Add another item to the ever growing list of expressions of Chinese-ness: Irish-Chinese (or Chinese-Irish) political representative.  This story came to my attention today:

An Alliance candidate has become the first person
from an ethnic minority background to take a seat in the Northern
Ireland Assembly.

Anna Lo, who is the chief executive of the Chinese Welfare Association, was elected in South Belfast.

Ms Lo, originally from Hong Kong, secured the fourth highest vote in the constituency, with 3,829 first preference votes.

She said her decision to stand had been an extension of her community work.

She said she also wanted to give a voice to Chinese
people who never felt they had any part to play in Northern Ireland
politics.

     A woman born and raised in Hong Kong now represents both Catholics and Protestants in the Northern Ireland Assembly.  When you think about it, it makes perfect sense: who better to bridge the long-standing Northern Ireland political divide than a Chinese woman:

Alliance Party Leader David Ford commented:

"Anna is a proven leader, with a strong track record in community relations and community development work.

"Anna’s candidature is a major watershed The population
in Northern Ireland has become much more diverse over recent years. It
is time that our politics caught up.

"Today, the notion that Northern Ireland consists of only ‘two communities’ has been dealt a devastating blow.

"As a cross-community party, Alliance has been to the
forefront of efforts to build an inclusive and integrated Northern
Ireland. This is much more than Protestant-Catholic relations.

     This is great.  It reminds us, once again, of the global presence of Chinese people and the blurring boundaries of ethnic-cultural identity.  We are all hybrid now!  Ms. Lo’s experience broadens the definition of Irish-ness as it simultaneously extends the reality of Chinese-ness.  A girl now growing up in China can aspire to elected office in Northern Ireland.

    Now, if we can just make those National People Congress elections more democratic…

    Best wishes to Ms. Lo as she embarks on her political career.  May the luck of the Irish (or should we say the qi of the Irish) be with her!