I was, as usual, surfing online and reading other people's blogs when I came upon this post.
Chinese Nationals - People We Love to Hate
Well, I have to say that this is really an amazing and inspiring post. I always believe that some of my Singaporean friends love me crazily. At the same time, I am also aware that many other Singaporeans just hate people like me to death.
Yes, people like me. In case you do not know, I am a Chinese National, one of those people you love to hate.
First of all, let me express my gratitude towards Singapore. I came to Singapore four years ago. I came as a scholar, which effectively means that I have been using the money given by MOE to study here. Where did MOE get those money? Hmm. Let me see. Oh, tax payers! I will never forget the reason why I can have the chance to study in such a wonderful country is because of all the kind-hearted Singaporeans. Come on, how can I possibly forget who my benefectors are when people around me keep telling me, "Oh, you are using my parents' money to study here!"
That is what I have been hearing for the past four years. And, you have no idea how hard it has been.
I came to Singapore as a 16-year old boy. Ever since then, I have to bear the burden of knowing I am forever in debt to someone I have never met. Isn't that too much for a 16-year old boy? Isn't that too much for a 16-year old boy studying in a foreign country? Isn't that too much for a 16-year old boy whose parents live thousands of miles away?
You see, the truth is: I really loved Singapore when I first came here. I was really thankful. I wanted to stay here for the rest of my life. I wanted to serve Singapore to repay my debts. But now, it has just become so difficult for me to say "help me thank your parents". And it is absolutely impossible for me to say "you are right", after reading an article with a title like "Chinese Nationals - People We Love to Hate".
I am not a beggar. You don't even tell a beggar "this is my parents' money" when you toss the coin into the bowl.
And just for your information, I didn't go to MOE, telling them "please, please, let me be a scholar". Instead, MOE sent school principals to China to recruit scholars. In fact, MOE has been doing this for years. If we, Chinese Nationals, are truly horrible creatures, why does MOE still want young monsters like us to come here? Aren't we just useless vampires?
Why? Why? Why?
Well, it can't be because we also spend OUR parents' money here, which in turn boosts Singapore's consumption level.
It can't be because we (whom The Straits Times called China Whiz Kids) make Singapore schools more competitive, which in turn boosts local students' academic performance.
It can't be because having some Chinese Nationals here will attract more Chinese tourists to come to Singapore.
It can't be because Singapore's birth rate is dwindling.
It can't be because we are good.
We are definitely not good. Otherwise, why whould you love to hate us?
Ok. Ok. I really need to relax. I am being too emotional here. But not unreasonable. I will just try to calm down.
Let me see. I have made some truly wonderful friends here. My church friends - they are always so kind. My classmates - they are always so supportive. My teachers - they are the people I REALLY owe. Some of the people I met online - they are truly nice when they don't ask me for sex.
And did I tell you how much I love Singapore food, even though some of them are too spicy for me? Did I tell you how much I enjoy those racist jokes even though most of them are not funny? Did I tell you how entertaining it is when people tell a joke in Singlish and all I can do is to
force a smile and pretend I understand? Did I tell you how inspiring it is when my classmate calls my fellow China friends "peasants"? Did I tell you how comforting it is when everytime I open the newspaper, China study mums are always equated to prostitutes and all I can do is to
thank God that my mum didn't come here with me, not because she would become a prostitute, but because she would be deemed as a prostitute?
Oh, even when I go out with my female China friends, uncles look at them with lust and aunties look at them with hatred. Many of those girls are not even 18 years old. Can't you just spare them the prejudice?
Undoubtedly, I have grown up a lot in Singapore. I no longer cry when I call my parents. I lie to them that I am O.K. even when I am not. How can I be?
As for the accusations raised in that hate-Chinese-Nationals post, I would like to answer at least some of them.
1. I don't know what happened between your mum and her colleague. You see, the truth is even you do not know what happened. Even your mum does not know what happened. Everyboby is just guessing based on their own assumptions and stereotypes. Keeping quiet does not always solve the problem.
