Yuchi Posted June 19, 2004 at 03:16 AM Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 at 03:16 AM Ok this has been bugging me for quite awhile. Why do people ask such question? Do I look chinese? Does it matter if I am? I have at least one person who asks me this, every year. As the years pass, less and less do so. I mean, come on, do I ask if you're black? [/rant] ^_^ Anyone else living in a non asian country get this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pazu Posted June 19, 2004 at 03:36 AM Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 at 03:36 AM I think people are just curious about the "minority". I'm indeed in an Asian country (Vietnam) now and sometimes people come and ask me where I'm from, sometimes I tell them I'm Chinese, sometimes Ede or Bahnar, sometimes Vietnamese, sometimes "toi kho^ng bie^'t" (I don't know). hehe. I think Vietnamese recognizes me as a foreigner because of my glasses, most of my Vietnamese friends don't wear glasses. But I may go to Thailand soon (or maybe not soon, depends on my visa), so let's see what the Thai will ask me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nnt Posted June 19, 2004 at 07:30 AM Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 at 07:30 AM Pazu: Singapore is a better choice ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holyman Posted June 19, 2004 at 04:25 PM Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 at 04:25 PM i often get the korean or japanese question... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quest Posted June 19, 2004 at 05:04 PM Report Share Posted June 19, 2004 at 05:04 PM i often get the korean or japanese question... WOW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xuechengfeng Posted June 20, 2004 at 02:40 AM Report Share Posted June 20, 2004 at 02:40 AM I'm pretty white, so people usually don't ask if I'm Chinese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizaberth Posted June 21, 2004 at 04:03 AM Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 at 04:03 AM Pazu: Singapore is a better choice yeah, it is a good place, with hidden dangers.... : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wushijiao Posted June 21, 2004 at 07:29 AM Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 at 07:29 AM As a foreigner living in China, I get asked maybe 2 or 3 times a day what nationality I am. I say "American", then I aks their nationality! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pazu Posted June 21, 2004 at 11:43 AM Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 at 11:43 AM Pazu: Singapore is a better choice ... I can't quite get it... but have I touched your nerve again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shibo77 Posted June 21, 2004 at 12:07 PM Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 at 12:07 PM No chewing gum, are you kidding me!! -Shibo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perjp Posted June 21, 2004 at 01:51 PM Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 at 01:51 PM I'm a white guy living in China, and I don't look the least bit Asian. However, on two separate occations I have been asked whether or not I am Xinjiangren! Once a real Xinjiangren asked me the question. Some of my Chinese friends suggested that these people probably have their eyes under their feet... I found this quite amusing, and I now often say I'm from Xinjiang whenever a Chinese person asks me where I'm from (which is about ten times a day)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSkillet Posted June 21, 2004 at 04:28 PM Report Share Posted June 21, 2004 at 04:28 PM I get this question a lot, because I'm living in an American city where the majority of asians are actually Vietnamese. It doesn't really bother me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizaberth Posted June 23, 2004 at 03:39 AM Report Share Posted June 23, 2004 at 03:39 AM I can't quite get it... but have I touched your nerve again? no, babe, ain't got nothin' to do with ya. i don't agree with this... Singapore is a better choice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePhatGentleman Posted June 24, 2004 at 05:10 PM Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 at 05:10 PM I sometimes ask that question to certain people. I didn't know it makes people feel uneasy. Sometimes I want to practice my chinese and so I ask if the person is chinese. However, after getting weird looks I haved decided it is better to not ask. When I was in China I noticed asking this question was not a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haoqide Posted June 24, 2004 at 05:15 PM Report Share Posted June 24, 2004 at 05:15 PM I occasionally ask people that question, only I ask it in Chinese so that they know I'm interested in speaking the language rather than just being a rude white guy. I'm usually right, at least. Getting better at telling the ethnicities apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_Lee Posted July 20, 2004 at 12:13 AM Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 at 12:13 AM Actually this is an interesting topic. But first of all, can anybody define how should a Chinese look like? For my personal experience, I have been recognized as many nationals. The supervisor in my Japanese company used to say that I looked exactly like a Japanese. When I entered with my Japanese colleague into the soapland in Japan, I was never denied. (They have a policy not to entertain foreigners.) During a working Sunday in Seoul when I needed to be out on the field, 4-5 nice looking Korean ladies came to ask me direction (I always wonder how come the Koreans don't know their capital), I could only reply "morayeo". Over here in US, everybody thinks that I am a local unless my accent is detected after 2-minutes' conversation. And in HK, everybody knows that I am a local too. But in Shanghai, even though I didn't speak, many people would give me a glimpse and probably they were aware that I was not a local. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyWaffle Posted July 20, 2004 at 05:23 AM Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 at 05:23 AM better than being accused of being an amerikan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xuechengfeng Posted July 20, 2004 at 05:41 AM Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 at 05:41 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebirthdream Posted September 13, 2004 at 03:36 PM Report Share Posted September 13, 2004 at 03:36 PM I'm a white guy living in China, and I don't look the least bit Asian. However, on two separate occations I have been asked whether or not I am Xinjiangren! Once a real Xinjiangren asked me the question. Some of my Chinese friends suggested that these people probably have their eyes under their feet... Actually......... Xinjiangren have a tendency to look like Westerners. ^^; Their facial features usually include a taller nose, larger eye line, more prominent forehead. Generally, they can be full Chinese, but still look as if they're dominantly Western, mixed with Chinese blood. So it's not unusual that if you can speak Chinese, but look Western, people will assume that you're Xinjiangren. This could also be attributed to the fact that Asian people can't think out of the square sometimes. -__-'' Kind like how if you're Asian, and go to Japan, they'll just assume you're Japanese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alveranter Posted September 13, 2004 at 04:50 PM Report Share Posted September 13, 2004 at 04:50 PM No one ever asks me whether I'm chinese.. argh.. Can't chinese have blue eyes too?? Hm.. seriously.. can chinese have blue eyes..? natural science was never/isn't my best subject... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.