Are you Chinese?

Are you Chinese?

That’s the question a few months ago put forth in Hong Kong that created a stir in the news.

This is one of the many clips, for your reference.

https://youtu.be/m-tTZegv-Os?si=f7F_S5-yDAuhSJPq

That was a question, or rather a challenge, assuming Chinese or anyone in Chinese territory MUST speak Putonghua, put forth by a putonhua speaking（presumably mainland Chinese visitor or HK resident) directed at a person who appeared from the clip, conversant with English and putonhua, and might “look” Chinese to the mainlander.

Notice how convoluted the above sentence is!

There are just too many possibilities to decipher what’s being after in the question “are you Chinese?”

Appearance, language and legal citizenship status, all intertwined when that seemingly naive and straight forward question,

“Are you Chinese?” was uttered!

Was it said with innocent enquiry? Contempt? Challenge?

So complex.

But this piece, which has been “under construction” long before the above incident happened, was about sorting these out.

Let’s hear me out.

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In USA there are certain things better not uttered.

Such as, “What’s the problem?”, or “You people”.

Increasingly it feels offensive to be asked, “Where are you from?”

The implied retort is, “Where? This is my home!”

An unconfirmed anecdote recalls a member of the British royalty kept asking a black female guest where she was from, being ignorant of her identity as a press member, born and raised in the UK.

Kind of like a white American asking a Japanese looking person in Honolulu, “where are you from?”

The reply is likely: “I’m fourth generation American born here!”

But surprisingly it doesn’t seem to be so offensive, at least to the person raising the question, when a “Gweillo” asks a Chinese, “Are you Chinese?” or “Are you from China?”

Most of the time the questions are accompanied by,

“Do you speak Mandarin?”

These questions betray a lack of understanding on the part of the questioner, of the world in general, and of Chinese ethnicity in particular.

In fact there’s a poverty in the language to describe the person who has the assumed “look”, even distant ethnicity and gene, yet holds an American passport and can’t speak mandarin!

Don’t call him Chinese, and you would have no term to describe him.

Perhaps it has become so reasonable to ask an Asian looking person if he or she is Chinese, or Japanese, their looks fitting what the “Gweillo” has known.

But clearly the person could easily have been: Vietnamese, Malaysian, Singaporean, on and on.

And of course of late, Hong Kongers! To that shall return.

How could you delve into this innocent series of questions in a chance social encounter with “Gweillos” overseas?

They have no hidden agenda.

Nor to embarrass you.

What else could you do?

And without a negative tone invested with emotions?

Perhaps it is time to sort out the thinking in the long form first.

Here it goes.

The fundamentals: What’s given vs what’s chosen.

First, examine the same form of question to various interlocutors and see:

President Obama, are you Kenyan?

I’m American, though my father is Kenyan.

President Biden, are you Irish?

I’m American, though my ancestry is Irish.

Prime Minister Sunak, are you Indian?

I’m British, though my ancestry is Indian.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, are you Chinese?

I’m Singaporean, though my ancestry is Chinese.

Frankly no one would dare put those questions to them.

Neither would they answer with the second half of the sentence.

American, British and Singaporean should suffice.

But for clarity, awkwardness is needed here.

Of these the one to the Singapore Prime Minister most resembles the one that began this article, and thus most relevant.

Mr Lee Hsieng Lung clearly has a last name that is amongst Chinese last names, though LEE could be Korean.

He most likely would not deny ethnically he could be traced back to Chinese, though no DNA report is available.

Probably he speaks Mandarin too, though that’s a language skill that could be acquired, rather than something to prove connections or root.

Plenty of of white missionaries speak fluent Mandarin!

So?

Is he Singaporean or Chinese?

Theoretically Mr Lee might be descended from some Chinese way back when.

But no one now asks him, “Are you Chinese?”

Why?

Just as no one will ask Australians, “Are you British?”, even though it’s common knowledge that Australia started with major migrations from United Kingdom.

The above is a long-winded way to state that nowadays nationality and ethnicity is always entangled.

They should really be divorced.

And so here’s the fundamental question to ask:

- Am I the one to decide or will it be decided for me by factors outside of my will such as ancestry (DNA), birthplace, or even looks?

If it’s got nothing to do with one’s choice, then perhaps Kenya has a claim over Obama, Ireland over Biden, India over Sunak, China (PRC or Taiwan) over Lee.

And perhaps some other nations too depending on the complexity and mysteries of their DNAs!

Clearly the world doesn’t deal with these world leaders that way.

The world respects their decisions.

Obama and Biden American.

Sunak British.

Lee Singaporean.

The world never deals with them on the basis of looks or color of skin.

The world respects their choice reflected by their passports, over any other factors, be it genetic or historical.

How ludicrous it is for the Communist China to be able to claim that all Chinese over the entire world are still Chinese and subject to Chinese laws whenever they are in Chinese territory?

Even more ludicrous is for an average countryman to assume and demand a Chinese looking person in Hong Kong to be “Chinese” and to speak “Putonghua”?

One’s conscious choice to swear allegiance to a country, very often represented by the passport one uses, must trump any other claim.

It’s very instructive to check the FIFA rules governing how a person can represent a country in World Cup.

No doubt current tournament games have shown many faces that can easily mock the ludicrous assertion of that man in that HK pizzeria.

For the Japanese goalie Suzuki is the only one on the field with a black complexion: he’s born in the USA to a Japanese mother and a Ghana father and was raised from young ages in Japan!

And of course the world famous US Olympic gold medalist Alysa LIU is clearly of (even) Communist China father, but born in USA.

She might have chosen to represent PRC but didn’t.

On the other hand the other equally famous medalist Eileen GU, for PRC.

Suzuki chose.

Alysa chose.

Eileen chose.

Individual choice prevails.

Enough said.