2. Why are our "incomprehensible accents" despisable? Why are they incomprehensible in the first place? We have been speaking like that since we were young and it seems like those 1.4 billion Chinese people around us had no problem understanding it. I am sure Singaporeans' accents are perfectly comprehensible in China or UK or the U.S. or other parts of the world. Ok. I shall not make this into a personal attack. I just want to say: there are many ways to do the same thing. Many right ways.
3. Thank you so much for giving me the chance to express my opinions on the recent hoo-hah about China exports. I have been eating food made in China for twenty years. (Yes, I still have to eat food made in China even when I am in Singapore.) And my tortoise has been living on food made in China for two years. (Ok. I admit. I purposely fed it with poisonous food made in China because I wanted it to become a TMNT.) And I have been playing with toys made in China ever since I was a kid. (Oh, no! That 1.5-meter Teddy Bear on my bed is made in China too!) AND I AM STILL ALIVE. What a surprise! What a surprise that many China women can live more than 100 years even though they have been eating, drinking, using and wearing China products for their entire life!
4. I don't think it is fair to blame Chinese Nationals if Singaporeans lose their jobs. You can't blame your competitors just because you lose out in the competition. This is not how today's world works. And let's face it. Many Singaporeans are not willing to take up those low-end jobs. And many Singaporeans are not willing to get married and give birth. Supply does not meet demand? How? Singapore government has to import foreign talents. It's a win-win situation for both parties.
5. "There is certainly a thing or two we can teach the world out there." I agree. Really. Really! I am not being sarcastic. But I just feel that there are also some things that you can learn from the world out there.
Ok. This is a really long entry. I shall summarize my main points.
i) I loved Singapore whole-heartedly.
ii) Now I don't.
iii) But I am still thankful for all the things Singapore has given me.
iv) You don't need to love us. You also don't need to hate us.
v)I was really biased in the first half of this entry. I am sorry. I was just upset when I read that post. I hope I have become more neutral towards the end.
vi) I still have exams tomorrow. So I am ending this entry here.
P.S.: This is not a personal attack. The writer of that article just gave me the chance to express how I feel as a Chinese National in Singapore. I thank him for that.
9/19/2007
HATE ME!! I am a Chinese National!!!
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I'm a Singaporean Chinese and I arrived at this entry by your link in Mad, Mad World entry. I'm going to adopt a neutral stance in this comment.
To start off, giving some thought, I too have been guilty to discrimination of chinese nationals due to some unpleasant experiences with them - and this slowly adds up to sterotype the whole population in general.
I'm sure that this issue is the same with other people -- in that author's post, he pointed out that incident about his mum, and this was probobly the igniting factor in his post.
Being the fact that you are different probably makes it easy for us to blame you. But then again, how many of us remembers that Singaporean that pushed his way into the train, or that guy that talked loudly in his singlish accent in that chemistry lecture?
I'd too would be irked by anyone who would claim for the work I've done. Some people have the attitude to make money at all cost - even resorting to what the author's mum's collegue did. He/she prolly knew that the author's mum would not bring out a public complain against him/her.
When the newspaper publish negative stuff about china, we remember it (the lake with green algae, or the poisonous pet food, and so on), and in our minds, it would go "its the chinese again..." - take note, I'm not saying that this is right, but this is my guess what happens.
The cultural differences between
Chinese and Singaporeans are probably what leads to the discrimation. I'm sure you too have observed things we do, which are strange to you and shrugged it off.
Sometimes when I think to myself "I hate chinese nationals", then I realized to myself that the hardworking chinese colleague that I've worked with for that project has done a really good job, or that pretty girl that actually bothers to talk to me is chinese - and then I realize something important that I've overlooked - they are chinese.
Don't hate us for hating chinese nationals, we dont mean to, but has just encountered some bad examples which led us to misjudgement. You can prove us wrong by working hard, remain humble, and be nice - and this will lead those who are still biased to reflect on their judgement.
As a final note to any fellow Singaporeans who wish to post any "I hate you comments", in doing so you would have cast Singapore (and yourself) in a really bad light.
-m
To m:
Thank you so much for the comment. I am sure it must have taken you much time to write such a long comment. The sheer fact that you bothered to finish reading my entire post and take the pain to leave a comment already shows how kind you are.
I do not hate Singaporeans. I never did. I simply cannot. I have so many Singaporean friends who made my four years' stay here such a memorable experience that hating anyone on this island would be so unfair to them.
