Favorite (Mis?)Conceptions About Chinese People

Since 2009, I’ve been living and working in London, England. I know it’s been a while, but I still feel like I stand out sometimes. Not just because of my Canadian accent, but because I’m Chinese. Even though London is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, the Chinese population still stands at a measly 1.5%. (Which is fine. Anybody who knows me knows that I carry exhibitionistic tendencies from time to time, so standing out isn’t an issue.) And, the proportion is even smaller at the school I teach at. During my time here, I’ve come across less than 5 Chinese kids out of a population of about 1000 students. I kid you not. If you do the math right, that’s less than 0.05%.

Like that of London, my school’s demographics mainly consist of whites, blacks and browns. (Fun fact: Because the latter is the primary type of Asian, Indians, Bangeldeshians and the like, are more commonly associated with the term “Asian” here in England.  Asian food here usually means Indian food, for instance.) That said, being the only Chinese teacher brings about unwanted flattering attention, not to mention the most interesting conversations. I hold my students responsible for making my Chinese identity more apparent than I ever realized.

But it’s cute though. My kids adore knowing more about me, and I’ll admit, as a math teacher, I have gone off on tangents at times to indulge them about me and my background. Somehow, talking about being Chinese keeps their attention longer than fractions or algebra can.

And so, after teaching at this school for almost 2 years, I’ve come to the conclusion that these kids really know squat about the Chinese. They are just so adorably clueless and ignorant. Which brings me to this….

My Top 5 Favorite (Mis?)Conceptions London Kids Have About Chinese People

5. They think you know someone who owns a Chinese restaurant.

Kids think that the only people you know are Chinese people, and so, there’s bound to be at least ONE person that you know who owns a restaurant. And, I’ve had random requests to bring in Kung Pao chicken or spring rolls as a class treat.  So what, now my chocolates aren’t good enough anymore? Picky kids.

4. They think you know someone who works for the Triads.

I remember discussing this with an ignorant Year 11. He was somehow convinced of this, that, since all you know are Chinese people, there’s bound to be, as well, ONE person, that belongs to the Chinese Mafia. When I told said student that it wasn’t true, he replied, “Miss, if you don’t know anyone, then I bet you know at least someone who has a COUSIN in the Triads.” Oh c’mon. If you’re Chinese, do you know someone? Because I sure don’t.

3. They think you eat dog.

Actually, I lied. They didn’t think that. But I did tell them that they eat dog in parts of China. And, I also told them that I boldly tried it out for myself when I traveled there in December 2009. So if they didn’t think that before, they probably do now. (Shameless plug: Watch me eat dog in my China vlog below.)

2. They think they can speak fluent Chinese.

This is always a favorite. My younger kids in Year 7 and Year 8 will say, “Miss, I can speak Chinese! Listen!” Then they’ll blurt out random Chinese-sounding syllables like “Ching chang chong,” or do their best Jackie Chan impression (“FWCHAAAA”), and they’ll beam, proudly thinking that they instantly know a new language. As amused as I am, I always have to tell them it’s the equivalent of saying “Blah blah blah” in English. It’s just jibberish. But it’s hilarious watching them try to speak Chinese anyway.

1. They have NO idea where China is.

In fact, they wouldn’t know where it was on the map, despite the fact that it’s a freakin’ big country, and you can’t really miss it. One of my Year 7′s even asked me…

Kid: “Miss, are you African?

Me: “Do I look African?”

Kid: “No, but I thought China was in Africa.”

Needless to say, geography is definitely not their strongest point.

Are you Chinese? Have you ever come across any (mis)conceptions or stereotypes about our culture that you found funny or out of this world? Share!

Related Posts