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https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/national-day-2023-singaporean-identity-3682646
"MY FAMILY, HOUSE AND JOB ARE HERE"
When Ms Jessica Zhuang, 36, had to give up her Chinese citizenship, she did not struggle emotionally.
“The only thing was, when I brought my Chinese passport to the embassy, I thought I might get scolded for renouncing my citizenship. Maybe it was a bit of a guilty conscience, but they didn’t scold me,” she said with a laugh.
Ms Zhuang, who became a citizen in August last year, felt she had completely assimilated into life in Singapore, where she has lived for most of her adult life.
“I’m used to life here,” she said, speaking to CNA in a mix of Mandarin and English. “Some Singaporeans have become my true friends – people I can turn to when I have problems.
“My family, house and job are all in Singapore. I don’t plan to leave. Becoming a citizen was a very natural thing,” said Ms Zhuang, who works as a research fellow at the National University of Singapore. She got married in Singapore and has an eight-year-old daughter.
Ms Jessica Zhuang said she celebrated National Day long before she became a citizen. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Ms Zhuang moved here when she was 18 and completed her undergraduate studies at NUS.
She recalls attending a National Day Parade (NDP) preview show one year when she was still a student.
“I found it quite magical, because National Day in China is a serious occasion with military displays, and the emcees are solemn,” she said.
Singapore’s NDP, on the other hand, seemed like an occasion for younger people.
“I was told I just have to wear red or white, the emcees kept saying ‘make some noise’. I thought to myself, this is how National Day is celebrated? It was quite shocking to me,” she said.
“It felt so joyful and celebratory, like a birthday party. It was refreshing.”
Nowadays, she celebrates National Day by watching the parade or going to see fireworks. One year, she and a friend baked a red velvet National Day cake.
In 2021, Ms Jessica Zhuang and her friend made a cake decorated with the Singapore flag and Merlion on National Day. (Photo: Jessica Zhuang)
Asked what makes her Singaporean, Ms Zhuang said with a smile: “I know how to order coffee at the coffeeshops – kopi-c, teh-c siew dai, I know kosong too. That’s something I learnt here.”
"MY FAMILY, HOUSE AND JOB ARE HERE"
When Ms Jessica Zhuang, 36, had to give up her Chinese citizenship, she did not struggle emotionally.
“The only thing was, when I brought my Chinese passport to the embassy, I thought I might get scolded for renouncing my citizenship. Maybe it was a bit of a guilty conscience, but they didn’t scold me,” she said with a laugh.
Ms Zhuang, who became a citizen in August last year, felt she had completely assimilated into life in Singapore, where she has lived for most of her adult life.
“I’m used to life here,” she said, speaking to CNA in a mix of Mandarin and English. “Some Singaporeans have become my true friends – people I can turn to when I have problems.
“My family, house and job are all in Singapore. I don’t plan to leave. Becoming a citizen was a very natural thing,” said Ms Zhuang, who works as a research fellow at the National University of Singapore. She got married in Singapore and has an eight-year-old daughter.
Ms Jessica Zhuang said she celebrated National Day long before she became a citizen. (Photo: CNA/Gaya Chandramohan)
Ms Zhuang moved here when she was 18 and completed her undergraduate studies at NUS.
She recalls attending a National Day Parade (NDP) preview show one year when she was still a student.
“I found it quite magical, because National Day in China is a serious occasion with military displays, and the emcees are solemn,” she said.
Singapore’s NDP, on the other hand, seemed like an occasion for younger people.
“I was told I just have to wear red or white, the emcees kept saying ‘make some noise’. I thought to myself, this is how National Day is celebrated? It was quite shocking to me,” she said.
“It felt so joyful and celebratory, like a birthday party. It was refreshing.”
Nowadays, she celebrates National Day by watching the parade or going to see fireworks. One year, she and a friend baked a red velvet National Day cake.
In 2021, Ms Jessica Zhuang and her friend made a cake decorated with the Singapore flag and Merlion on National Day. (Photo: Jessica Zhuang)
Asked what makes her Singaporean, Ms Zhuang said with a smile: “I know how to order coffee at the coffeeshops – kopi-c, teh-c siew dai, I know kosong too. That’s something I learnt here.”