And I completely understand the feelings many Singaporeans have towards China Nationals, be it hatred, disgust or whatsoever. Whether we are China Nationals, Singaporeans or Americans, it does not really matter. So long as we are still human beings, there will always be people who hate or dislike us.
Love is a natural human feeling. So is hatred.
However, what I am really against is when we start to simplify our feelings and judge people according to our stereotypes. Because when we do that, our stereotypes will only be reinforced. And that is what lazy and ignorant people do.
I have to say Singapore is definitely one of the least xenophobic countries in the world, as compared to countries like UK. (I guess I am also making a stereotype here. Hahaz. =P) However, although hatred towards "the others" is usually not expressed overtly, much of it is hidden in a covert way. Racism. Nationalism. I know this may sound a bit cliched, but the truth is: Singapore is definitely a tolerant country, but she is definitely not a harmonious nation.
I just want to conclude by saying we know we are different. There is nothing much we can do about it. We try our best to learn Singlish or to speak less profound Chinese so that you can understand us better. But the truth remains: we are not the same.
We can never be the same. The color of our IC clearly tells us that.
But there is one question I have to ask: even if we are different, must we be treated differently?
Err.. looking at the two really LONG comments above, i feel a bit cai2 kui4 that mine will be quite short:P
Loveless, maybe you can choose not to treat their blame so seriously. I believe u r aware of this "complaining" culture in Singapore. People here like to complain everything. And sometimes i would have a question for them: since u dislike this country so much, why dun u leave? one of the possible reason may be they are so well-protected in this nanny country (and i personally like this) that they lost the initiative to go out.
However, now I have a different answer. perhaps they are not so serious when they complain, not to the extent of what we thought when we comprehend their words, using mainland standard. perhaps, their complaining has been their way of life (err.. up to this point, i realise that i myself is becoming part of them as well). their complaining is more or less like our "Kao" or "Cao" in mainland. you dun give a damn when ppl around you utter these words right? then why u bother abt their complaints?
Of course, u may say their complaints make u feel insulted or whatsoever. or u dun like their over-generalisation. but i would recognize this as cultural difference. maybe it's a bit zi4 qi1 qi1 ren2, but after all, u r not a native Singaporean, u can't presume u have understood what they really mean when they complain. or maybe the singaporeans also dunno?
anw, i found my comment not pathetically short. the length is still decent=D
btw, u may like to watch this trailer, or u hav alr watched it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZcDena8fkY
i like the very last sentence.
Hi loveless,
hope you're doing fine :-)
I must admit that I was a little bit surprised by your strong reaction to my post, perhaps maybe I failed to gauge my article from a Mainland Chinese point-of-view.
To make things clear, I've never set out to diss or outrightly bash Mainland Chinese like yourself. I myself do know some nice Mainland Chinese people.
But what I wrote is a reflection of how some, in fact, many Singaporeans perceive the Mainland Chinese. They're just not 'cool', you know what I mean?
I personally am against discriminating Mainland Chinese. But perhaps there are certain factors that cause this discrimination? This is what I set out to explore in my article.
To add on to what you said, perhaps it is quite inevitable that we treat each other differently, especially when we first come into contact with different cultures.
This is where dialogue comes in, which is what blogs and forums are really all about.
To sencorde:
You are always my lovely, supportive senior! Hahaz. Your comment is definitely not short at all!
You always know more than I do. And you can always look at things in such an objective way. Hahaz. It's hard for me to disagree with the things said by you.
Anyway, thank you for the trailer. I didn't watch it before. I heard of the movie though. I forgot to mention in the post that I also love Singapore movies. Hahaz. 4:30. Be with Me. 15. Now I am going to watch this Singapore Dreaming.=P
You also take care ya! Uni life must be truly busy. Hahaz. Have fun!
To Terence:
Hahaz. You have taken my post too seriously lah! Singaporeans love to complain? So do I! Hahaz. =P
I really love your last sentence. That's really why I blog. That's why I like to read other people's blogs. People tend to be more honest when they blog. And when people are honest with each other, communication tends to be easier and discussion tends to be more open. And things will eventually work out. =P
Not that i wan to say la.
