A New Name
In a dangerous time when there's so much irrational hatred for China, I have decided to write under the name Zhang Hé. It's one of several literary pseudonyms I’ve adopted over time. As a name, it serves as a vessel for the values I choose to embody. Though I am both Filipino and Chinese by blood, my indigenous Cebuano lineage is visibly etched into my physical features and upbringing. Yet I often lean into my Chinese heritage out of philosophical necessity. There is a kind of discipline, integrity, resourcefulness, and moral clarity embedded in that Eastern tradition that I find lacking in the dominant cultural ethos around me.
Too many Filipinos, I’ve observed, are conditioned to seek affirmation from foreign voices. They crave validation, especially from the West, and recoil from truths that challenge their self-image. This sensitivity, or this refusal to confront uncomfortable realities has made the nation vulnerable to manipulation. It’s precisely this cultural fragility that certain international powers exploit, trading flattery and illusion for access to our land, our labor, and our strategic value. Behind the curtain of diplomacy lies a military agenda that treats our sovereignty as collateral.
I don’t need to declare myself “pro-China" which is a forbidden word among the Filipino liberals and leftist groups. My ancestry speaks for itself. But more profoundly, I stand against the Western machinery of control in the form of economic coercion, cultural erasure, and political puppetry. These are modern forms of enslavement, dressed in the language of partnership and progress, yet designed to keep nations like ours dependent and divided.
Blind allegiance to any state, especially to the West, has never been my stance. I recognize that adopting a pro-US position may be safer and more socially acceptable, particularly given that identifying as Chinese invites substantial opposition. In my own country, I face harsher criticism for this identity than I would as a combative Filipino. Still, this is my stand, and I will not back down.
Personally, I am reclaiming dignity, cultivating discernment, and resisting the narratives that have kept me small, even if my methods are laced with irony. Through my writing, I aim to challenge the myths I’ve inherited and awaken a deeper sense of personal integrity. Being Chinese isn't a gesture of anonymity at all, it is my provocative act of rebellion.
