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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| What does it mean to be Chinese? |
| 2008-07-11 |
| it is all of the numerous, equally valid answers that make the issue complicated. We have to accept that there are different answers for different people. Here is one answer, translated from a post written by an American-raised Chinese on MITBBS (原贴): I was eating lunch with a good friend (both a colleague and a classmate) a few days ago. He's a true Englishman, having lived in England from birth through university. Although he's now attending school with me in the United States, he naturally does so with the identity of an Englishman. Whereas I, as an ethnic Chinese person raised in the United States, have in his eyes been categorized as an "American". And I will often correct him by saying "I'm Chinese". This time, when the topic popped up again, he laughed and asked: "From your point of view, what is a Chinese person?" I believe "Chinese" has three different meanings. 1) From a superficial point of view, it would mean the legal definition. If you are a citizen of the People's Republic of China, if you use a Chinese passport outside of China's borders, then this person from a legal point of view is Chinese. Based on China's constitution, if a Chinese citizen acquires foreign citizenship and a foreign passport, they automatically relinquish their Chinese citizenship. So, with this definition, you can only choose one between the identities "Chinese" and "foreigner". So, if you acquire American citizenship, you're no longer Chinese. But I don't believe the definition of "Chinese" is limited to this. 2) "Chinese" can also be defined on the basis of race and blood. If we talk a little loosely, all of the descendants of Yan and Yellow Emperors, all of the heirs of the dragon are Chinese. Just like the song goes, "always an heir of the dragon". If we talk a little more tightly, if your bloodlines are 100% Chinese, then using this definition, you are Chinese, and this will never change. It doesn't matter what passport you hold, it doesn't matter what citizenship you hold, even if you grow up or are born in a different country and can't speak Chinese, you're still Chinese. But I believe that even this definition isn't the most important. Wen Ho Lee to a T. 3) I believe the most important definition is understanding of China's language, history, and culture. Understanding of China's way of life. These people, even if they don't have Chinese citizenship, even if they don't have Chinese blood-lines, they can also be called Chinese. For example, let's talk about Dashan (ed: aka Mark Henry Rowswell). A hated man by all foreigners in China for being an Uncle Tom. He's completely fluent in all things "China"; even if he doesn't have a drop of Chinese blood, when compared to those with Chinese blood but can't speak Hanyu, he's more Chinese. And from that point of view, someone can both be Chinese and a foreigner. Nope. Ask them if Mark Roswell could join the People's Liberation Army and you'd get laughs. Ask if he could work on China nuclear program and you'd get cold stares. And I believe that because I grew up in the United States and understand American culture, I am Chinese, and also American. On some discussion boards, some people argue endlessly over whether someone who's changed passports should still be considered Chinese. But I believe this is too rigidly claiming the first definition of Chinese to be the most important, or even the only definition of the term. Although I can't accuse them of being wrong, but I have my opinion on this point. Some people raised in China choose to give up their citizenship after going overseas for various reasons; some of these reasons I can understand, some of these reasons I can't approve of. But this doesn't represent that they've relinquished their Chinese blood, relinquished the Chinese culture that represents a part of themselves. If some people insist they can forget or discard everything that they learned from the age of 20, and can forget the Chinese language, Chinese culture, and all of the traces left on them by their lives in China... then they either have saintly powers, or are only in self-denial. Our China doesn't give us saints very often, so I don't think we need to discuss these people too much further. In many of those threads discussing the changing of passports, someone will mention patriotism. Now, what kind of definition is appropriate? If you have a Chinese passport, that's proof you're a Chinese patriot? Maybe, but that's not a necessary condition. Many people say "I'm proud of being Chinese!" I often say this myself. But what layer of Chinese am I talking about? I believe the meaning of the first and second layers don't really apply. No one can choose their blood-lines and where they were born. Anyone that believes they and their descendants are superior to others on the basis of their blood-lines or their place of birth... to be honest, that's both superficial and pathetic. But to a certain degree, we can select our own culture. And I