But 无风不起浪，to understand why there is so much bad press about Chinese Nationals, you just have to go down to geylang to take a look, preferably on Friday night.
You can alight at Kallang or Aljunied Mrt Station. :-P
Yes, the Singapore Government goes to your country to look for scholars like you and sponsored your study here. They recognized your talents. To the government, you are probably regarded as an economical pawn in their big picture.
But do not worry, they also treat most true Singaporean like that too, except for white horses and those in the towers.
It is not about who hates who. Love and hate, war and peace are everywhere, even in the world's greatest democracy.
The question is why the Singapore government treat people (both local and foreign) like tools in their shed.
I guess when faced with someone who does not look/think/speak like you the easiest thing is to be suspicious and discriminate. This happens in China too where people from one city/province don't like people some other poorer province. I guess its the human nature and conditioning.
When in a corner, the challenge is to get people to respect you. I think there is a lot that the Chinese student community can do influence the locals. Arrange events that help the locals to understand China better. Join the Cantonese/Mandarin meetup.com groups. Help network local students going to China with your contacts back home.
Dear "Loveless"
You are an intelligent chap, so why use your mind for these negative people or incidents that you have encountered in the past. For every nasty situation or person, there must be one or more of the opposite. Why not dwell in the positive ones, then you see the darkness all disappear once you focus on the light.
I have been a 'foreign talent' in many countries and I understand the situation you may be in, but looking back at my own experience, I would rather have reacted a whole lot differently to these people/incidents. Our reality is what we make out to be.
And by the way, I love meeting the Chinese scholars/talents that we attract to Singapore. I find your quick minds and dynamism most enlightening and inspiring.
Deep down inside we are all the same ^_^
You are on The Singapore Daily again. Thank you for linking us and your support!
Keep blogging,
The Singapore Daily Team
singaporedaily.wordpress.com
Wow! Thank you so much for all your comments!
I just came back from school. Sorry I didn't reply all your comments earlier. And sorry I can't reply your comment one by one since I have another two papers tomorrow.
I just want to say, you people are truly amazing! The sincerity, honesty and kindness you have expressed in your comments really touched me. I am just a spoiled kid who becomes emotional easily and throws tantrums all the time. Hahaz. =P I really don't deserve all the attention and consolation. You people are really very nice. Compared to you, I seem so childish. =)
Thank you once again for your honest opinions. Have a nice day, everybody!
God bless.
Haha just a comment, your English is really, really good!
I'm a scholar too by the way, but not from China. Having prelims now right? Mine's ending tomorrow! Yay. =D
Speaking from a Singaporean's point of view:
No, we don't really hate individual Chinese people. Hey, I know some people from China too, and they seem quite decent. As people, they are not too bad.
The problem for us is when we take the immigrants as a whole. What can you say to a group of people whom you perceive taking away jobs from the natives, taking our positions in universities, and well, crowding up the country? Thanks to Singapore's lax immigration laws.
It's like this all over the world, not just Singapore. Natives who would have gotten the job suddenly find out that it has been granted to a foreigner. I mean, IT'S OUR COUNTRY AND SUDDENLY EVERYONE ELSE COMES ALONG AND TAKES WHAT WE ORIGINALLY HAD.
You can call it globalisation. You can call it a free market. Heck, you can say something about the freedom of individual beings that should be inviolate and sacred.
But the fact remains is that we have been going along in our country for years, and suddenly competition heats up and we find that it's becoming harder and harder for the natives to earn a living.
I don't mean ill will to you, or any mainland chinese people. But I just find it.......sad. Sad that Singapore has just been let up so easily, and there's nothing much I, as one person, can do.
I'm sorry if I managed to offend you any.
Hi Loveless
I'm a Singaporean who works in a local research institute where 50% of the researchers are from PR China. They are hard working, honest people who do awesome research and publish in really good scientific journals. If we were to depend only on Singaporeans, we won't get far because we don't produce enough PhDs. Looking at things objectively, I don't see any difference between "them" and "us" - sure, they are foreign imports, but they grow roots here, raise their kids well, and contribute our society. The way I see it, Singapore can only gain on the whole. Only the supremely shortsighted and narrow minded people can write a post that in Mad Mad Mad...
the way you write, the words you use , it is truly singaporeans. you are one of us.
discrimination stem from the lack of ability to understand in different perspective. and prc is not the only target for discrimination. i ve done quite my share against this "foreign talents blaming" but it's never enough. i'm not prc but thanks for bringing up the points. cheers-
All the stuff about the bad eggs casting a poor light on the rest reminds me of the Ugly Singaporean =) Seems people forget it wasn't all that long ago that we S'poreans were viewed in a negative light overseas as well.
