Who is Considered “Chinese”?

Do You Consider Yourself Chinese?

Earlier this week, two students from Grade 11 were interviewed about their cultural beliefs and background. They were given a set of questions that asked about whether they considered themselves Chinese. Here is their response:

Nelly Lopez, a Chinese-born Spanish gave her thoughts on this topic earlier this week. When asked about whether or not she considered herself Chinese, her response was “Racially, I would say that I’m Chinese. However, in terms of my nationality, I would say Spanish. ” She then added on that she “ has never felt embarrassed” by her biological nationality and is “proud” of who she is. Nelly answered each question with a polite and calm attitude. When the question of “Are you proud to be Chinese” popped up, she quickly answered with just one word—“yes”. Nelly Lopez had spent most of her life living in Spain but had previously come to Guangzhou approximately two years ago. As a child who has been raised by adoptive parents all her life, her answer demonstrates her attitude towards her identity as a “Chinese” person.

Another Junior named Michael Liu was also interviewed with the same set of questions on whether or not he considered himself Chinese. Michael Liu is an American born Chinese and has spent most of his life living in the Maryland, USA. On the contrary, his answers were very different from Nelly Lopez. When asked whether he considered himself Chinese, his answer was a “No”. He claimed that there are many stigmas that surround the Chinese population and that, “Chinese people may be seen as dirty, unclean, disrespectful.” However, Michael quickly took the opportunity to demonstrate his own perspective on this situation by commenting that, “Many people are not used to the different culture here. I feel offended when people insult Chinese people even though I don’t consider myself “Chinese” because how you are raised shapes you more than your race. It is still very offensive to see other people insult a culture that your family is presumably from.”

Your race does not determine who you are, instead, it just plays a role in your identity. Both Nelly Lopez and Michael Liu are students at AISG from very different cultures and families. However, even with their differences, both of them had a similar outlook on their relationship with their “Chinese” identity.