Oftentimes the global imagination of Chinese people is both confused and conflicted. Both mysterious to the West (different) as well as competitive to the West (similar) China holds a precarious position. In American race relations the Chinese population is often regarded as somehow better than other minorities and therefore not colored, or at least not like really colored. In discussions about indigenous peoples or POC Chinese Americans are often neglected or overlooked or simply tacitly acknowledged as not part of the conversation.

There is something to be said of China being an ex-ThirdWorld country, that has continuously been attacked by the West and has managed to never be colonized. There is colonization in other ways, perhaps through Western media and images, and through China’s tactic of surrendering territories for the West in order to save the whole (like Hong Kong to Britain).  

This is all to say there is something really important preserved in the Chinese people that is often not recognized, and Chinese people are never regarded as indigenous. But to me I don’t see why not, we have people who are still extremely connected to the land, the practical understanding of the lunar calendar is almost common knowledge, andChinese people are extremely resourceful due to this indigeneity. In fact, I read once that Chinese Americans have the most backyard gardens, and it's true that almost all the Chinese families I know have at least tried to grow their favorite vegetable.

I love Happy Farm and see it as a symbol of Chinese indigenous knowledge and resilience. I can’t wait for next Spring and maybeI’ll go help out more to learn more!