My view is that the discriminatory views are borne mostly by those S'poreans who don't have the opportunity to get to know people like yourself. Hence the only image they get is from the media. I'm sure once they get to interact with you, like your classmates, they will see a totally different picture.
That said, peers will always be in competition for academic results and jobs (but hopefully not spouses!) so I'm kinda glad I don't have to compete with people as brilliant as yourself =)
Hi loveless
People everywhere have their prejudices and their biases based on language, religion, ethnicity, nationality. It is something we can never eliminate.
The problem that Singapore society is that the rate of immigration is moving at a very fast pace. At last count, almost 15-20% of the population is made up of immigrants, and this ratio has built up very fast in the last 10 years.
Singaporean males are discriminated in their own country by National Service in the SAF, police or civil defence. This makes some of us male Singaporeans a bit more sensitive to the immigration issue as we feel strongly about our sacrifices and yet our gahmen dishes out Permanent Resident and Citizenship liberally.
I hope that you will find not all Singaporeans are anti-PRC haters but some are just caught in this whirlwind we call globalisation and need an outlet to vent out. That does not excuse them but that's life.
All the best to you in your education here.
hi there,
first of all, congratulations on a very well written post. your english will make other singaporeans hide their face under their mummy's pettycoat.
i share your sentiments. i also came to singapore to study and benefited from the country. i took up the pink IC after holding 3 years student pass and 5 years PR. i wonder why singaporeans can be so nasty, not racist but yet racist in every means.
i get agitated and furious when my friends and colleagues insult foreigners from india, bangladesh, PRC. But they are oh-so-nice to caucasians and anything white.
well, just keep your calm and reproduce more of such good posts and get the whole country talking.
all the best !
The media seems to play an important role in how people groups are perceived, and may be the cause of certain stereotypes.
The main cause of stereotyping, however, comes from cultural differences and physical appearances.
The best way to overcome this is to really get to know people of different races and cultures, and going overseas would really open up our eyes to the world.
Globalization is here to stay, and the influx of Chinese Nationals is the result of this. In Singapore, globalization has caused apprehension and fear among certain citizens, particulary when it comes to the job market and issues of national identity.
However, what we are seeing is a sign of the times. Singaporeans need to be more mobile themselves and embrace globalization. We must also be bold enough to venture abroad while at the same time embracing the foreign talents that come into our nation.
The little island is too small for the next-generation Singaporean. We are entering an age where physical boundaries matter less, and we are facing a challenge of maintaining our identity in a globalized world.
Hi
I'm another Singaporean Chinese and i went to NYP-School of Health Sciences and studied nursing. so you can imagine the number of china nationals i've come into contact over the 3 years in my diploma course.
previously i had only come into contact with 1 china national on a regular basis but only because she was my classmate. but since she was but only one china national i couldn't form a real opinion. but now i can.
admittedly there are still some things that i don't like about china nationals BUT they are not exclusive to that nationality only because hey, i think what we don't like in someone else is usually manifested in ourselves, its just that we are unwilling to point that out :)
there are some stupid allegations and stereotypes i'd never agree with. like how all china study mamas are massage ladies and have loose morals. that's complete nonsense. they love their kids thats why they come here to accompany them. i know cos i've spoken to a few before.
or like how all china nationals speak really loudly. i have a close friend from china who speaks really good english and chinese, in fact she sounds more educated than most of our singaporean counterparts.
i've met so many china nationals and have one of them as my close friends yet i have no real complaints whatsoever. i think the majority of those who complain about them are those who only happen to see the 'bad' side of them and not the good side. its always easier to attribute negative qualities to others but not positive because its so much 'easier'.
wonder when that will change.
Hey, everybody!
