5 ms·

How easily can a non-ethnic Chinese person integrate into Chinese society though?

by workthrowaway27 9y ago

jbrun 9y ago
You have to marry Chinese.
- ddorian43 9y ago
  Damn Zuckerberg many steps ahead
- horsecaptin 9y ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2_L71lFItk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2_L71lFItk
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
logfromblammo 9y ago
China (practically synonymous with Han ethnicity) has been shockingly racist by modern western standards for thousands of years. And that largely stems from the fact that Han culture has been mostly stable and very successful for most of those thousands of years. They only got a blip of doubt in their total confidence of racial superiority when American-European culture suddenly lurched ahead economically within the last 200 years. White people earned temporary, grudging status as near-equals by making a colossal pile of money while building massive new empires around the world, while China was busy still being the best China that ever China'd. The thought in the back of the Han-Chinese mind is that the success of the West is but a temporary condition, and that once the technological gap closes, China will once again be the undisputed center of the world, populated by the best, smartest, and most sophisticated people. There is almost zero self-awareness of their own racism, and barely an inkling of consideration that racism might even be bad. China is 92% Han. The remaining 8% are largely sequestered in poor regions of the interior, like the Indian reservations in the US, so any city you are likely to visit for business or tourism will be 99.9% Han. And if you are not already Chinese, it is nigh-impossible to gain citizenship without being a full-blooded Han (tragically born into the wrong country) or by marrying a native. So don't pin your hopes on being able to follow the money if China becomes the dominant global economy.
- iforgotpassword 9y ago
  > undisputed center of the world, populated by the best, smartest, and most sophisticated people. Funny thats pretty much what the average Joe thinks about the US. I don't know how you ended up with that twisted opinion, but after working in software development in Beijing for almost two years I can't share these views at all. I perceived my colleagues as pragmatic, forward-looking, interested in politics regarding China and the world, with critical opinions on each of them. I rarely had so many insightful discussions about various political and social aspects as when I stayed there.
  - thenanyu 9y ago
    All of this can be true at once—I have relatives who hold all of these positions. Like the US, China is a big country, with folks on all sides of the political spectrum. (the following is based on personal experience so YMMV) If anything, they have a longer term perspective on history. It's an ancient civilization and they have seen it all. There are those who think it's inevitable that China will eventually be on top once again, but generally, even they are pretty humble going about it and eager to learn from Westerners and imitate what works (sometimes resulting in IP violations or cargo culting).
  - logfromblammo 9y ago
    Citizens of the empire at or near the peak of its influence always think that. And if your culture has been rolling along for 2000 years almost without interruption, you might even be right. It's just patriotism. I expect Chinese people to be as proud of China as Americans are of America. Some will be more die-hard than others, and some will be more humble about it. All of my co-workers working in software are a lot more critical of our government and national politics than--to name near-antipodal opposites--some of my Trump-electing MAGA in-laws, for whom America is the paragon of nations that can do no wrong. Maybe you didn't talk to a representative sample? The actual best, smartest, and most sophisticated people tend to be much more cosmopolitan in their world view (and in their distribution). But they aren't always the ones driving the politics, or the ones exporting the cultural stereotype. Joe in the US idolizes the US, and Wei in China idolizes China. And to be fair, it is the most populous nation, with a rapidly growing middle class and developing high-tech manufacturing sector. While China hasn't ever been the center of the world, it has always been the center of east Asia.

How easily can a non-ethnic Chinese person integrate into Chinese society though?

jbrun 9y ago

You have to marry Chinese.

ddorian43 9y ago
Damn Zuckerberg many steps ahead
horsecaptin 9y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2_L71lFItk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2_L71lFItk

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

logfromblammo 9y ago

China (practically synonymous with Han ethnicity) has been shockingly racist by modern western standards for thousands of years. And that largely stems from the fact that Han culture has been mostly stable and very successful for most of those thousands of years. They only got a blip of doubt in their total confidence of racial superiority when American-European culture suddenly lurched ahead economically within the last 200 years. White people earned temporary, grudging status as near-equals by making a colossal pile of money while building massive new empires around the world, while China was busy still being the best China that ever China'd. The thought in the back of the Han-Chinese mind is that the success of the West is but a temporary condition, and that once the technological gap closes, China will once again be the undisputed center of the world, populated by the best, smartest, and most sophisticated people. There is almost zero self-awareness of their own racism, and barely an inkling of consideration that racism might even be bad. China is 92% Han. The remaining 8% are largely sequestered in poor regions of the interior, like the Indian reservations in the US, so any city you are likely to visit for business or tourism will be 99.9% Han. And if you are not already Chinese, it is nigh-impossible to gain citizenship without being a full-blooded Han (tragically born into the wrong country) or by marrying a native. So don't pin your hopes on being able to follow the money if China becomes the dominant global economy.

iforgotpassword 9y ago
> undisputed center of the world, populated by the best, smartest, and most sophisticated people. Funny thats pretty much what the average Joe thinks about the US. I don't know how you ended up with that twisted opinion, but after working in software development in Beijing for almost two years I can't share these views at all. I perceived my colleagues as pragmatic, forward-looking, interested in politics regarding China and the world, with critical opinions on each of them. I rarely had so many insightful discussions about various political and social aspects as when I stayed there.
- thenanyu 9y ago
  All of this can be true at once—I have relatives who hold all of these positions. Like the US, China is a big country, with folks on all sides of the political spectrum. (the following is based on personal experience so YMMV) If anything, they have a longer term perspective on history. It's an ancient civilization and they have seen it all. There are those who think it's inevitable that China will eventually be on top once again, but generally, even they are pretty humble going about it and eager to learn from Westerners and imitate what works (sometimes resulting in IP violations or cargo culting).
- logfromblammo 9y ago
  Citizens of the empire at or near the peak of its influence always think that. And if your culture has been rolling along for 2000 years almost without interruption, you might even be right. It's just patriotism. I expect Chinese people to be as proud of China as Americans are of America. Some will be more die-hard than others, and some will be more humble about it. All of my co-workers working in software are a lot more critical of our government and national politics than--to name near-antipodal opposites--some of my Trump-electing MAGA in-laws, for whom America is the paragon of nations that can do no wrong. Maybe you didn't talk to a representative sample? The actual best, smartest, and most sophisticated people tend to be much more cosmopolitan in their world view (and in their distribution). But they aren't always the ones driving the politics, or the ones exporting the cultural stereotype. Joe in the US idolizes the US, and Wei in China idolizes China. And to be fair, it is the most populous nation, with a rapidly growing middle class and developing high-tech manufacturing sector. While China hasn't ever been the center of the world, it has always been the center of east Asia.