Foreigners still kept at arm's length by Chinese culture
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Every country has racists, including the US. But, it's considered uncivil to make people feel like outsiders, especially if they've been there a long time. But, foreigners living in China, even for decades, are still "always outsiders."
The US and other "foreign" countries have plenty of discrimination; especially in the past, but how we distinguish Waiguoren is different. Chinese students are surprised when I inform them that when they study abroad most people won't call them "foreign students."
The very word "foreigner" carries a negative connotation. It's rarely said except out of dislike. Instead of "foreign student" one says "international student."
We referred to our Putonghua instructor at Indiana University as our "Chinese teacher," or simply Mrs Lee, but never the insulting "foreign teacher." It's a different attitude toward international people.
To the Chinese there are basically two kinds of people in the world: Chinese and foreigners. You are either in or out, one of us or one of them.
There is, however, a glimmer of future hope that foreigners may almost be regarded as "one of us." Not long ago, communication barriers kept us even further on the outside. When I first came to China, in many schools, students had to sign their names before visiting foreign teachers.
Veteran "foreign teachers" told of a time when Chinese students weren't allowed to visit them outside the classroom. Nowadays, in and out of class, we can talk about almost anything, anytime.
Before the Internet, the invasion of Western media, and loosening of regulations prohibiting open communication with foreigners, Chinese people had a more distorted outlook. Today Hollywood movies import a different kind of distortion of Western culture, but communication flows more freely.
Chinese going abroad wanted to stay abroad, but now more prefer to return after being educated overseas. As China's future looks brighter, there are more reasons to return.
There are also fewer reasons to percieve "foreigners" as special. As for me, it's fun being a special guest, but I look forward to a time when "laowai" is dropped from Chinese vocabulary, and we international people really are "one of us."
The author is an experienced English teacher in Beijing, author of Here They Come! Are You Ready? mdklaoshi@yahoo.com
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