Perhaps it might help to know what your understanding of the term "white monkey" mean.  If you were to set forth your definition, then perhaps I, at least would be able to offer some viable comments.

It relates to those darker moments when you feel like your only reason for being in China, in the eyes of your employer, is to wear a clown suit and make a prat of yourself for the entertainment of other Chinese people.

Thank you very much for your answer.  In that case, I can honestly say that I don't it, will not do it, and have not done it.  I consider myself to be a seriously professional and the school where I work considers me to be a serious professional.  I do have, however, one exception to this and that is Christmas.  The school has a week's long celebration of Christmas, albeit cleansed of any religious overtones, replete with Santa Claus, dancing reindeer, and the like.  It's for the little ones -- kind of like a Chinese version of Santa Claus at Macy's in New York or at the old Wanamaker's in Philadelphia.  In any case, I am not Santa Claus -- the Chinese teachers do this, beard, paunch and all but I am one of his helpers and twelve little children are the raindeer.  That is the exception and I don't feel white monkey at all.  The rest of the year is given over to quite serious academic work.

I can honestly say I will not put myself in those situations. I don't sing or dance in class. I may be entertaining from time to time but I'm no joke nor am I any type of white monkey or clown. I steadfastly refuse to sway from that stance and have had employers pissed at me but I won't bend an inch on that. I teach, I help students, and yes, I suppose sometimes I do it in an entertaining way and I know my job is not to make them laugh and get them to "like me" cause I'm a dancin fool. They like me cause I impart knowledge that enables them to improve and enhance their English skills. Don't mean to sound arrogant here, just calling it as I see it. That is not to say that when a group of students invite me to dinner and KTV that I won't sing my lungs out, cause I embrace those opportunities whenever I can.

Should make clear that I teach kids and not adults. Singing and dancing is par for the course in that regard.

My school has a company policy that everything must be 'fun,' bollocks to any real language acquisition. They use 'TPR' as a verb... do I need to say more?

Embrance it, but learn to balance it.  Since I was hired to manage and lead, I don't have to worry about my employer seeing me in this light, but I opt in to the "white monkey" at times.  Simple stuff like joking to a guy you pass on the factory floor, or doing a trick for the team waiting on the unit to finish its cycles so you can complete testing makes a night and day difference on the average workers willingness to open up to and help out  the foreigner.

Plus with all the issues and late deadlines I have to face, having people smile when they see me coming does make the day better.

I'm in a classroom, not a zoo. Teaching employs a lot of different approaches, not withstanding being an "entertainer," however, from my perspective, top lecturers get paid thousands of dollars per appearnce, being expected to entertain also, sans singing and dancing.

To me, entertaining means to make it interesting, as in "to hold the attention of pleasantly or agreeably; divert; amuse." No one said class had to be boring!

Have I sung in class? Sure, when we have reviewed lyrics of popular Engish songs and how singing changes sounds, pronunciation and pacing of words and syllables. Have I danced? No, sorry, that would not be pleasent to see.

Find what works for you. Teach, learn, have fun, and most importantly, be yourself.

I think it depends on your teaching environment and how you like to teach. For some people, they love to entertain with jokes and the like, while others only want to be serious. For my main job, I try to make jokes, but no singing and dancing. My students know I can sing, so they used to bug me at every opportunity, but I kept saying no, and now they don't ask anymore. They said it was out of "friendliness" but they didn't ask anybody else to do it, so I know that's not true. However, for my part time job with little kids, that's about all it is, games and dancing, and that's ok, because they're so young. However, I won't put up with that crap for people around my own age.

Have you never had any employer whine to you that you're not outgoing enough? "I know you culture outgoing cool, very important for buisnessman." etc? In a school where the Chinese employees wear three-piece suits, I've been ordered to wear old jeans, a t-shirt and sunglasses (indoors). I've been told to give thumbs up and say '哦也' etc etc etc. I don't think once, my entire time in China, have I had one complaint about my actual imparting of the English language. All the complaints have been about me not being sufficiently outgoing enough, because foreigners are outgoing.

