Beijing Lights: My Days as a Child Are Slipping Away So Fast

This post is part of an ongoing series by the Spittoon Collective that aims to share some of the voices that make up Beijing’s 21.7 million humans. They ask: Who are these people we pass in the street every day? Who lives behind those endless walls of apartment windows? These interviews take a small, but meaningful look.

This is the first time a child is featured in the series. At only eight years of age, Jiang He sounds like a young adult and shows some surprisingly independent thoughts toward life and his future. These words are all his.

Jiang He, post 10s’ generation, Beijinger, primary school student

I’m eight years old this year. I think the purpose of life is to study and ultimately to work hard for the country.

I was born in Beijing, lived here my whole life. I don’t have many recollections from earlier, only a few vague memories of attending kindergarten when I was five or six, sitting in my mom’s car and feeling the breeze brush over my face on the way to school.

Kindergarten was better than primary school. You got food three times: in the morning, around noontime, and in the afternoon. I also had a girlfriend in kindergarten. She was one of my classmates. I liked her a lot. Why did I like her? I can’t explain it, all I can say is that I really did. It’s a pity that we don’t attend the same school anymore.

I attend a Muslim elementary school, and a few of my classmates are Hui. We like to eat different foods and sometimes we don’t dress the same, but aside from that I don’t see much difference between us.

After starting first grade, we have to wear a red scarf. It signals that we’re not little kids anymore but members of the Youth Vanguard. The teachers tell us the red scarf carries a lot of significance. For formal school events like the flag-raising ceremony every Monday morning, we must make sure we are wearing it properly.

Since the second grade, my homework has increased a lot. Every day when I get home after school it takes me at least one hour to finish everything. I just became a third grader this year, and I think the homework pile will only get bigger.

We study many subjects – Chinese, English, Math, Science, Art, etc. Out of all the subjects I think English is the hardest. All those words are not only so hard to remember but also so hard to write. We learn history too, both Chinese history and world history. I think learning history is very important. It is only because of history that we have today.

Every time we have a break between classes – that is my favorite time at school. After a 40-minute class, we have a 10-minute break. We get to relax a bit – we can get a drink of water or chat with friends. But the 10 minutes pass so quickly, like a strong wind. Maybe that’s also why my days as a child are slipping away so fast.

After school, I like playing weiqi and football. Some weekends I have football matches. Whenever I have a match, my mom will come with me and watch, no matter how busy or tired she is. She’s a great mom. Always responsible and caring.

For as long as I can remember, I don’t get to see my dad around that much – he is always going away on business trips. I wish he could spend more time with me, but I’ve never told him that. I’ve just never found the right chance. Even if I do have the chance, I’m too shy to say anything.

My dad is from Qingdao in Shandong. My grandparents still live there. Each year during my school holidays, I visit them. Every time I know they will prepare my favorite foods like steamed oysters and crabs for me.

Grandpa and grandma never talk about their life growing up. I never ask either. I sometimes imagine what life was like for them decades ago. There was war. There wasn’t enough food. Thinking of that, I feel so lucky to live in this era.

For my future, I’ve considered many plans, including becoming a doctor or a police officer. But I said no to them all. Those jobs seem too risky. I’m the type who doesn’t like risks.

Is there anything that has no risk at all? I doubt it. I will just try to choose the career that is least risky, even if it’s not well paid. But what if I don’t like the least-risky job?

After all these flip-flops, I find it impossible to choose, at least for now. I can only wait and see what comes to me. For the moment, I just want to live in a bigger room, to have a more fulfilling living environment.

When the new year comes, I’ll turn nine. Things will change from being eight right? By then, I might also want different things.

Edited by David Huntington

This article is provided by our content partners Spittoon Collective. You can read more content just like this from Beijing's creative literary minds via their website here. You can also find the article above in its original Chinese form here.

Image: Akiyama Ryōji [Interviewee not pictured]