultivate silence
in every Chinatown on the persimmon of earth—
mute below the towers of Toronto,
silently sweeping the streets of Singapore
clear of noisy self-expression.
The Americans are in their sport utility vehicles,
the Canadians are behaving reasonably,
but the Chinese remain silent
maybe with a cup of tea or an opium pipe
and maybe a finger puzzle or water torture is involved...
"Chinese Silence" Significance
The poem, Chinese Silence No. 22 is part of a 100 poem collection by the well-known Asian American poet, Timothy Yu. The 100 Chinese Silences, is a collection that brings out the hidden subtleties of Asian Literature and the life of an Asian immigrant. The poem shows 2 perspectives, one from the eye of a Chinese immigrant, observing the Western world, and the other from a person of non-Asian descent, superficially viewing Chinese culture. The poem takes its readers on a journey through the viewpoint of an Asian immigrant.
Firstly, examining the perceived stereotypes about different cultures around the world when compared to the Chinese, by mentioning how the "Italians are making their pasta/the French are making things French/and the Chinese cultivate their silence". It then brings them into the viewpoint of the Chinese immigrant, viewing the 'westernized world' around them, looking at how “The Americans are in their sport utility vehicles,/the Canadians are behaving reasonably,/but the Chinese remain silent". This again reinforces the idea that “The Chinese are silent", especially in the new environment they are in, just in order to survive. The silence also represents a fear to stand up against racial injustices towards Asians, and as a whole, tells a brutally honest story of what it means to be an Asian immigrant.
Who is Timothy Yu?
Timothy Yu is a poet and scholar, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs. He earned his BA and PhD at Harvard and Stanford University respectively, and actively explores the intersectionality between race and contemporary writing styles. His first book titled, "Experimental and Asian American Poetry Since 1965", which was released in 2009, won the Book Award in Literary Studies from the Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS). The piece mentioned in this article is part of a larger collection, titled “100 Chinese Silences", which addresses Asian American immigrants that symbolizes Asian Americans and how they are consistently silenced in American culture.
Check out the full poem here:
Written by Gareth Ki. Edited by Hannah Thomas. Graphics by Jasmine Nguyen.