Margaret and Jenning - Our Wedding Website

March 21, 2011

Are you Chinese?

Maggie's non-wedding related encounter...

This entry is non-wedding related, but I thought I should post it because I have encountered this a few times in my life and find it 'interesting and frustrating'. I attended a workshop a couple of weeks ago and ended up sitting next to a fellow Chinese co-worker I just met. This was our conversation:

Co-worker (CW): Are you Chinese?

Me: Yes

CW: Do you speak Cantonese?

Me: No

CW: Do you speak Mandarin?

Me: No

CW: But you are Chinese, how come you don't speak Chinese?

Me: I speak Hakka. Do you speak Hakka?

CW: No

Me: You’re Chinese, why don't you speak Hakka?

CW: No further response

I find it interesting the number of times I meet Chinese individuals who seem to think that every Chinese person on earth speaks Mandarin or Cantonese; and if you don’t speak either dialect, then shame on you and/or your parent for not teaching you. I find it effortful to try to explain to these individuals that there are other Chinese dialects too (I get nods but I don’t think the info really registers). It gets even more interesting when they find out that I’m from India (then I usually get “So you’re Indian?”).

I know some might say, "You should learn Mandarin/Cantonese!", and I do have an interest and wish to be more fluent one day; but I just think it is ignorant for these individuals to think that you are less or not very Chinese if you don't speak the main dialects.

Have any of you non-Mandarin/Cantonese speaking Chinese people encountered this situation before?

Comments (2)

March 24, 2011 9:43 PM

Maggie

Interesting and good points you've brought up. Although I did not ask, I am pretty certain CW immigrated from China (she has a very strong Mandarin Chinese-English accent). Just about every other person I have encountered this experience with was also very likely an immigrant from China.

March 24, 2011 8:15 PM

Dr. HeKyLl

Out of curiosity, was CW an immigrant or a nth-generation Canadian? I'm willing to bet it was the former. Not that I'm an expert on Chinese culture but I think I can comment on one possible source. I am reminded of a great quote I pnce read in a Lonely Planet Guide -- "There is no racism in China because we have no Africans". It's the classic ignorance of the dominant ethnic group towards minorities. Thanks to government policy and propaganda, the Chinese gov't has adopted the "melting pot" strategy towards its minorities and this is most clearly seen in the regions with the most resistance (i.e. Tibet, Uighur). While you may come from a particular region of China as a particular minority speaking a local dialect, you are still taught Mandarin in school and you are still expected to be Chinese. (And if you're from Tibet/Uighur you are forbidden from passing on your own traditions and culture). I'm guessing this has crept into the subconsciousness of the majority Hans -- we are all Chinese so there are no minorities. And, all Chinese must speak Mandarin (or Cantonese if you're descended from the first wave of immigrants). During the Olympics this philosophy was in full display during the closing ceremonies where they had people parading around in the dress of the various minorities in China -- except they were all Han Chinese! I'm guessing that this wasn't a blunder due to ignorance but rather the "We're all Chinese" mindset of the dominant majority. They don't understand how minorities might find that very offensive. Lastly, remember that the average Chinese person hasn't traveled outside of China much although that has been changing quickly over the last few years. The average Chinese person has grown up in a very homogeneous society and culture. New immigrants will hold onto their worldviews but in Canada their children will quickly catch on and adapt to multiculturalism which, fundamentally, entails an awareness and sensitivity of other ethnic groups and cultures. Mind you, there are probably a bunch of other reasons for CW's line of questioning but I've rambled on long enough!