Chinese students overseas encountered discrimination

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Many Chinese students overseas say they have encountered discrimination at some point. Photo: VCG

When 23-year-old Cheng Zhangtong packed her bag upon leaving the Netherlands, one image stuck out: stunning tulips growing below beautiful windmills in a fairy tale city. 

However, the image wasn't enough to blind her from her educational experiences abroad. She never expected that discrimination would happen to her as a Chinese.

"The professor's attitudes towards Chinese students and European students are totally different," Cheng, a postgraduate student from Leiden University majoring in advanced studies in international civil and commercial law told Metropolitan.

"Last semester, a few Chinese students and myself were thrown out because of being three minutes late," she said. "My professor shouted at us to 'go away.'"

On the contrary, she also remembered that several days ago, some tardy European students were treated differently. A local Dutch student was 15 minutes late and the professor said to her, "l will always welcome you to show up in class." A student from Europe who was also late for class was told not to worry about being late.

The professor is not polite towards Chinese students, from Cheng's perspective. "To hear my professor say 'improve your English' is quite hurtful for me," she said. She felt confused why the professor focused more on accent rather than academic ability.

Many Chinese students overseas say they have encountered inequality at some point. 

In 2017, Western Sydney University made a national survey in Australia. They examined the impacts of where Australians are born and what language they speak at home have on their experiences of racism. Among the 6,001 Australian participants, 84 percent of those being born in Asian regions have been discriminated against, which is twice as likely as other Australians.

While racism is a long-term and ingrained issue, students nowadays say invisible and indirect misconceptions or aggressive behaviors are more common on campus. 

Some interviewees like Cheng told Metropolitan they were treated more strictly and given lower scores by their professors. Some interviewees say they have often faced micro-aggressive comments from strangers as well as their classmates. While a lot of schools are pursuing inclusiveness, Chinese students are still fighting for equality on campus.

While racism is a long-term and ingrained issue, students nowadays say invisible and indirect misconceptions or aggressive behaviors are more common on campus. Photo: VCG

Harmful words

When 23-year-old Cheng Zhangtong packed her bag upon leaving the Netherlands, one image stuck out: stunning tulips growing below beautiful windmills in a fairy tale city. 

However, the image wasn't enough to blind her from her educational experiences abroad. She never expected that discrimination would happen to her as a Chinese.

"The professor's attitudes towards Chinese students and European students are totally different," Cheng, a postgraduate student from Leiden University majoring in advanced studies in international civil and commercial law told Metropolitan.

"Last semester, a few Chinese students and myself were thrown out because of being three minutes late," she said. "My professor shouted at us to 'go away.'"

On the contrary, she also remembered that several days ago, some tardy European students were treated differently. A local Dutch student was 15 minutes late and the professor said to her, "l will always welcome you to show up in class." A student from Europe who was also late for class was told not to worry about being late.

The professor is not polite towards Chinese students, from Cheng's perspective. "To hear my professor say 'improve your English' is quite hurtful for me," she said. She felt confused why the professor focused more on accent rather than academic ability.

Many Chinese students overseas say they have encountered inequality at some point. 

In 2017, Western Sydney University made a national survey in Australia. They examined the impacts of where Australians are born and what language they speak at home have on their experiences of racism. Among the 6,001 Australian participants, 84 percent of those being born in Asian regions have been discriminated against, which is twice as likely as other Australians.

While racism is a long-term and ingrained issue, students nowadays say invisible and indirect misconceptions or aggressive behaviors are more common on campus. 

Some interviewees like Cheng told Metropolitan they were treated more strictly and given lower scores by their professors. Some interviewees say they have often faced micro-aggressive comments from strangers as well as their classmates. While a lot of schools are pursuing inclusiveness, Chinese students are still fighting for equality on campus.

Harmful words

Another case Cheng shared is that one night she was hanging out with her friends on campus when, a member of security staff asked them about their nationality and was astonished upon knowing they are Chinese. "You are too pretty to be Chinese," he said. The prejudice from a Dutch who knows little about China offended Cheng.

