From East to West – The Journey of Yue He Parkinson

Exploring the Differences Between China and the UK 

Yue He Parkinson discusses her journey from China to the UK, her journalism career, political involvement, cultural observations, and her book on China-West misunderstandings.

Julian Costley, CEO & publisher at Bite-Sized Books, interviews some of our authors to provide further background to their books and their approach to writing. This series also offers a little ‘behind-the-scenes’ glimpse into their lives and influences!

In this, the third installment of our series “Meet Our Authors,” Julian Costley, publisher at Bite-Sized Books, talks to Yue He Parkinson about her fascinating journey from China to the UK. Yue, a columnist for Financial Times Chinese, shares her insights on the comparative histories, politics, and cultures of the West and China. She also discusses her love of cooking, inspired by her friend Ken Hom, and her recent political endeavors, having switched from the Liberal Democrats to Labour and standing in the July local elections.

Join us as we delve into Yue’s unique perspective, shaped by her experiences in both China and the UK, and explore the themes of her first book with Bite-Sized Books, “China and the West: Unravelling 100 Years of Misunderstanding.” This interview promises to be a compelling exploration of cultural and political contrasts, as well as a testament to Yue’s dynamic career and personal journey.

JC – Welcome Yue. You’ve had a fascinating career and you’re currently an active journalist?

YHP – Yes, I’m a columnist for Financial Times Chinese. My life has been really interesting as living in China and the UK has enabled me to compare the massive cultural and political differences between these two countries. I’m really enjoying it. And now I’m on a new journey by standing in local elections, which is helping me to understand even more about British politics.

JC – How did you get into journalism? What did you study?

YHP – Well that goes back many years. I used to host a live TV show in Guangzhou, China, which led to my interest to journalism. And that led to my studying Journalism at a university also in Guangzhou.

JC – You work for FT Chinese based in here in the UK – what brought you here?

YHP – There were a couple reasons. Firstly, I wanted to see the world in the West. There were developments that fascinated me. It was early in the 21st century that China secured entrance to the WTO, and there was the beginning of China’s rise in global influence. Like others, I’d read loads of stuff introducing me to how developed and advanced the West is. I wanted to experience it first-hand.

At the time I’d also received a few of offers from British universities. I chose the University of Bristol and went to study International Relations (IR) in 2004. IR was a popular theme in China then as China had just started to open the door to the world and make friends with the West. I already had set my sights on becoming a TV commentator on IR and this was a job with a future for me because this position favours older people, whereas other TV jobs prefer young and beautiful faces!

JC – You’ve used that know-how and your experience so impressively to publish your first book with us; ‘China and the West: Unravelling 100 Years of Misunderstanding’. What drives this misunderstanding that you have identified?

YHP – The diverse historical paths of course. But on a personal level I’d say I’ve experienced that misunderstanding first hand. My life in the UK has been a challenge because I still have my values from my education In China. Actually, the misunderstanding is not just 100 years in the making, it’s 1,000 years.

JC – Tell us more. Living in the UK and being Chinese must give you a unique perspective. What have you most noticed about British politics, culture and life?

YHP – Wow, it has been an amazing journey for me for these last 20 years living in the UK, as nearly everything here is different, or even opposite, to China. I told many people that I have had to relearn everything in the UK, but I’m fortunate to be amongst the few who have been able to master both the cultures, history and politics. There has been a high mountain between China and the UK which has stopped people understanding each other well, yet, as far as I know, NO ONE has ever written a book about what this MOUNTAIN is. I’m proud to say I’ve done that. China is a seriously unique land, and Western conceptions simply can’t explain China well.

So far my understanding about China, UK and European history and politics is like this: If democracy and dictatorship are necessary in a political cycle, then China is still in the first cycle, which consists of four phases:

1, Feudal System (before BC221), 2, Imperial System (BC221-1911), 3, Democracy (1911-KMT/Chinese Nationalist Party overthrew the Beiyang government and took control of most of China), 4, One-Party System (KMT & CCP brought back the Communist Party model from the USSR -now). In contrast two cycles have occurred on European soil so far. The first cycle, Ancient Greece – the fall of Rome (through democracy to an imperial system). And the second cycle (Christian pope, king co-rule and finally democracy). But in the second cycle in Europe, as the strong force of Christianity was swept away, the moral bottom line and the fear of going to hell was removed, and brutal Nazis and Communists appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. And China was the result of communism supported and nurtured by imported communism from the former Soviet Union. European civilization COULD die as Rome did, and we would enter a third European cycle. It’s not impossible that Europe will eventually be defeated by its own self-inflicted misery; communism.

It may of interest for your Bite-Sized Books readers that I did a piece in my column a few months ago which posed the question; Why has the British dynasty progressed in a straight line for a thousand years?