believe that, when I say I'm proud of being Chinese, I'm not expressing pride over my passport (after all, isn't it just a red-covered little book?), and I'm not expressing pride over my Chinese blood. Instead, it's because I was raised and live overseas, but have still maintained my Chinese language skills while trying hard to absorb the broad and deep expanses of Chinese culture that I'm proud... it's because that I still monitor China's development, and hope to one day contribute to China's development that I'm proud. Yup, to Chinese, renouncing your former allegiances mean nothing. A US passport is just a little book, it doesn't mean that you're not loyal to China. We're going to have huge problems with fifth columnists if there's ever a conflict. Of course, China will deport all non-Chinese at the drop of a hat. |
| Posted by:gromky |
| #5 A few finer points: Zhonghua minzu, is the supra-ethnic Chinese nationality. But this is subdivided into the majority Han Chinese, and the Chinese minorities, the 55 other ethnic varieties of Chinese which comprise about 9.5% of the Mainland and Taiwan Chinese. There are also the Taiwanese aborigines, unrecognized ethnic groups, and foreigners who live in China. The Chinese are also distinguished by "The Chinese Way", which is a China-centric worldview with very different axioms in viewing how the world functions. For a great length of time, China's geographical boundaries were fixed, but it made an effort to export "The Chinese Way" to neighboring countries. Importantly, those that practiced "The Chinese Way" were left alone, even if otherwise troublesome. But those who did not follow it were seen as enemies. The Chinese are also distinguished by the unifying factors of China, some of which date to the first Emperor. These include things like a standardized written language, even though there is wide divergence in spoken language; common weights and measures; and an educational system based in a select few number of standardized pamphlets that taught things like morality. No matter what part of China you lived in, you read the pamphlets and if you could write, you wrote in the standard written language. The Chinese were further unified by the creation of a meritocratic bureaucracy based in Confucian philosophy. Any Chinese could take the bureaucratic exam, and if they passed, were elevated in rank to government office. Confucianism was one of the three philosophies-religions of China, a middle class philosophy, alongside Taoism, the religion of the poor, and Buddhism, the religion of the upper classes. Each of the three appealed to the values of their class, but had little conflict with each other. Socially, the individual in China has traditionally been less important than his extended family. This relationship stands apart from the individual-centric way of life in the West. Chinese do stand apart from westerners for many reasons, and there is little clarity when and how people from one side embrace the totality of the other side, but it does happen at times. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-07-11 21:34 |
| #4 as if that couple were some kind of disgrace to their race Yeah, that's pretty much it. You hit the nail on the head. the third generation usually doesn't even speak Chinese and identifies as American. That's what this is about, they're talking about preventing that. |
| Posted by: gromky 2008-07-11 19:17 |
| #3 My community has a large Chinese population. After a day of regular school, the children attend another couple of hours of "Chinese School". Even the Charles Schwab office has its sign in Chinese. These kids consider themselves Chinese and that is pretty much normal for the first generation of kids born of parents who were born in China. The next generation, the children whose parents were born here, will generally identify as more American and the third generation usually doesn't even speak Chinese and identifies as American. I was in a little dumpling shop and an Asian couple sat down. They looked Chinese. The owners of the shop are Chinese. The woman who co-owned the shop walked over to the couple and began speaking to them in Chinese. They gave her a blank stare and told her in perfect American English that they didn't speak a word of Chinese. Her expression soured and she had this look as if that couple were some kind of disgrace to their race or something. I just kindof chuckled. That kid who wrote the article is probably first generation. His kids probably won't identify as Chinese. And by the third generation they will be marrying Mexicans and pissing off their grandparents. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2008-07-11 18:06 |
| #2 I was arguing with an Irish moonbat once: what infuriated her more than anything was when I told her that my ancestors came to America to get away from her ancestors. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2008-07-11 17:04 |
| #1 Personally, I'm proud my ancestors either ran out or were thrown out of Europe. I am not a Euro [or a jelly donut]. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-07-11 13:55 |