Editor,
I read your article yesterday about the employment age bar and was grateful
to you to have helped me solve a mystery. You see I have come to Shanghai on a
sabbatical from India. I have over 20 years of experience in writing and editing
and have worked in most media, newspapers, radio, TV, magazines, comics, docu
films, websites and exhibition projects.
Although I am not looking for a full time job and am here because my husband
is working with a Chinese company in Shanghai, I have been writing to various
newspapers and publishers, offering my experience and expertise. My areas of
strength are creating interactive features for children and demystifying culture
and tradition. I have worked with the leading publishers and media groups in
India and I was excited by the prospect of replicating the experience in China.
I thought it would be wonderful to create a feature that makes Chinese
youngsters learn English and also stay tethered to their cultural roots. I am
fascinated by the similarities of the Chinese culture and its connections to
ancient Indian belief systems.
However, so far I have not received a single response to my offer. Your
article makes it crystal clear why. I begin my introduction with "over 20 years
of experience..." No wonder no one is interested!
Before I arrived I was under the impression that, as in most oriental
cultures, age is venerated in China. I see that translated in private life, as
so many grandparents around us are treated with respect and loving care.
However, perhaps in corporate life, there is the same veneration for youth
that comes as a package deal with Western ideas.
But it is a Western adage that says "knowledge comes but wisdom lingers."
Thank you for your article and your candid ideas. It has cleared the scene
ahead for me and I shall now be content, absorbing and assimilating the nuances
of the Chinese culture and writing for the sheer joy of it.
Do forgive me for the audacity of writing such a long letter. But I felt I
must convey the instant reaction I felt on reading your article.
Margie Sastry, Shanghai
(China Daily 09/26/2005 page4)