Weird thing is, I've had no complaints whatsoever -- I'm the dog's dangly things at the moment. Parents like me, kids like me, employer likes me ...blah, blah, blah. I just feel like a fake working here inasmuch as I am a trained teacher but make my money by playing games with spoiled snowflakes. Sad, very sad. The most exciting part of my teaching so far has been sneaking in a cline to show the gap between 'angry' and 'ecstatic'.

In my opinion being the "White Monkey" all depends on if you are willing to do that. When I worked in the kindergarten I did, it's expected to sing and dance and be silly to make the kids happy and then they learn/remember something.

If you're in a training center then it's different, the students there should be there to learn English, yes it's important to have the students like you and have fun in class otherwise they won't speak or will quit the course, but there are other ways. You can make jokes with them and play fun educational games, but don't act the fool just because the school says you must!

Currently I teach corporate classes in a large company in Dongguan and my classes are still fun, even though therer are senior managers and the like, they still enjoy playing games and rather than be the "white monkey" I get them to do the stupid stuff by doing role-plays which have silly situations but use real language, this means they are more likely to remember it. My students (same company) even asked me for rewards for the best role-play and who did the best writing etc, what did they want??? Candy

My final comment is that if you or anyone else does the "White Monkey" crap (unless you're with very young children) it's going to be expected of us more and more, we will lose respect as dedicated teachers. If your school doesn't like your answer and that you are teaching the children and would prefer that you be a fool instead, give them a piece of paper that say' "Resignation" and move on, there are many schools in China and I can safely say that you can earn more by doing part-time in a few places and getting a couple of 500rmb/hour corportate classes into your life. Just don't be a "white monkey".

I was born a white monkey. I am always joking around. Sometimes if the sidewalk is slippery enough, I will attempt to moonwalk past stores that play music. If I make someone laugh or smile, they tell me , we are friends. I just want to have fun. I am not a teacher.

Easy. Start talking about a subject or a current topic - avoiding the controversial ones. Let them share their opinion. In subsequent classes you let them debate something, anything. Your goal, at least in my opinion, is for you to talk as little as possible. 

Unless you have a subject textbook, toss the book out the window. Seriously, how many times would YOU want to do the "order food at the restaurant" lesson? Toss the book. Ask them what they want to do, they'll eventually tell you. Some of those books have a few interesting lessons, but not many. When I do use a lesson from a book, I clown it. I make it a joke. Why? No why (Just Kidding!) It is easier for them to remember something funny.

You want to teach them the future perfect continuous tense? Screw that. They get grammar every day for years. Anything that makes them talk is gold. Do it.

For example, you can talk about cultural differences. Let them explain things to you, even if you already know. Try any interesting topic. 

Unless you teach kindergarten. If you teach kindy you are a clown but, at least in my opinion, that's appropriate. I love kindy, it's like doing a celebrity photo shoot. 

And yea, I sing a song or two. Takes three minutes, makes them happy and I'm good at it. So sue me. Oh, then ask one of them to sing an English song, any song.

Anyway, that's my 2 pence.

I find if I try and avoid sitting on the desk picking flies out of my genitals while eating bananas helps, then a bit of buddy buddy grooming to the DOS, you know get those fleas out of the hard to get middle of the back hair, helps relations as well.

Joking aside, in my experience avoid acting like a monkey (white or otherwise) and they don't treat you like a monkey.

Ignore those that say you are a monkey from the white tribe of the Kongo's! Being a monkey not only makes you less of a man it also makes you an animal. Do you know what the term monkey refers to:? It means you are an idiot and you have little sense or brains. You are wild yet can be tamed and if someone had you over you would be just for show and nothing else. They might even make you do a monkey laugh or have you scratch your butt and sniff it!