Cultural Awarness and Race in China

[gougou]

I actually think that Chinese people aren't really nice to any stranger regardless of ethnic origin

I don't think that is true. I often get the impression that as a white, I am treated better than a Chinese person in my place would. (Well, except for haggling at market stands...)

[malinuo]

yorkie_bear, your statement "I actually think that Chinese people aren't really nice to any stranger" is close to being a definition of racism. It could go as a perfect example into the textbooks. You claim that none of 1500 million Chinese are nice to any of the remaining humans on earth, before they get to know them? They are 1500 million individuals with 1500 million different personalities, and 1500 million different ways to behave against each of the 4500 million people who aren't Chinese.

If you had had some sort of statistics to show, it would have been one thing. If there had been a CNN poll saying that 43% of all Chinese admit to being nicer to other Chinese than to foreigners, it could have been something. But there isn't. You have nothing to back your statement up with except presumably some "general feeling" for each of 1500 million different personalities, out of which you haven't even met a thousandth.

You cannot talk for all Chinese. You cannot talk for all British born Chinese. You cannot even talk for all British born Chinese currently living in Bangkok. You are all different.

If you had said "I actually think that I, yorkie_bear, am not really nice to any stranger regardless of ethnic origin", I might have considered believing you, but it's probable that your mother would disagree.

[ask_weasal]

"The first is that it may be other factors that create bad reactions than the colour of your skin. A loud voice, an incomprehensible or simply unusual accent, a huge body, unusual clothes, lack of flexibility, lack of decisiveness, unwashed hair or beard, or just a loud laughter or about anything, that some people may find annoying with other people. Obviously, I don't know if that's the case here, but from my perspective, it is at least a possibility." -Malinuo

First of all my accent is the same as any general american so what are you implying here? Are you saying that blacks are naturally loud? That's what seems to be coming out of your post. How can I be loud when 70% of the time I walk alone? Unwashed hair??? why would anyone walk around with unwashed hair in China? What exactly is your perspective here? I don't know man you seem like one of these guys who probaly make silly comments about blacks to Chinese that further perpetuate stupid stereotypes. Whats next rap music?

[geraldc]

TBH I'm inclined to agree with Yorkie Bear, Chinese are always a bit wary of everyone at first. If you go somewhere and pretend not to speak the dialect and just listen to the comments they make about you, they can be total b*stards. Once they get to know you they're fine.

I think ask weasel and Malinluo need to calm down a bit, you both seem to have taken exception to a couple of fairly innocent posts that were both qualified.

[sarahkuang]

Hi, Randall

I am sorry you have those uncomfortable experience. You want some smile, here one for you:) .

I don't blame those chinese student. They are a special group of pepole in China. Before they enter college/university, their world are very small. I bet they don't mind anything except study. In some perspectives they are ignorance. In the other hand, I would expect mid-ageds and old folks give you a warm welcome.

I used to be a university student. You may want to know what I am thinking.

First, I think you should go to the east or the south of China, like Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shengzhen. People over there met foreigner earlyer than North. My university have had black students since 1985.

Second, I sugest you dress properly. You don't need to dress like a businessman. Chinese like standard casual clothing. No NY street black style. Cut your hair short. Shave your beard everyday.

Third, do not use strong cologne. When I was a student I hated to sit around those foreign students because their cologne was too strong to distract me from concentration.

Chinese women seldom use perfume and don't mention about men. Most pepole regard a male who use cologne as a playboy.If you want to use, try to buy some Japanese anti-perspiration products. They are light.

Next, show your friendly aspect by invite a GROUP of your students to your room or buy them a treat (ice-cream cone, a cup of yogure). Make friends with some male students frist. Untill you are very sure, don't invite only one girl to your room. You will scare her away.

Last, don't mind about those couple's behavior ( the boy see you as rival) or other ignorance. Talk to your chinese students and they will think and spread the message for you. And you can always talk to here.

Hope these would help you gain a smile while you walkdown the path.

P.S. If you go to Guangzhou, try to find a guy named "阿兰“. He is black. He is a surgery student in Sun Yat-Sen University Medical school. I hope he is still in Guangzhou. I miss him.

Good luck! I just don't you come back US with those bad memory.

[malinuo]

ask_weasal, my point was exactly the opposite of what you imply.

Any person regardless of race, creed or sex with a loud voice, unwashed hair, etc, will put some people off. I know of no "bad" properties that would be more common with black people than people with any other skin colour. I don't think race. I think individuals.

Edit: Removed most of the text, as the previous poster put it better than I did.

[malinuo]

The Standard has an article on the subject:

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/weekend_news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=19989&sid=8213841&con_type=3&d_str=20060603

[taryn]

I agree with whoever said go to Shenzhen or another city. My cousin's lived in Shenzhen for about 5 years or so and started his own consulting business. I'm suprised a country boy from Georgia can handle being there so long but he's got no plans on coming back soon. As for all the "racism" things folks have mentioned, he's been dating this one Chinese girl for several years but the last time he was home, he said he hasn't gotten married because he's having a hard time committing to be a part of Chinese culture.

I don't know how many other Americans are on this board, but those of us from the South are well aware that many people literally DIED to insure the freedoms of black (asians, latinos and everybody else) in the United States less than 50 years ago--when my parents were in their teens & 20's. Still, it was people living side by side that helped a new generation emerge that was willing to abandon the foolish ideas of their elders. As Roddy pointed out, there's no impetus for that to happen in China anytime soon.

Heck, there's places in the US I wouldn't live because there aren't enough black people. I had a roommate in college who was from hicktown Colorado who said her parents had asked her if my feet were black on the bottom. And the other day, an aquaintence told me they met kids from rural Tennessee who thought black people couldn't go to heaven because they've never seen any at their church. People really should get out more...

At the same time, if all I knew about black people was Hollywood films, social Darwinistic theories and Cultural-Revolutionized propoganda, I'd be scared as hell too!

Ignorance I can excuse but attitude (ie. insults, biased criticism), I cannot.