Thank you so much for all your comments. I read every single word of them and I have to say I am really overwhelmed by the honesty and sincerity in your commments.
I never expected something like this when I first wrote this post. When I logged into my Google Analytics account just now, I was really shocked. More than 1000 people have read the post in the past 2 days!
What can I say besides thank you? Keep the discussion going. There is no bad or good comment. Long or short comment. There is only honest or dishonest comment.
Thank you once again. I love every one of you! Hahaz. =)
Have a great day, everybody!
There are Mainland Chinese, and there are Mainland Chinese; similiarly there are Singaporeans and there are Singaporeans.
While discrimination is not desirable,one must also consider the circumstances which it arises. As some of the posters have mentioned the issue of National Service and Local talent does play a part. In fact it seems that the Singapore government is one of the most generous governments; I doubt the UK will liberally fund any foreigner who wishes to study there.
That said, all it takes is one bad egg to ruin the whole basket. I have encountered some rude maindlanders just as i have encountered nasty Singaporeans.
My view - it's just the black sheeps that are creating troubles resulting in the whole group being sterotyped as this and that.
As for the PRC scholars, well, no deny that some of these scholars are "shen" - they could use less effort yet achieve more, hmm, I wonder what's their secret.
Anyway, I think that it's more beneficial for us to reflect on our behavior and our doings rather than complaining about all the foreign scholars - though no doubt they would still be used very often as topics for bonding, no harm intended though - just coffee-talk :P
The human brain is prone to make associations when it sees one. People who commit crimes do so when they motivated sufficiently PLUS there is absence of security measures. In addition, the manufacturing problems are also easily deemed to be caused by country of manufacture rather than the QC. Blaming nationality is a lazy brain's way of shifting blame to others rather than realising their own problems is caused by their own negligence. Singaporeans have a lot of problems that they are unwilling to take ownership of, always pushing to the government or to foreign nationals. I AM A SINGAPOREAN.
hi...
i agree with jupilier...
be strong and use your precious time on something more motivating..
good luck..
ooooo, did i tell you how I was conned of money over $1000 by a china lady and never got it back?
So lets see.... how many singaporean uncles... have had china mistresses?
Its the actions of certain individuals which cause the hate. Its never wise to apply such judgement across the board. Getting conned means you have been careless. Uncle having mistress the blame falls on both parties. Cheers for the good, jeers for the bad. Ignore the ignorant. Cheers loveless.
Im a singaporean who have spent some time and have travelled widely in China.I have a lot of Chinese friends. I feel that although we r all chinese but we do not have different cultures and thinking. In every country,there are good and bad people. China is such a big country, her bad people can be many more times that of Singapore, so do her good people. No matter whether we r a Singaporean Chinese or Chinese National, we should have a broad mind when looking at things.An additional thing is that, I feel that there is a difference in lifestyle between a developed country like Singapore and a developing country like China who might be lagging behind by at least a decade. I wont deny China has got her potential to develop into a power house but her pace might be too fast for her citizens to catch up.I believe through wide spread of education, the quality of human beings will be improved. I felt that all Chinese should viewed one another as a family as all Chinese actually originated from China, it is just that the Chinese are spreaded over the world.When we travel or live oversea, when we came across bad things from the people, we must not stereotype and said that certain behaviours are wrong, it might be due to their cultures, upbringing or background. However, try to learnt the good points. Most of us as Chinese have the mentality that the West is always better. I hope all the Chinese in the world be united and bonded, so that we will grow and improve together and make the East stand out from the rest. Thank you.
Hi，
I was a Malaysian Chinese who came to Singapore 30 years ago. I spoke only Malay and Cantonese, not Hokkien and English as in Singapore, and it was hellish for me to get into the school system. Singaporeans also did not want to help out, and they despise Malaysians as being bumpkins. Because we were foreigners, we could not live in public housing then (laws have changed now), we had to live far from housing estates in cheaper private housing. For the past 30 years we've lived separate lives from most Singaporeans.
What I'm trying to say is that Singaporean society is generally not very welcoming. It is not hostile, but it is not open to change.