Chen Jing, a 24-year-old student living in France who majors in fine art, told Metropolitan, "one day, a 5-year-old kid shouted 'ching chang chong' to me when I passed by him on campus."

"Ching chong" and "ching chang chong" are pejorative terms sometimes employed by speakers of English to mock or play on the Chinese language, people of Chinese ancestry, or other East Asians perceived to be Chinese. Chen felt offended especially because the words were said by a little boy. 

Discrimination happens not only among random foreigners but also among schoolmates and even close friends. And on many occasions, being called random words hurts the most, according to Eking, a 24-year-old female interviewee who used to live in the United States for six years.

"My roommate called me a 'minority' when we got into a fight," Eking said. She and her American roommates wrangled over the schedule of taking out the trash while her roommates called her a minority unexpectedly. She didn't realize that "minority" is a word linked with discrimination until her friends explained to her that the word implies that she is among those who are less educated, with strange customs and backward ideas.

"I didn't expect my roommate to hurt me over such a small conflict," she said. Eking was quite upset with her roommate's behavior.

On April 2, 2017, The New York Times collected reader responses and summarized several racial words that make people cringe and "minority" is on the list. As an African-American, one reader named Barbara Smith said "[Minority's] root is minor which means unimportant, insignificant, inconsequential, and inferior."

Confronting stereotypes

According to a November 24 report of CNN, the organization Students for Fair Admissions sued Harvard University, asserting that Harvard intentionally discriminates against Asian-American applicants. Although Asian-Americans scored higher than other races, they are lessened their chances of admission. Harvard used a "personal rating" to reject Asian-Americans for reasons relating to a positive personality, likeability and how personable the person is. 

However, after the trial, Harvard denied all the claims of bias, replying that "We do not admit simply GPAs and board scores. We admit people."

Chinese students are often assumed to be quiet, study a lot, get high scores on tests and very possibly come from rich families. They are rarely seen as athletic or charming. And stereotypical assumptions that are a lot worse are also associated with them. 

"I have witnessed that Chinese students were systematically discriminated against, and recognized as cheaters, liars who are rich that can manipulate teachers," said Lionel, an actor from France who has teaching experience in Singapore. When he recalled being back in school, people tended to think Chinese students don't take academic honesty as the most serious discipline. 

Some foreign students told Metropolitan that their stereotype of Chinese students was smashed after really getting along with the Chinese students.

"My roommate is a Chinese girl. She is good looking and can balance her life and study really well. Not a nerd and so-called minority at all," Ella Teekanya, a Thai PHD student majoring in transport engineering told Metropolitan her impression of the Chinese student.

"All my Chinese friends are great; they are intelligent and honest, sometimes timid, but cute. Besides, none of my Chinese friends eat dogs," Nihat Erkomay, a Turkish undergraduate at the University of Sheffield said. He added his perspective that the stereotype of Chinese students may be due to the arrogance and incomprehension of some Westerners.

After the reform and opening-up of China, both elites and the general public have experienced studying abroad. According to the statistics released by Ministry of Education of China in 2018, the number of students who went overseas for further education reached an all-time high of 600,000 in 2017, with an 11.74 percent year-on-year increase. The awareness of discrimination increases gradually with the rocketing tides of studying abroad. Labels such as "Boring straight A students" and "folks with strange habits who eat dogs" are less seen. 

Both Cheng and Eking consider speaking out and fighting back as the best approach against any bias or discrimination, be it large or small. 

"We wrote a letter to our law institution, reporting the inappropriate behavior of our professor. The dean of the law institution apologized to us and promised it would not happen again," Cheng said. She and other Chinese students felt like their right and dignity were restored.

"With other international students' help, my roommates apologized to me," Eking said. She has received positive results after discrimination happened to her as well.

Source: Global Tims

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1131764.shtml

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