A matter of identity

A matter of identity

When I was a teenager in Canada, it was still a period of immigration for Italians. Among the Canadian community, Italians were all from Rome - this is what they said. How many times didn't I hear French Canadian girls saying they were marrying a Roman? As the capital of Italy, Rome is populated by Italians from all over the country, and this is why it is empty during the summer: They all go back to their hometowns for the holidays. Those who emigrated might have taken their flight from Rome airport at most. True Romans didn't emigrate: They were established, had a stable position and enjoyed property. When I asked several "Romans" why they didn't say the truth, I got the answer that Canadians only know Rome, not Reggio di Calabria, Avezzano or Campobasso.

The same phenomenon can be seen in Beijing. Beijingers of the third generation are only a handful. Beijing inhabitants are mostly waidiren, or outsiders. Nothing surprising and nothing bad. But what is surprising is how people try to erase their real identity and make others believe they are "old" Beijing citizens.