China has 56 ethnic groups, though the Hans make up approximately 90 per cent of the population. To an outsider, everyone here looks Chinese, but Chinese nationals know who's who. The central government attempts to value the unique traditions of ethnic minorities; however they have not benefited from the new prosperity as much as the Hans. This makes for tension. The Tibetan conflict is as much ethnic as political.
Racism, prejudice, and xenophobia are regrettable universals in the human experience. I am told that the Chinese dislike foreigners on the whole; but I do not experience this. People treat me warmly and encourage my attempts to learn their language. Perhaps in my case, the cultural veneration of older people and teachers overides xenophobia.
There are quite a few Europeans in Nanjing; a smaller number of Africans and African Americans. Blacks have a harder time here than whites, I'm afraid. In addition to the ethnic tension, there is racial prejudice. A friend told me that certain language schools have a policy of not hiring Blacks, how ever excellent their English or French. When I reacted with horror, my friend told me to remember I wasn't in the US, and fear of Black people is part of Chinese culture. "They have so little experience with Black people. Why would they let Black people near their children?" I was outraged.
Look, I try to respect cultural differences. In China, I eat with chopstick, and present gifts to my hosts at the appropriate times. As much as possible, I speak in my developing Chinese. But where bigotry where is part of a culture, it is unacceptable. Some practices we should not respect in other nations or our own.
Above: An African lady I met at a church service.
2 comments:
When you grow up and are not taught to "Love the Lord God with all your heart and love your neighbor as your self"...it has to be hard to change your heart and mind. But for the millions of Chinese who have come to know the Gospel, respect and love abundantly overflows.
The precept that one should welcome the stranger is not confined to Christianity. It is emphasized in all the great religions. In the Analects of Confucius, a seminal text in Chinese cutlture, kindness to strangers strangers receives considerable emphasis.
It is hard for all of us to live up to our values. I know many Christians who are less than welcoming toward new arrivals from Mexico in the US.
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