I think foreigners in China need to understand, no matter how long you live there there is no stamp on your forehead that shows you have been there "X number of years" to random strangers. You look different and so you stand out, and because of that you will be treated differently. Foreigners also carry a lot of privilege in China; they can get treated better in many cases, dodge penalties, get a higher salary than the average local person, etc. If you build a community, especially with nearby friends and neighbors, that is probably the best way to feel more welcome. Having neighbors greet you or randomly stop for a chat is one great advantage of this. Also, being in China, he has the advantage that Chinese people tend to be a lot more friendly and welcoming to foreigners. In some other countries, it can be a lot harder to fit in or make friends with the local community. Registering at the police station within 24 hours has been something that was required as far back as I can remember, probably even more than 10 years ago--nothing to do with covid. It is likely because there is no system for foreigners like the ID card system of citizens and so they need you to manually register. This could also be a safety issue because if a foreigner is hurt or injured, it can become a lot harder to find them if they have no registered residence in which to check on them. And obviously, if they partake in some type of criminal behavior, it becomes much harder to find them as well. Anyway, hopefully he can focus on the good and try to be a bit more patient, especially having lived in China for so long. People have their bad days, of course, but putting things into perspective is more healthy than trying to force China to become something its not or something you think it should be.
It is different in China and Russia. They historically expanded into wast territories and tried to incorporate other nations into themselves. Chinese don't expect everyone to look and be the same as for example as people in more homogeneous countries as Korea and Japan. In China, you have people who look like Mongolian, Thai, Vietnamese, Hmong, Tibetan, Kazakh and even European. So people are used to different looks and different ethnicities. Being from different ethnic background is more acceptable in the Chinese society.
Yes i know that feeling your husband felt. The city my wife and i stayed in everyone new me as i was the foreigner, but the people that always gave me hassle was the security guy at our apartment. I don't know if it was because he thought he had power over people or he didn't like me being with a Chinese girl which i got a few times from guys, "why am i stealing there girls". But he always had to check id registered at the police station or threaten to call the police on me. Its safe to say me and him had a love hate relationship.
I am happy to hear that your husband had a caring and understanding wife that stood by his side and showed compassion for the situation. It makes all the difference in the world as an outsider in a foreign country. My wife was born in Taiwan and we go back almost every year for 30-45 days each visit. This past year, on a dinner date, my wifes' good friends' husband was yaking away about how horrible American us and root of all evil. I listened to his rant for about 30 minutes. I felt super pissed and defensive and tried to listen and understand where he was coming from.. although, I never felt more patriotic and isolated at that moment. We had only been back for 2 days at the time and I am normally very patient and opened minded but I could not tolerate the hate and vitriol. He has never been this way in the past but was converted by media propaganda.. or maybe he always felt this way. I even googled anti-American sentiment when I returned to my wifes house and many of the talking points were outlined in an article I found about China Anti-American propaganda. I was very disappointed and disgusted because I love to travel and welcome all cultures and peoples. I hope we can live in a world that is more open and respective of other cultures and not one that thrives off hate and being narrow minded. I am not naïve to governments that want to create narratives around hate that are attempts to create nationalism at the expense of isolating others.
I do. Not think that is a big deal. In any society where only one race has majority, the others are seen outsider or strange. It happens everywhere. Only in the multi races or ethnics society has less problem like this
I think foreigners in China need to understand, no matter how long you live there there is no stamp on your forehead that shows you have been there "X number of years" to random strangers. You look different and so you stand out, and because of that you will be treated differently. Foreigners also carry a lot of privilege in China; they can get treated better in many cases, dodge penalties, get a higher salary than the average local person, etc.
If you build a community, especially with nearby friends and neighbors, that is probably the best way to feel more welcome. Having neighbors greet you or randomly stop for a chat is one great advantage of this. Also, being in China, he has the advantage that Chinese people tend to be a lot more friendly and welcoming to foreigners. In some other countries, it can be a lot harder to fit in or make friends with the local community.
Registering at the police station within 24 hours has been something that was required as far back as I can remember, probably even more than 10 years ago--nothing to do with covid. It is likely because there is no system for foreigners like the ID card system of citizens and so they need you to manually register. This could also be a safety issue because if a foreigner is hurt or injured, it can become a lot harder to find them if they have no registered residence in which to check on them. And obviously, if they partake in some type of criminal behavior, it becomes much harder to find them as well.
Anyway, hopefully he can focus on the good and try to be a bit more patient, especially having lived in China for so long. People have their bad days, of course, but putting things into perspective is more healthy than trying to force China to become something its not or something you think it should be.
That was very sad to hear . I hope things like this will change with time there.
It is different in China and Russia. They historically expanded into wast territories and tried to incorporate other nations into themselves. Chinese don't expect everyone to look and be the same as for example as people in more homogeneous countries as Korea and Japan. In China, you have people who look like Mongolian, Thai, Vietnamese, Hmong, Tibetan, Kazakh and even European. So people are used to different looks and different ethnicities. Being from different ethnic background is more acceptable in the Chinese society.
oh, the Africans will disagree.
My experience in 'merica. Get rid of the origin and everything else will unravel.
Take care sweetie.
Yes i know that feeling your husband felt. The city my wife and i stayed in everyone new me as i was the foreigner, but the people that always gave me hassle was the security guy at our apartment. I don't know if it was because he thought he had power over people or he didn't like me being with a Chinese girl which i got a few times from guys, "why am i stealing there girls". But he always had to check id registered at the police station or threaten to call the police on me. Its safe to say me and him had a love hate relationship.
seems it happens constantly for some foreigners who live here longer
I am happy to hear that your husband had a caring and understanding wife that stood by his side and showed compassion for the situation. It makes all the difference in the world as an outsider in a foreign country. My wife was born in Taiwan and we go back almost every year for 30-45 days each visit. This past year, on a dinner date, my wifes' good friends' husband was yaking away about how horrible American us and root of all evil. I listened to his rant for about 30 minutes. I felt super pissed and defensive and tried to listen and understand where he was coming from.. although, I never felt more patriotic and isolated at that moment. We had only been back for 2 days at the time and I am normally very patient and opened minded but I could not tolerate the hate and vitriol. He has never been this way in the past but was converted by media propaganda.. or maybe he always felt this way. I even googled anti-American sentiment when I returned to my wifes house and many of the talking points were outlined in an article I found about China Anti-American propaganda. I was very disappointed and disgusted because I love to travel and welcome all cultures and peoples. I hope we can live in a world that is more open and respective of other cultures and not one that thrives off hate and being narrow minded. I am not naïve to governments that want to create narratives around hate that are attempts to create nationalism at the expense of isolating others.
I have been watching leftover Chinese women and their rants on TH-cam.
I do. Not think that is a big deal. In any society where only one race has majority, the others are seen outsider or strange. It happens everywhere. Only in the multi races or ethnics society has less problem like this
you only say that because it happened to a white man. but i agree with you in general