I don't get upset at 'laowai' tag whatsoever.

First, I'm not fluent in Chinese, and as I understand it means 'outsider' what I am.

I learned 'ni shi laowai' and I use it as a reply, or when Chinese reply 'bu zhi dao' to my English talk.

I can make unknown kids on the street reply after me: 'ni' -exhale- 'shi' -exhale- 'laowai', and when they understand themselves, they hit me again with 'ni shi laowai' and fingers pointing.

I always get laugh out of them.

You can't expect Chinese will treat different races same as we do. They lived among themselves for long time, and 'Us & them' matter won't change that quick.

Yeh, like icnif said, the word laowai is not meant in any derogatory sense whatsoever, it's just an observation.

I agree...it is not malicious. But for fun, when someone points and says "laowai", point back and say "zhongguo ren" ....you'll get a laugh

Yeah, it sucks, but a lot of times racism is out of ignorance.

I actually have had some luck explaining that racial slurs are a bad thing, with the whole "How would you feel living in a Western country, and the people regularly called you racist names?" There are also some people who are uneducated enough to actually not think it's insulting (they all seem to have the same story about how "Lao" is an honorable prefix, and something about it being humorous or respectful. Turns out they all get it from Baidu. Big surprise there). Some city dwellers are starting to realize it's insulting, though most don't think about it.

Once, before class, some students were talking about how their IELTS tests were being graded overseas, and one student used the term "Laowai" in the conversation. It got real quiet. I talked to her one on one, and she apologized, said she was just nervous about her score, and frustrated thinking that it'll be graded more harshly than if a Chinese was doing it, and the word just came out. I told her I was at least appreciative she didn't try to bullshit her way out of it with a "You don't understand. It's not a bad word", but owned up to it. I just said I didn't want to hear it again. A professor used it too, in passing, with one of her students. When I brought it up, she also said that a lot of Chinese use it without thinking, but she knew it was offensive, and after apologizing, said she wouldn't say it again. So yeah, some people can be reasoned with.

Side note: In Poland, in a small town, a Polish fan of American hip-hop asked me something like, "Are there really a lot of niggers in America?" I just stopped, paused, and after a few moments, explained that he really shouldn't be using that word. He was sure it wasn't an insult, since Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre use it all the time. Not malicious, just didn't know better.

Though, actually explaining mostly just works for people you talk with, like friends and coworkers. Little chance convincing the random Wang on the street. And, of course, there are plenty of people who know exactly what it means, and intentionally use it to insult. They know it's racist, but that's the point of them using it. You're not going to reason with them.

Sure, you can reply back with, "Ni hao, chink!", but even if it makes you feel temporarily better, it will probably offend all Han Chinese within earshot. I've enjoyed just staring them down, and asking, "Ni shuo shenma?" Ususally, I just get a nervous smile and a "Sorry."

Booooooooooriiiiiiiiiiiing

I know it's not the most polite way of referring to us, but  I think in China, where everyone has a label  (shifu, ayi, shushu, laoban, fuwuyuan, meinu, shuige, fangdong) , that would be considered impolite in the west (try calling a waitress over to your table by yelling "hey beautiful!" back home), that the sting of laowai just doesn't come off as that derogatory to me. So I'm not gonna fight China on this one.

So yes it's a little crude, but I also wouldn't put it on the same level as "chink" and "nigger", because those are terms that were made to be hateful. I think it's sort of like "oriental" or "colored", terms that were actually considered the polite, acceptable vernacular in their time, but grew to be distasteful. Guai Lou or Gai lou is where I draw the line, means something like "ghost face" in Cantonese based dialects.

Yes they are racist but it's just because they are at a lower level of societal development than we are, I mean just look at them, their appearance, behavior, mindset, knowledge, everything screams backward.

Still they are much less racist than they used to be, I hear derogatory terms much less often than I did 9 years ago when I came here. Give them a few more decades, things will probably improve quickly after Mao's generation dies away.

Japan used to be a pretty racist place too but today you see many Japanese in couple with people from other races, be they guys or girls, even the Koreans who only bred with their own kind less than 20 years ago now increasingly date White and Black people.

As an American, I think it's very hypocritically of me to look down on Chinese people for being racist towards foreigners, because the same is done to many foreigners in my country, especially those who cannot speak English.

When I was in America, I thought all foreigners who lived in the USA should speak English. Those who didn't I looked down upon for being too lazy to learn.

I feel the same about foreigners in China, including myself. If most foreigners here never attempt to learn more than basic Chinese I think it's very disrespectful. Maybe, many Chinese people feel the same about foreigners living in China. They probably think we think we are superior to them and we don't need to bother learning their inferior language or culture.

I've found when I start speaking to a Chinese person in their language that they show me respect. The little boy that shouted "laowai" now calls me "shushu". The Chinese man will now call me "gemen" or brother.

I think many Chinese people have a negative perception of foreigners, because we come off as superior to them and we never try to actually put forth the effort to learn from them. I know it's often labeled as an "us vs them" type of scenario, but I plead for my fellow foreigners in China to think more objectively and to keep an open mind.

If the chinese weren't racist, there wouldn't be a billion of them. ..If you are cultivating a race with a specific, genetic trait...a billion should smack most idiots in the head with the clearest, most f'n obvious sign you are dealing with racists...Polite to others OUTSIDE of race doesn't mean sh*t...It just means they will get out of your way to avoid conflict...what means sh*t to the racist is that dissimilar genetic traits are marginalized and micrcomanaged...Culture can only supplement race...It does not define it...Why the slowdown in the economy? Uh..save up for baby #2?

Thanks for all the comments, input, etc. inwhich a variety across the spectrum has been brought forward. I understand that China has come a long way, but yet still has a long way to go, so to speak.

Laowai is not racist. I

Actually as many here say the word laowai is really not racist. It simply means non Chinese person. However the terms yanggui, heigui or any other gui are simply offensive and are meant as offense - always (at best just as a joke among really really good friends).
But what always surprises me how frequently this question comes and how many people are willing to fight to the last breath that laowai is offensive term.
Apparently these people did not do the due diligence before coming to China.
Chinese call their country Zhong Guo, what literally means the Middle Kingdom. Apparently many do not know that this term is based on the ancient Chinese believe that there is heaven and under it earth. China is then exactly between the heaven and earth - in the sense closer to the heaven than other countries and therefore better than the others.
In the past China (but also Korea and Japan) frequently isolated itself from any foreigners, calling all foreigners (exactly as ancient Romans did) barbarians.
Problem with China is its long uniterrupted history. Many terms and words which are currently used are coming from 1000 or 2000 years ago. They just got a bit different meaning.
If you call Chinese Zhong Guo Ren so you are basically making him/her higher than you. But the Chinese person will not understand that in this way. Currently Zhong Guo lost its meaning of Middle Kingdom in its historical meaning but simply means China.

Many people are then saying they do not like the word laowai because it singles them out and they do not want that. Fair enough, but it's not our choice. We came to China being aware that foreigners do not make up even a permil of total population.
Foreigners are simply rare in China and on top of that only small part of them can really freely communicate in Chinese. That already singles average foreigner out - usually needs special treatment if not accompanied by English speaking Chinese etc. etc.
Nobody is trying to persuade anyone that expats need to like if Chinese call them laowai but there is probably no other way than to accept that.
I am almost sure that the lady did not feel guilty at all. Just shocked what's wrong with you ...