刘欣的演讲——The Mirror and I

I like to look into the mirror. I remember when I was a little girl, I often stood on my toes, trying to find my face in the mirror of the dressing table which was nearly as high as I was. Now I still like to look into the mirror. Only now, the dressing table is to low for me. As I bend down, I see the face of a young woman, growing with maturity, confident in her future and fascinated with her own reflection.

The fact that I like to look into the mirror has to do with my granny with whom I spent most my childhood. I remember clearly that one night I heard her murmuring,” Women can't be seen. Women can't be seen." I was very confused as to look into the mirror the next morning to check if I could indeed see myself. Only now as a young woman myself, can I understand that it was not physical visibility that granny had on her mind.

Granny spent all her life taking care of the family, day in and day out. She cooked for her husband and 10 children. But whenever guests came, she and other female family members had to eat by the stove in the small kitchen. At family discussions, she was never asked for her opinion. After grandpa passed away, she had to listen to my uncle, her eldest son, who became master of the house. Though years of toil, she fulfilled her duty as daughter, wife, and mother; yet as a person, she remained little noticed. Even though she could see herself in the mirror of the dressing table, she was never visible in the mirror of society.

I had been living a different life. At home, I made decisions together with the rest of the family. In school, I often take charge of various activities the same as other boys and girls. Not only that, I can see something granny could not have dreamed of--making decisions for my own future. My life has been a series of decisions. I could choose from several universities as I came out of high school. At university could choose from a range of subjects from English literature to business law. And now upon graduation, I am again faced decisions--to further my study or go to work; to stay in China or go abroad; to get married right away or to remain single for a bit longer. It does not matter whether or not I will become famous or rich, but I will treasure the chance to demonstrate my potential and to help other women demonstrate theirs as full members of society ,full visible in the mirror in the history. I will treasure it because the abundance of choice that I enjoy came only after decades of effects made by my granny, my mum, and millions of other Chinese women.

However the choices to be made by me and others of my generation are a great challenge. The misconception of men are superior to women is still dominating many people's minds. Will men are encouraged to compete and to assert themselves, we are expected to be quiet, loyal and obedient. This is not very different form what is expected of us as good wives and good mother. The challenge we face calls for a higher level of our personal development and self-determination.

The story of my grandmother and myself mirrors the lives of millions of other women in China and perhaps in the world. Many of them still lead the life of my grandmother. Their worth is not yet recognized. It is the responsibility of a young person like me to work hard and struggle hard so that they will see themselves and will be seen in the mirror of society.

This is my dream. This dream, I believe, is not only share by our grandmothers, mothers and sisters, but also by our mothers, brothers, husbands and male colleagues. It will not come true until everyone fully realizes that women can contribute to society and should be guaranteed the right to do so. Women hold half the sky.