Two Generations of Creativity: Arts and the Children of Immigrants

At present, there are more than 520,000 first-generation Southeast Asian immigrants in Taiwan, while their children number more than 360,000. Improving ways to assimilate and accommodate the offspring of immigrants has been a persistent concern for the government. Already, there is no shortage of brilliant figures that have appeared as this second generation has come into its own. They have been gradually providing the country with a new well of resilience.

Chen Yuchin, writer.

The young Filipina-Taiwanese film director Rina Tsou is attempting to represent the relationship between Filipinos and Taiwanese, frame by frame. Chen Yu­chin, noticeable for her bowl cut and big eyes, has inherited her Indonesian-born mother’s youthful courage. She lives and writes fearlessly, but has discovered that she is still only a “quasi-Tai­pei person,” living permanently on the fringes of local society. ­Chang Wan-chao, a graceful and gifted dancer whose parents are also from Indonesia, describes the sensation of feeling dizzy with each spin in the air, followed by the landing, and another spin. The world is an inclusive circle, she explains, that includes all of us, not just “you” or “me.”

Chang Wan-chao, dance instructor.

For second-generation immigrants, “home” is an encompassing term. It means the country of their parents’ birth and also this land in which they grew up. It can also be just a distant memory lodged deep in their hearts. Because the term’s meaning is so ambiguous, others might jump to the conclusion that  they have lost their identity. But in reality home is where the heart is. 

But in recognizing how vast the world is, the creativity of this generation burns even brighter. They speak through their artistic creations and claim the right to tell their own stories. They also remind us that borders are strange things that can only separate and never connect, thereby dividing the world into separate parts.

So what does it mean to be a second-generation immigrant? That really is the question that this generation seeks to answer. They want only to look honestly at themselves and make their presence known. As for the question “Who am I?” they don’t need anyone to provide an answer. They are content to let their artistic creations speak for them.