I have since moved to the USA to study, and then Shanghai to work and live. Americans are very open, up to a certain point, but it was in Shanghai, Hangzhou that I really felt at home. Yes, the habits were different but as a Malaysian Chinese it is easy for us to melt into local Chinese society. My Singaporean husband could not, for four years, he complained about dirt, manners, noise and all that. Perhaps their upbringing sets them apart, makes them think they are different after all.
Now I am back in Singapore after so many years. I like the younger generation, much more open to change, much more open to outsiders. Life is getting better, and I thank the new wave of immigrants for changing that. The older generation will not change, their hurtful words and closed minds will not change, but they will die or not be so important soon. Please focus on your future, and the circle of friends that will make your life meaningful.
Church is very good too! :) I'm Buddhist so I meditate, but I love the communion you find in a church.
Have a good day, and good luck for your exams!
Tanuki
Yeah, you'r right. We are different
so go back to China!!!
Loveless,
I'll just like to add my personal experience.
When I was doing my graduate education in the US, I had some good friends from the PRC. They asked why I seem to show an antipathy towards the PRCs. I have given some thought to that since then.
I went to school in the 80s and 90s when the Singapore government had a policy of oversubsidising the "foreign talent", from the education to the housing, I came from one of those cohorts when the government slashed the tuition loan for locals while generously handing out more freebies for the foreign scholars and reducing the school fees for the paying ones. It was a case of when the scales were beginning to tip in favour of foreigners, and it was only natural that the locals would begin muttering. Particularly since the PRCs were readily distinguishable.
However, it does seem as though the PRCs earned the bulk of local ire , as compared to other foreigners from Malaysia, India, Indonesia and HongKong.
There are a couple of reasons.
1. The sheer numbers of the PRCs are overwhelming and thus present an easier target.
2. A tendency to be more insular and hang out only with their countrymen.
3. The "You owe us" and "How can we get more?" attitude. While the Singapore media does play up the ugly stories, there were indeed ugly PRCs who sour us all on the shared experience. And it does seem to happen more often with the PRCs than the other students. Maybe they were more self-centered as products of the "only child" policy?
I remember a China university classmate telling me scornfully that the Singapore government does not give them enough to enable them to live comfortably. Comfort is a subjective measure, but I think it is insensitive for these kids who got free education, living expenses and pocket money to say such things to ordinary Singaporeans who were not even allowed to borrow sufficient tuition fees (there was a policy change in the mid-90s).
As I went to the US for grad studies, I met the PRCs from Singapore who asked me, a Singaporean, how to change nationalities and gain more advantage on the travel visas or the HDB flats. I think it is silly to ask a Singaporean whether they should switch from the Singaporean PR to the pink IC to get a leg up in travel visas to the US?!?! You wouldn't like others to play around with your country's citizenship as well.
My immediate family also had very bad experiences with the PRC part of the family, reinforcing my bad impressions.
Thank goodness I met more tactful and nicer PRCs in the US and China. It made me realise that PRCs can be both good and bad. And it suddenly occured to me that I had also heard Hong Kong scholars loudly dissing my secondary school in the school library in the 80s, and Malaysian colleagues growling about my firm in the 2000s. And I slowly accepted that the PRCs do not have a monopoly on all bad things.
For my nice PRC friends, I am sorry that I am not tactful enough. But by showing your decency, friendliness and patience, I also learn that there are nicer people from your country than I once believed.
I am chinese but i hate my own race. China people are just idiots who think that their country is the best and the people of their country are always innocent. They think that other chinese(singaporeans,malaysians...) are inferior to them and always pushes the blame to others. What cunts! maybe they should learn how to speak english before starting to show off the amazing ability of such jerk behaviour.
I was taught to discriminate Chinese nationals too – you know how some parents like to comment on how dirty, impolite etc the Chinese nationals are, and how they dislike things made in china. And because I didn’t get to know any PRCs I thought it’s true. Until I went overseas, met a bunch of Chinese nationals, saw how mature, independent and diligent they are, and fell in love with one. I just hope my family can accept him – given all the perceptions they had of the PRCs...
Everyone has a choice and you made that choice to come over here. There are universities that are vastly better than the ones here, like Peking Uni, Shanghai JiaoTong, but you did not stay. If studying here is like cigarette, would you pick up and smoke the first stick?
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