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My family hosted a Taiwanese exchange student when I was in high school. One day, he and I were out seeing the town. He discovered a Chinese Tea house in an out

by Qub3d 5y ago

My family hosted a Taiwanese exchange student when I was in high school. One day, he and I were out seeing the town. He discovered a Chinese Tea house in an out-of-the-way corner, and we stopped in. The owner, a Chinese expat, greeted us enthusiastically and personally sat down to serve us tea. The conversation was lovely; she was explaining the source of the tea, the preparation and serving method, etc. and I was just enjoying the experience when she offhandedly asked where he was from. When he responded, "Taiwan," she immediately frowned and made some terse comment in Mandarin, to which he retorted, also in Mandarin. There was a tense exchange, and then she abruptly turned to me and started asking me questions again in English, changing the subject. I had not yet learned of the One-China stance, so when we left I asked him what happened. He told me that she admonished him for not saying he was from "Chinese Taipei", and apparently some other nasty remarks he decided not to translate. It was such a shock to see that level of nationalism exhibit itself in real-time. She was genuinely offended and angry, not annoyed. I suspect if I hadn't been there, she'd have told him to leave immediately.

mytailorisrich 5y ago
This story sounds doubtful to me. It's perfectly OK for a Chinese to say that they are from Taiwan, and Chinese, be it from the mainland or Taiwan, always say that: They're from Taiwan, Beijing, Guangdong, you name it. It's like saying which state you're from in the US. No-one ever says "Chinese Taipei", certainly not among Chinese, which is just some political compromise, mostly in the Olympic Committee. The only issue I can think of is if the question was specifically about the country of origin, in which case some people may indeed object to "Taiwan" and argue that it should be "China" instead (but not "Chinese Taipei"...)
- United857 5y ago
  Depends on the context. The term "Taiwan" standalone is neutral, but e.g. having "Taiwan" and "China" in e.g. a list of countries would not be. I've been asked many times in mainland China where I was from, and I say "Taiwan" without any issues.
- coupdejarnac 5y ago
  I think you're over-literally interpreting what above poster said. Above poster probably doesn't speak Mandarin so their retelling might be missing some nuance.
  - bllguo 5y ago
    - BobbyJo 5y ago
      It's not glossing over, it's a rebuttal. > Western understanding of the rest of the world is severely lacking I would wager that Western countries, on average, have a better view of the world than non-Western countries, if for no other reason than the privileges their wealth and liberalism entail. Do you think the average Russian, African, South American, Chinese, (Yes, I'm aware some of that list is continents, and some is countries) etc. has access to a greater wealth of information and experience with regard to the Rest of the world? Keep in mind I'm not saying this as a point of superiority or anything, just pointing out your lack of a well-grounded point.
      - bllguo 5y ago
        I find it frustrating that so much discussion about other countries is based on hearsay and offhand translation, especially in the case of China where it seems few Western commenters even understand the language, much less the culture. Sure, if you are comparing populations as a whole, but if you are comparing the subsets of educated people from each country that are participating in the global discourse I strongly disagree. There's no point in comparing the average Russian or African or Chinese person. Are we ever interacting with them? Do they drive any policy?
        BobbyJo 5y ago
        > find it frustrating that so much discussion about other countries is based on hearsay and offhand translation It's frustrating when talking about any subject. The problem is, this is how people digest information. They take in pieces and regurgitate it. Hopefully they are open minded enough to take criticism so that over time the regurgitations get more accurate. The discussion is important for everyone, but not everyone is going to know everything at once. As far as grouping together entire populations: Totally agree. There is no point in making sweeping generalizations, which is why I pointed out the parents bad argument. Not only was it a pointless point to make, but it was also wrong. 'Westerns' are no more ignorant about the world than 'non-Westerners'.
- Qub3d 5y ago
  Hi there! Sorry if there is confusion; it was several years ago and I don't remember it word-for-word -- you're probably right about Chinese Taipei. The student was very, very gracious and anglicized a lot of things when translating. He even used an English name in addition to his normal name. I imagine, for example, the hostess caught some nuance I missed, or followed up in Chinese to confirm his opinion on sovereignty. I was really just following tone and facial expression. I could call and ask him if he remembers, but from my understanding, he unfortunately has to have difficult conversations like that quite a lot, and I don't know if this one would even stand out.

by Qub3d 5y ago

mytailorisrich 5y ago

This story sounds doubtful to me. It's perfectly OK for a Chinese to say that they are from Taiwan, and Chinese, be it from the mainland or Taiwan, always say that: They're from Taiwan, Beijing, Guangdong, you name it. It's like saying which state you're from in the US. No-one ever says "Chinese Taipei", certainly not among Chinese, which is just some political compromise, mostly in the Olympic Committee. The only issue I can think of is if the question was specifically about the country of origin, in which case some people may indeed object to "Taiwan" and argue that it should be "China" instead (but not "Chinese Taipei"...)

United857 5y ago
Depends on the context. The term "Taiwan" standalone is neutral, but e.g. having "Taiwan" and "China" in e.g. a list of countries would not be. I've been asked many times in mainland China where I was from, and I say "Taiwan" without any issues.
coupdejarnac 5y ago
I think you're over-literally interpreting what above poster said. Above poster probably doesn't speak Mandarin so their retelling might be missing some nuance.
- bllguo 5y ago
  - BobbyJo 5y ago
    It's not glossing over, it's a rebuttal. > Western understanding of the rest of the world is severely lacking I would wager that Western countries, on average, have a better view of the world than non-Western countries, if for no other reason than the privileges their wealth and liberalism entail. Do you think the average Russian, African, South American, Chinese, (Yes, I'm aware some of that list is continents, and some is countries) etc. has access to a greater wealth of information and experience with regard to the Rest of the world? Keep in mind I'm not saying this as a point of superiority or anything, just pointing out your lack of a well-grounded point.
    - bllguo 5y ago
      I find it frustrating that so much discussion about other countries is based on hearsay and offhand translation, especially in the case of China where it seems few Western commenters even understand the language, much less the culture. Sure, if you are comparing populations as a whole, but if you are comparing the subsets of educated people from each country that are participating in the global discourse I strongly disagree. There's no point in comparing the average Russian or African or Chinese person. Are we ever interacting with them? Do they drive any policy?
      - BobbyJo 5y ago
        > find it frustrating that so much discussion about other countries is based on hearsay and offhand translation It's frustrating when talking about any subject. The problem is, this is how people digest information. They take in pieces and regurgitate it. Hopefully they are open minded enough to take criticism so that over time the regurgitations get more accurate. The discussion is important for everyone, but not everyone is going to know everything at once. As far as grouping together entire populations: Totally agree. There is no point in making sweeping generalizations, which is why I pointed out the parents bad argument. Not only was it a pointless point to make, but it was also wrong. 'Westerns' are no more ignorant about the world than 'non-Westerners'.
Qub3d 5y ago
Hi there! Sorry if there is confusion; it was several years ago and I don't remember it word-for-word -- you're probably right about Chinese Taipei. The student was very, very gracious and anglicized a lot of things when translating. He even used an English name in addition to his normal name. I imagine, for example, the hostess caught some nuance I missed, or followed up in Chinese to confirm his opinion on sovereignty. I was really just following tone and facial expression. I could call and ask him if he remembers, but from my understanding, he unfortunately has to have difficult conversations like that quite a lot, and I don't know if this one would even stand out.