Zhao Gu Gammage (HC '25) in a Q&A with Professor Shiamin Kwa

Below is a Q&A from spring 2024 with Zhao Gu Gammage, a Bi-Co East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALC) major at Haverford ('25), and Shiamin Kwa, Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and the Eugenia Chase Guild Chair in the Humanities at Bryn Mawr College.

Tell us about yourself.

I’m an EALC major, Philosophy and Chinese Language minor. I’ve been involved in student journalism, first as a reporter and later editor-in-chief for the school newspaper, The Clerk, where I’ve reported on everything from the tuition hike to admissions to the shift to STEM. Outside of what I do, I’d say I’m very inquisitive and curious.

When did you decide to major in EALC, and what was the deciding factor?

I came in wanting to study Classics, having become invested in high school. Then, I shifted to Philosophy and EALC and declared a double major. I was considering EALC as a major in the fall of my sophomore year when I decided to switch from Latin to Mandarin to prepare for studying abroad in China (which I just returned from). Studying abroad in China was the defining factor in my decision to major in EALC.

I engineered the EALC major around studying abroad in China and, in order to study abroad in China, I started to learn the language in the fall of my sophomore year. EALC was the perfect major for me to both learn the language and study abroad in the country. I figured that starting to learn Mandarin from sophomore year to senior year and the study abroad classes would account for around half of the major, so I might as well complete the major.

Why EALC?

Choosing EALC was partly practical: the classes taken to prepare for study abroad and the classes during study abroad would account for around half of the major. But I also chose EALC in part to understand China--its history, politics, and language—outside of what I read online. China dominates American headlines, yet many don’t understand the country and its view on US-China relations. This major allows me to develop the historical, critical thinking, language, and writing skills necessary to understand US-China relations and hopefully shift them.

What courses have you taken, and do you have recommendations for EALC potential majors about courses that they should take to learn about the major?

I’ve actually only taken two elective EALC classes: Professor Jiang’s class at BMC on Human Rights in China and Professor Duan’s class at HC on China and Africa, in addition to Chinese language and the junior seminar class. I recommend both classes because both are on very timely and interesting topics that have helped me to understand China’s domestic and foreign affairs. Generally, though, I think any potential major should just take classes that interest them. We now have a Korean language and culture professor, so you can learn about three countries in the region and take anything from K-pop to East Asia’s Cold War. Almost all of the EALC classes are cross-listed with another department, which makes it a two-birds-with-one-stone-type situation and lets you learn about, for instance, Visual Studies AND East Asia.

Can you tell us about what you did in your Spring '24 study abroad?

I traveled around China a lot. I've been to around 10 cities, going as far west as Lanzhou in Gansu province to Beijing, Shanghai, Changsha in the South, and Dali in the Southwest. Although classes were still small (my biggest class is around 15 students) and very discussion-heavy, the public holidays and program trips allowed me to go to several cities in the country. Class-wise, I studied Chinese language (the study abroad program uses the same text as the Bi-Co does, so I picked up where I left off), Chinese foreign policy, and Shanghai history, both of which are in English. My classes were taught by Chinese professors, which has been valuable since I learned Chinese people’s views on certain topics.

Aside from classes, I also interned at the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Center. At the museum, I learned about Chinese propaganda posters, their history, visual techniques, rhetoric, and, of course, the Chinese language. I also gave tours, sold tickets, and helped prepare posters for abroad exhibits. For instance, I was packaging a set of Calendar Girl posters from the 1920s and 30s featuring a Chinese woman in Western dress advertising anything from beer to fertilizer. Another time, I was working with dazibao (大字报) (big character posters), which are original posters from the Cultural Revolution.

The program paired me with a local roommate, which allowed me to really get to know what Chinese young people are like. Overall, I loved my time in China. Besides improving my language skills A LOT, it also allowed me to gain a new perspective and firsthand experience about China.

How has EALC or EALC topics influenced your non-major activities? For example, I know you were interested in journalism even before you came to the college. Has your work in the major or in your study abroad shifted your focus in any way?

Before coming to China I’d occasionally write about EALC topics, mainly covering EALC-related events at Haverford for the communications department, such as the “Our Roots” event last fall and the emergence of the Korean Culture Club, while at the same time writing about non-EALC topics.

Being in China, EALC has definitely taken the forefront of my writing. While abroad, I’ve written (and am currently writing) for the CET student blog. My first blog post was on how surprised I was about America’s influence in China. Who would’ve guessed Starbucks and Yankees hats are everywhere in Shanghai? I’ve just finished writing an article about my experience speaking with Chinese people in Arabic and the different kinds of mosque architecture I saw in Shanghai, and I have a few other articles in the works. I’ve also been quoted in the Christian Science Monitor about my experience in China. Starting on September 12, I'll have an exhibit in the Haverford Arts Center, VCAM, which will delve into my learnings in China. It'll include a poster from the propaganda museum I interned at, my experiences with Arabic in China, Chinese newspapers, and more! So EALC and being in China has definitely shifted into being the focal point of my activities right now.

The major and studying abroad has definitely shifted my perspective on China and given me the ability to understand the history, language, culture, and people. Having started learning the language two years ago, I was glad to have a foundation before coming to China and the elective classes I’ve taken in Shanghai taught by Chinese professors has definitely given me perspective into not only the content of the course but also the different teaching styles in American and Chinese classrooms. Before studying abroad, my study of China was mainly confined to the classroom, and I would not think about China outside of class except if I was reading newspaper headlines. However, living in China has made me want to counteract the negative narratives we hear about the country.

What are you looking forward to in your senior year?

There’s a lot I’m looking forward to. First and foremost is the VCAM exhibit opening in the second week of classes. I've been working on it for about half a year now, so I'm really excited for it to be up. I’m also looking forward to getting back to campus in general. Having the semester away has given me a good deal of perspective that I want to apply when I get back to the US. Outside of China-related things, I’m also starting Arabic in the fall and looking forward to learning the language and being the “cool senior” to the underclassmen.

You have generously taken on the major rep role for next year. Any new ideas you want to share with us? 

I’ll be living in PANA House, the pan-Asian housing, next semester, and I’m thinking of ways in which PANA and EALC could come together. I'm mostly thinking about doing some sort of meet-and-greet event or adding some sort of talk/panel during a Chinese holiday or the start of the semester. We’ll see!

Anything else you would like prospective students to know?

Study abroad (especially to China). I’m not saying that just because I studied abroad in China, but because studying abroad generally is an invaluable experience. Getting out of the Haverbubble and, more broadly, the American bubble takes you out of your comfort zone and into a totally new environment that will allow you to reflect on America in a new way. You’ll learn so much about yourself and the world around you. I recommend studying in China, particularly because gaining firsthand experience in the country and forming your own judgments about China is much more valuable than just reading American articles (or scrolling past TikToks). Right now both China and America are trying to promote Americans studying abroad to China because both countries realize the importance of cross-cultural interactions, something essential in US-China relations and in life generally.