When kangaroos help boost links between cultures
Bringing people together from different countries is no easy task, but one Australian native has made it her life’s mission. Jocelyn Chey worked for more than 20 years on Australia-China relations in the Australian Department of Trade and Foreign Affairs, and she continues to speak about the importance of cultural interactions even after her retirement.
During Chey’s recent visit to Beijing, she spoke at the International Conference of Australian Studies in China. Her talk was titled Chinese Kangaroos: Thoughts on Four Decades of A Bilateral Relationship.
In her speech, she addressed the progression of bilateral relations through a collection of kangaroo figures that sat on her desk for many years.
With over 40 years of experience, and only 30 minutes to speak, Chey decided that there were too many stories to tell without a theme — kangaroos.
Chey started collecting, what she calls “Chinese kangaroos”, in the late 1970s after being given a figurine by the director of the pottery and porcelain bureau of then China’s Ministry of Light Industry who she knew as Mr Chen.
“I was very touched, but to fit the kangaroo into the mold, he had to curl the tail around like a cat’s tail. He did say to me that he had never seen a kangaroo sitting like that, but he hoped that sometimes they might,” says Chey.
Chey took that as the first step to understanding another culture, where people tend to focus on the strange and exotic. By developing a greater understanding of a particular thing — in this case, a kangaroo — people can learn more about how it works in society.
She believes that diplomacy takes more effort than politics; collaboration is instead what creates a new sense of discovery. From working side-byside with her Chinese counterparts, Chey feels that a new idea can be created only from combining two truly different thoughts.
“The most important thing about cultural exchanges is that they encourage creativity and innovation. Cultural exchanges should be about collaborating and creating new things. If you don’t have outside contact with other cultures, you’re not going to make progress,” says Chey.
As a current visiting professor at the University of Sydney, Chey continues her cultural studies with subjects like Chinese humor and soft power.
The best things in life happen through chance, as was the case with Chey and humor studies. She got involved in this topic through her sister, Jessica Milner Davis, who spent time in this field at Stanford University in the United States, and the two pursued a project together upon their return to Sydney. This evolved into the sisters co-creating and editing a book titled, Humour in Chinese Life and Letters: Classical and Traditional Approaches.
This book is the first of two multi-disciplinary studies of humor in Chinese life and letters in which they aim to answer the questions: What is Chinese humor? Is it different from other kinds of humor? If it is the same, why is it the same?
Chey continues to look at the unique aspects of this topic; most recently she wrote a paper about riddles that are written for the Chinese New Year.
Chey continues to learn and appreciate new things, in addition to having many accomplishments in her career.
Her proudest achievement was working with a team to improve the quality of Chinese products in the world market while she was the director of the China branch of the International Wool Secretariat.
“That was a wonderful project, because for the first time, I found myself working hand-in-hand for a common goal. It was such a satisfying experience to be taken in and welcomed by my friends in China,” says Chey.
She continues to educate herself and others on matters of culture diplomacy and understanding. Now back in Australia, she is working on building better ties.