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| Adrian Woh/China Manchu. Photo by Haru Sameshima |
Extract from an Welcome Home, an article by Emma Farry on four Asian New Zealanders, published in Stamp magazine, Dec 1993/Jan 1994.
Adrian Woh, known onstage as China Manchu (formerly China Muffin), arrived in Auckland three years ago. He was 17, could speak very little English and had never been to school... now he writes and speaks English fluently, has a full time job in a bakery and spends the rest of his time rapping, toasting and practicing his singing.
“I've travelled all over Asia... I was crazy and got into a lot of trouble... and did petty crimes. I was born in Malaysia but I've lived in Hong Kong and Singapore. When I got to Auckland I thought it was so relaxed and easy. In this country I finally found myself and I'm now proud of who I am and what I do and my skin colour," Woh says.
"I used to be ashamed of my culture and of the European stereotypes... the way my eyes were and the fact that I had a centre parting and a round face..but different doesn't mean bad", twenty year old Woh says.
He has a number of Maori and Polynesian friends who have taught him about respecting himself and his culture. "I started doing research and realised that Polynesians are descended from Asians, so I give respect to all Polynesian peoples - they've taught me a lot." Woh says hiphop also taught him about himself and gave him an outlet to say what be feels is important.
"I take a hardcore hiphop gangsta approach even though I'm not a gangsta...I wanna be straight up and speak out proud. People should get conscious and speak out against whatever is not right in their lifestyle and the lifestyle of others. That's what I rap about. I don't wanna rap about everyday experiences - it seems like a waste of time.''
He doesn't consider himself to be political but "conscious'' which he believes is a totally different thing.
"It's just a matter of being aware of what's going on around you... with politics it just gets confused and complex."
He is happy that China's culture has stayed pretty much intact. He describes the country of his ancestors as "A staunch nation'' and is pleased that they are freeing up their society in terms of democracy and money-making, but not selling out to the West. He wouldn't want China to end up like either America or Japan.
"To me Japan is just like America.. they both do a lot of exploitation. They are becoming copycats of the Western way of life and I find that a shame."
Woh believes New Zealand is a special country because he has already been able to learn so much living here. According to him it is a more open society which allows more freedom than he ever found in Asia.
Although there are advantages about living here, Woh finds that sometimes mainstream culture still has difficulty dealing with the multiracial aspect of Auckland city. "Every day at work at the bakery I experience it. People will come in and look at the person behind me to serve them. Sometimes it annoys me and I feel like . throwing the tray in their face."
"People just don't realise how hurtful and unfeeling they're being. People aren't born racist it's just what they're taught and minds can be changed.''
"I basically wanna show people that whatever another man can do, a Chinaman can do it."
“I've travelled all over Asia... I was crazy and got into a lot of trouble... and did petty crimes. I was born in Malaysia but I've lived in Hong Kong and Singapore. When I got to Auckland I thought it was so relaxed and easy. In this country I finally found myself and I'm now proud of who I am and what I do and my skin colour," Woh says.
"I used to be ashamed of my culture and of the European stereotypes... the way my eyes were and the fact that I had a centre parting and a round face..but different doesn't mean bad", twenty year old Woh says.
He has a number of Maori and Polynesian friends who have taught him about respecting himself and his culture. "I started doing research and realised that Polynesians are descended from Asians, so I give respect to all Polynesian peoples - they've taught me a lot." Woh says hiphop also taught him about himself and gave him an outlet to say what be feels is important.
"I take a hardcore hiphop gangsta approach even though I'm not a gangsta...I wanna be straight up and speak out proud. People should get conscious and speak out against whatever is not right in their lifestyle and the lifestyle of others. That's what I rap about. I don't wanna rap about everyday experiences - it seems like a waste of time.''
He doesn't consider himself to be political but "conscious'' which he believes is a totally different thing.
"It's just a matter of being aware of what's going on around you... with politics it just gets confused and complex."
He is happy that China's culture has stayed pretty much intact. He describes the country of his ancestors as "A staunch nation'' and is pleased that they are freeing up their society in terms of democracy and money-making, but not selling out to the West. He wouldn't want China to end up like either America or Japan.
"To me Japan is just like America.. they both do a lot of exploitation. They are becoming copycats of the Western way of life and I find that a shame."
Woh believes New Zealand is a special country because he has already been able to learn so much living here. According to him it is a more open society which allows more freedom than he ever found in Asia.
Although there are advantages about living here, Woh finds that sometimes mainstream culture still has difficulty dealing with the multiracial aspect of Auckland city. "Every day at work at the bakery I experience it. People will come in and look at the person behind me to serve them. Sometimes it annoys me and I feel like . throwing the tray in their face."
"People just don't realise how hurtful and unfeeling they're being. People aren't born racist it's just what they're taught and minds can be changed.''
"I basically wanna show people that whatever another man can do, a Chinaman can do it."
China Manchu appeared on DLT's debut album The True School, in 1996. Listen to his track below. It's very dope.
ADDED DLT saw this post and filled me in a little on China Manchu's whereabouts. DLT says the last time he saw him was about 3 years ago: "He lives out east I think he was teaching kids hiphop at a church in Glenn Innes last time I saw him."
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| Stamp mag cover featuring China Manchu, from deepgrooves.co.nz |
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