Why I Took Chinese Literature As My Major

Why I Took Chinese Literature As My Major
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A random picture of a hotel in jln. Asia Afrika, Bandung.  Taken by my one and only @mr_piter22

I am fully aware that I got here by a mere interest.

I remember when I was in twelfth grade; I spent hours in front of my laptop researching universities in Indonesia.  Right now, it seemed strange to me; I was having this massive interest in this major called Chinese Literature, also known as Sastra China in Bahasa Indonesia.  I only realized the reason I choose this major a few months after I actually enrolled in.  It was by mere interest.  


When I tasted the real experience of studying a language and actually going into a college, I came to realize that I could’ve excel in other major such as Japanese (since I studied Japanese in high school and my level is around N4 when I graduate) or International Relations (because I loved keeping up with international news and I’m used to be an English debater).

What kind of ‘interest’?  Well, I was (and still am) mesmerized by the complexity of the hanzi/kanji writing system.  Of course, I learned hiragana-katakana-kanji firsthand before hanzi, and kanji is the intriguing reason of why I wanted to learn Chinese.  I realized that Chinese has a very big impact in East Asia in terms of language and culture.  I am sure by learning Chinese; it’ll be easier for me to learn the other East Asian language (Korean and Japanese).  Chinese’s influence is massive, I can find tons of similar words in all three languages, and by learning the traditional writing of hanzi, I automatically can understand kanji as well though I won’t always  know how to read it (ugh that onyomi-konyomi system).

Yes, it was a mere interest that got me here.  I’ve read this on the internet (I forgot where), in which it was said that ‘an interest’ only lasted for 2 until 5 years.  That means, human tend to be so engrossed in something that is interesting for them for at least two years; if lucky, it might last for five years.  That’s why when my lecturers said that the third year of college is the ‘breaking point’, I immediately agree.  I’m currently in my third year of college right now, and I am bored.  I lost my passion for learning Chinese.

I just wanted to advise all the ‘soon-to-be-freshman’ kids out there, enrolling in a major that you love is fine.  Actually, it’s essential in helping you excels and enjoy what you’re doing while studying.  But going by your mere interest is wrong.  You have to find the reason why you actually have to finish your study in the major you choose.  Looking back on how far I went, I decided to myself that I have to graduate with a reason; a purpose of life.

Do you want to help people?  Do you want to help your family?  Do you have a desire to fulfil?  I think the answer to those questions are stronger rather than just saying that ‘I like this major and the things they taught here’.  Those are the real one who has the ability to drive people to finish college, to keep people sane.

I’m asking myself, why do I want to learn Chinese?  Back then, I would answer that I wanted to master the three major languages in East Asia.  But come to think of it, what for?  Is it for myself?  So that I can boast that I’m a polyglot to everyone?  Doesn’t that sound so selfish?

I just recently found out about what my desire is.  I want to be a polyglot because I wanted to be able to communicate with people.  Being separated from my family and my comfort zone, I realized that there is so much problem that originally wouldn’t become a problem.  It all lies in the communication and information spread within the people.  Though I’m not really sure of the detail of what action or what steps I should take in the future, at least I know what I’d like to change.

Though I’m currently super bored and uninterested about the Chinese language, I am still sane enough to know that it’s impossible to quit since I went way too deep already.  I often motivated myself by stating the obvious benefit of enrolling into this major.  For you guys who are currently learning Chinese or maybe also a fellow Chinese Literature student, here are some of my favourite facts to keep you motivated on learning this language.

Having the ability to speak in a foreign language is super cool, isn’t?
Do I have to mention how it brings tons of benefit to your life?  Having the ability to speak in a foreign language means having the advantage of knowing more people, more information, and more opportunity.

Writing in hanzi is awesome
As a person who lives in Indonesia, I’m used to writing and reading in Latin script.  Isn’t that cool to use a clearly different writing system and actually implementing it in real life?  Moreover, the world of hanzi is actually so deep and rich with culture and philosophical values.  Learning hanzi might be beneficial in learning Japanese kanji, too.  And it’s still used (even though not often) in Vietnam and Korea.  I’m just kinda proud of myself whenever my family would ask me to translate hanzi characters from the instruction manual of a medicine they bought.  It’s just amazing knowing that those characters are just untangible scribbles and drawings for some people, and yet I can read and understand the meaning of those pictures.

This is a way to keep your brain young
Bilingualism is healthy, said experts.  I think us Indonesian are way healthy because we are blessed with the ability to be trilingual (Bahasa Indonesia, English, and a dialect/ethnicity-based language).  Now add those three with another foreign language.  Thus saying, scholars in Indonesia (especially those taking language-based major) are most likely to be quadrilingual.  Learning a language is proved to reduce the probability of getting Alzheimer and other brain diseases.  Learning a language has also unconsciously created a new alter-ego, thus allowing one to have a different way of thinking.  I’m planning on writing a post regarding this topic soon.

Chinese is the world’s most used language
This reason is highly overrated, but I’ll go through it again.  It is one of UN’s official language, it is the world’s most used language by the number of the speaker, and it is currently the language widely used in economics, trade, business, etc.  I do have to emphasize that a lot of company would actually turn a blind eye on your IP if you speak Mandarin and accepts you immediately to work with them.  Currently, there are a lot of Chinese people working on the speed train between Jakarta and Bandung and interpreter+translator is in high demand.  I think it’s enough to say how valuable the ability to use Chinese is.

How do I push myself to learn Chinese?  Well, I am personally not a fan of Chinese entertainments such as music, movies, etc.  So, it is actually hard for me to find a refreshing way to learn Chinese.  The only ‘fun source’ for me is the  foreign YouTubers that speak Chinese fluently such as Jared, Afu, and Xiaomanyc.  Whenever I watch their video, I always ask the same thing to myself over and over again.  If these Western people can do it, why can’t I?

Recently, I fell in love with singing worship songs in Chinese.  It’s just so mesmerizing of how a lyrics translated to Chinese might have a different literal translation but still emphasizing the real meaning of the song just as what is intended in the song’s original language.  I’m planning on posting these lyrics in my WordPress blog to help these language reach a wider audience.

That is currently my way of studying and trying to embrace Chinese in a new light.  Everyone’s way of learning a language is different, and I hope you’ll soon find the one that suits you the best.

Alun-alun Bandung. Can't help but to admit that I have fallen in love with this city.  Once again, this picture was taken by @mr_piter22