Being a “sort of” alien in China

Before I tell you some of my experiences of living in China, I feel some background information is needed. So, firstly I am British. I don’t really like to categorise myself, or anyone else for that matter, but I would say I am “white-British”. I do have a Singaporean grandfather, but other than by blood we have no relationship. Oh family affairs… I had no direct connection to Asian culture in my family other than through the regulars, Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Chinatown and the local Chinese restaurant called The Abacus.

In Britain people have said I look Asian, in particular the South East Asian countries (most people cannot pinpoint my heritage, I get Spanish, Moroccan, Middle Eastern, South American just to name a few) , despite this confusion I only really have the previously mentioned grandfather that is “non-white”. I have no qualms with people confusing me with other races and I am proud of my honey-coloured skin tone; it makes a good conversation starter and with Britain’s acceptance of anyone from any background I generally have no problem. However, after coming to China I started to be more aware of how I looked.

Now, some background understanding of China. I wish to say, this is purely an observation, I know many people in China and I have only met a few that I did not like due to their views. No country is truly innocent and China is no exception. The dominant ethnicity in China is the Han, or Han Chinese. China has numerous other races, but many of them are side-lined to under-developed areas. I am sure many have heard of the Tibetans in China, well that is just one province within China that has these issues. Another province that faces many difficulties is Xinjiang (shin gee-ang, for anyone wanting to know how to pronounce it), this province is home to people that look more Turkish than what you might expect. Think of a person from Uzbekistan and you will know what they look like. Now, these guys get the wrong end of the stick A LOT! I shall spare the politics for now, but the long and short of it is: look at any impoverish area in any part of the world, and think how are those people viewed. Of course, some fit that negative connotation, but the majority do not. The people of Xinjiang are just that. They are perceived to be thieves, ruffians and downright dangerous, but the ones I have met are beautifully curious people that have warm faces.

So, back to me and my life in China. Remember I said my appearance had chameleonic qualities; many people could not guess where I was from. Now, in China due to my slightly Asiatic facial features and the beard I have (a common defining feature of Xinjiang people), I get mistaken as a Xinjiang person. This has advantages and disadvantages; if I go to the fruit and veg market I do not get conned; many foreigners away from the beaten track get hounded by innocent Chinese people wanting a photo with them, I do not. While a black or white guy would stick out like a sore thumb on a bus, with the crowd trying to secretly take a photo of the unsuspecting tourist, I just blend in.

Despite these scenarios, there can be a bad side. There have been times where I would walk on to a train and as the doors open a young lady catches a glimpse of me as I am about to step on. She then quickly grabs her bag, assuring herself that she has not been pickpocketed and only relaxes until I have found a spot on the train somewhere away from her. Now, I am not a thief, and I am cool being a “walking warning sign” for pickpockets if it helps, but when I think about it I get upset. I think it is sad that a group of people could be so blatantly misconstrued and treated so negatively. But this is something that can be clearly seen around the world; there are not many countries that can say that their minority is completely accepted. This segregation and lack of understanding will only create more animosity; hate breeds hate.

So what is my overall message? I suppose, think about the marginalised people that you interact with. The outsiders have feelings too you know. While you fear them due to the reputation, they have the same hopes and dreams as you. I recently saw a music video by Ray BLK that really made me think about the outsiders and I think highlights the plight of the little man.

I originally wanted to talk about the more humorous experiences of being a foreigner in China, but that might be a bit insensitive considering the content of this post. So that shall be next.

Until next time friends,
The Monkey that be Joshua