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Q: How are ABC's received in China?
GoldenBoy will quote himself:
'All those who look Chinese but are actually 'Laowei' are just regarded as retard Chinese people or Chinese of a lower status. Once it is clarified that the person in question is Filipino or Korean the Chinese people will go on stand-by for a while. If you look closely enough you can see the little red light. Once the shock of an non-Chinese Asian is accepted the process is completed by a reboot which takes them back to treating them as second class Chinese citizens..'
I have a few friends who are ABC's and it has been difficult for them here. Most people expect them to speak Chinese fluently and are shocked when they can't. They look Chinese so they must be Chinese. A lot of people don't understand that you can have a Chinese heritage but be born and raised in another country. You don't have to be white to be American or British or whatever. It's not so bad in the big cities like Beijing and Shanghai but in other cities my friends have had a hard time.
I don't know any actual ABC's here... the one's I know were born in Canada, Italy, or Denmark. Since they don't normally get the rock star treatment that other laowai receive here, I've noticed they become some of the first to express hostility towards the Chinese bs. To be fair, each of them are great with speaking Mandarin (if not also the local dialect of their parents), so can't add to that part of the topic. But the only time I've ever seen them enjoy being ABC is when we are at a touristy area and I'm the only one being bothered (but what can I say, that's the laowai rock star life for me).
GoldenBoy will quote himself:
'All those who look Chinese but are actually 'Laowei' are just regarded as retard Chinese people or Chinese of a lower status. Once it is clarified that the person in question is Filipino or Korean the Chinese people will go on stand-by for a while. If you look closely enough you can see the little red light. Once the shock of an non-Chinese Asian is accepted the process is completed by a reboot which takes them back to treating them as second class Chinese citizens..'
In terms of the ESL job market, ABC's and CBA's have a more difficult time obtaining and then maintaining positions than other foreigners. It is a very sad of fact of life here but a true one. I have noticed that schools will generally pass over the most qualified ABC's that one could possibly imagine in favor of a non-university educated, non-TESOL holder if the person has blond hair and blue eyes. It's all about perception, I guess, and stereotype.
