| Description | An interview with Eva GOLDING, a married woman with two sons, one daughter, who is a Business partner, born in Hong Kong and now living in Birmingham. Eva GOLDING’s father was a labourer, born in China and her mother a market trader born in China. In the interview, she talks about …
'EVA GOLDING MS2255/2/094 Logged by Lorraine Blakemore
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My name is Eva Golding….I was born in Hong Kong on 17th April, 1959.
Family background. Lived in the equivalent of an English council estate. Traditional Chinese family. Importance of education irrespective of social status. Lived in cramped accommodation.
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Attended a Western style school with Chinese characteristics. Found school very pressurised.
1.16 Attended a Catholic girls’ secondary school.
1.52 Didn’t perform as well in exams as other children.
3.13 In those days in Hong Kong, there were only 2 or 3 universities….only the brightest could go…a lot go to colleges or in the workforce….
4.24 From the day you are born, throughout your working life it’s just competition…
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35” Arrived in England where her brother was living.
1.08 Got a place in a private English language learning school in London.
1.26 Then went to East Ham college to study for a Foundation in Art.
2.18 When I was in Hong Kong I thought England was advanced…a prosperous country…I imagined…high-rise…It was my first time to see traditional houses…
4.00 Not much opportunity to mix with English people.
4.23 Chinatown wasn’t that good…I came to England in 1978 and Chinatown then was just one, grubby street….
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Felt lonely at first in London.
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Describes how she came to be a student at East Ham College.
1.16 Very permissive atmosphere at art college.
1.39 Contrasts studying in Hong Kong and England.
2.37 Suffered depression for 2 years.
3.01 Story about meeting husband at East Ham College.
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54” Worried that parents would not approve of boyfriend.
1.40 Moved to Byam Shaw College of Art.
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I was Christian…since I was very little…I claimed that I believed in Jesus…Looking back now it was the influence of people around me, but it really wasn’t from my heart…until I came to England…It made me think more deeply and become more confused….I went to a strong Chinese church in Baker Street….I couldn’t settle down there…I went along with Mark to an English church…I relied on him for everything…that partly contributed to my depression…
3.29 Married in 1982 after graduation.
3.50 Mother came to England to meet Mark and approved of him.
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An American pastor at Birmingham Bible Institute was running a print workshop and asked Mark to take over.
1.07 Found Birmingham gloomy and not particularly interesting.
1.54 Offered a room at the college, but not settled so applied for Housing Association accommodation.
2.38 Birmingham city centre wasn’t really attractive at all. My life was around the Bible College and church…we went to a type of charismatic church in Northfield…Gospel Outreach…
3.39 All our friends were Christians…I had this desire that I really wanted to get on with my art….but no artist friends and no galleries…
4.54 Liked to work with paper as a medium.
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Describes art work.
2.42 Felt no motivation to continue art when in Birmingham.
3.43 First son born in 1985. Second son born in 1986. Daughter born in 1995.
4.50 Relationship with children.
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How relationship with children differs from parents' relationship with Eva.
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33” House prices were going up….We must buy otherwise we’ll never be able to afford a house…We bought a house in Perry Barr…
2.19 Describes Perry Barr and the house they lived in.
3.04 Children’s education. Won Government Assisted place to King Edward’s School.
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Opened up a shop with her sister in Arcadian Centre in 1992.
1.13 They tried to turn one street of the Arcadian into a type of Chinatown…So I thought why not open up a specialist Chinese shop….Gradually I stocked more and more Chinese things…
2.50 In the late 80s we had a mortgage with negative equity and my husband’s business wasn’t doing well…
3.19 Became an interpreter in 1989.
4.07 I wrote to police headquarters and they invited me to take a test….told I had passed…
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Details work undertaken for police.
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Husband set up computer business in Arcadian Centre. One of the first computer shops in city centre.
2.00 Moved to Bournville in 1996.
2.37 When we moved to Perry Barr we went to another church….but not as intense. By then we felt a bit disillusioned, maybe we wanted to break away….we needed a bit of space for ourselves…Sometimes I feel a bit guilty because my children are not going to Sunday schools…At home we still live a Christian life…
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Being pregnant with third child.
1.14 I carried on with my business and we moved in 1998 to the Bull Ring Centre…it’s called Chinese Cultural Xchange…it’s the only type of Chinese shop in the West Midlands….Details type of products sold.
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Describes customers.
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When I was in the Bull Ring Centre I was reading books from my own shelves…I felt a desire to know people more…choose a subject….I chose psychology….at GCSE level…it was a kick start….I enrolled to OU….Describes course.
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Apart from being employed by the police and the courts, all my life I’ve been running my own business…In a way I don’t think I am employable…I can make my own decisions…more flexible to bring up a family…and I don’t think I’m a stereotypical businesswoman…not that I want to make a lot of money….I like to be creative….
2.19 Not enough time to pursue own art work extensively.
3.12 From an artist’s point of view Birmingham is more exciting….more awareness of art…Birmingham is always changing…
ENDS. |