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‘Broken Mirror’ Reveals the Truth Behind Chinese-Filipino Marriages

There has always been a mirky stereotype that goes with a Chinese man marrying a Filipino woman. This combination of interracial union has brought unpleasant stories compared to other races marrying a Pinay like let’s say, Caucasian or Japanese.

But of course, it’s politically incorrect to say the the union of Chinese and Filipino is bound for tragedy as there are a few cases that became successful in raising a functional and happy family. However, due to numerous cases of maltreatment among such couples (between Chinese husband and Filipino wife) that it becomes a stereotype. And now, more secrets inside Chinese-Filipino marriages are revealed via the book “Broken Mirror” by renowned author Coylee Gamboa, based from the life story of Aurora Teo Mei Ling, which was launched last January 27, 2017 at the Manila Grand Opera Hotel in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

Broken Mirror Launch

Who is Aurora?

Aurora Teo Mei Ling is the co-author of the book and all the drama written in it was based from her experiences as chronicled by Coylee Gamboa. It’s largely an autobiography of her marriage life with a pure Chinese man and there were also accounts of her lonely childhood growing up as a Filipino-Chinese herself.

Some names and details in the book, however, were altered to protect the identity of her children.

The book’s synopsis:

Legend says that, when a child is born, a mirror is forged to reflect the new soul so care must be taken not to break the mirror for that would bring bad luck. Aurora’s streak of bad luck ran seven times seven years.

Losing her mother at two, Aurora, as a child, was made to feel unwanted and unworthy of love. As a young adult, she mistook lust for love and entered into relationships with men who abused her. Eventually, she married an immigrant from China and strove to be a traditional Chinese wife.

Aurora shows us the secret world of Filipino Chinese marriages. In a culture where a woman’s silence in the face of abuse and maltreatment is viewed as a virtue because of self-sacrifice and submission, Aurora defies tradition as she breaks the code of silence and divulges secrets of a Chinese marriage.

It was never a hidden fact: there has always been an unpleasant stereotype that goes with a Chinese getting into a relationship with a Filipino. So many years after, when things, mindset, and ideas tend to be more liberal, we wonder, what’s the real deal now? Has anything changed in this dating situation?

Titlecard from www.brokenmirrorph.com

Titlecard from www.brokenmirrorph.com

The inspiration for “Broken Mirror”

“It came from a short story that I told my nephew before about a maze of mirrors,” says Gamboa. “In one corner of the maze was this mirror full of cobwebs and shrouded. That mirror was broken. And anybody who peered into it lost their soul. And the soul could never return.”

“In a legend also, says when you are born, a mirror is fashioned specially for you. And you have to take care that the mirror doesn’t break because your soul will be trapped in the mirror otherwise. And even back from Roman times, mirrors have magical qualities. It reveals things about people. China also has a custom that a bride must never show her personal mirror to any of her guests. I don’t know why. So we put these altogether and I offered it to Aurora to reflect on the story of broken mirror and then she came up with an answer. She said ‘I believe my life is on both sides of the mirror, looking in and looking out.’ Sometimes she’s a child who was trapped on the other side of the mirror and sometimes she’s looking at the mirror, looking at her reflection. But her reflection was cracked because the mirror got cracked when her mother was murdered, she was 2 years old at that time. So from the time on, her perception of herself was never correct. She grew up unloved. She grew up unwanted. So that warped her image of herself. So you can imagine that as a person growing up you always think that you’re not worthy of love. You’re worthless. And all of the hardships that she’s gotten, hers was the search for love and a hunger for love, and she thought she found it in her marriage. But when her husband proved unfaithful to her, then her mirror cracked even more. So that’s where we are today in that state. Then she discovers that mirrors can be mended but they are mended only by going through a crucible, a burning process and melting process. And that is what she has endured in her life. Such hardships that put her through a crucible. The nice thing about it is that she comes out of it beginning to feel whole again, able to love herself, and hopeful that there will be love in her life.”

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According to Gamboa, her publisher–Caelestis Production–is planning to launch “Broken Mirror” in select international markets. She is also hoping that the explosive story of Aurora will be made into a movie someday.

The book is now available for P500/copy in the following Fullybooked branches: BGC, Powerplant Mall, Alabang Town Center, Greenhills Promenade, Greenbelt 5, Mall of Asia, Century Mall and Eastwood Mall. It will also become available in National Book Store, soon.

For updates on “Broken Mirror,” visit www.brokenmirrorph.com and www.whoisaurora.com and follow the book’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/brokenmirrorph and official Instagram account: @brokenmirrorph.

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