The definition of British Chinese is chaotic, and a group of the same face from different Asian countries is attributed to this category.Chinese and Chinese in Chinese are uniformly translated into Chinese.In 2004 to study in the UK from mainland China, and for many years, I have misunderstood that the British Chinese referred to immigrants from mainland China.Later, it was slowly discovered that in the British census, there were no categories of Singaporeans, Malaysians, and Vietnamese, and they were collectively referred to as Chinese (Chinese) by the British.
But this complaint seems to be the same as the Chinese in the mainland.Britain's largest mainland immigration tide began in the early 21st century and was the Chinese group that moved to the UK at the latest, because the mainstream Chinese group was composed of Chinese people such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, which moved to the United Kingdom in the early years.The identity is called chinese.A older British could not understand my puzzlement, but asked confusedly: "You look the same!"
I can understand her confusion, and I can hear her residual sense of colonization, because young British people will not answer so.Many Asian countries used to be a British colony, but they have never received much attention.The Asian map familiar to the Chinese people is just a vague concept in many British minds.Hong Kong is indeed a good place like the British, with great British culture and exotic oriental style, and English is unimpeded.But not many British people know how to be colonized in Hong Kong.In the past year, due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the island of Taiwan, which was mistaken for some British as Thailand (because English pronounced similarly), suddenly rose in Britain.
I don't know why the British government has not set up a "East Asian country" division, and the Asians with different backgrounds are placed in a frame called Chinese.Recently, I realized that CHINESE, the most authentic mainland that we thought, came to the UK for two or three decades. Whether we like it or not, willing, we are an exclusive group in the UK -Chinese, we must unite together, we must be united.Work together for the status of the Chinese in the UK.There are not many Chinese immigrants in favor of my statement, because they still stay in the concept of "Mainland Migrant = British Chinese" so far, and is isolated from the real British mainstream Chinese community.
Therefore, the British Chinese are from all directions in Asia. Because of the different place of birth, their attitude towards China is diverse.
Malaysia and Singapore Chinese are a group that I have been in a late and less.I had made a mistake: In 2008, I thought it was the authentic representative of CHINESE in the UK. When commented on a Chinese restaurant opened by Malaysians, I said, "This restaurant is not authentic Chinese."
Now I talk to Chinese people in Malaysia and Singapore through two channels: First, in May this year, Singapore Chinese Du Shuzhen (immigration to the United Kingdom in the 1970s) invited me to participate in the English and China Business Forum (England China Business Forum)The 10th anniversary celebration, the founder of the forum was Dr. Yeow HUA POON, a Chinese in Malaysia, who immigrated to the United Kingdom in the 1970s; second, I was a member of the British Chinese Liberal Democratic Party, so from time to time, he was from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and second.On behalf of Chinese immigrants and other members, they talked.
Malaysia and Singapore Chinese seem to think that they are the bridge between Britain and China. I hope that trade can keep the relationship between the two countries. This is also a position that Chinese in the United Kingdom have always adhered to.The difference is that although both support trade, Chinese and Singapore Chinese can enjoy freedom of speech, but it is difficult for mainlanders to.
The Chinese contacts on the mainland on my WeChat, most of the posts of sharing, drinking, playing, and doing business, keeping silent Chinese politics and not mentioning words.Although they are in the most free kingdom, they are afraid that exercise of freedom of speech will affect their families in China. They have taken the initiative to abandon this freedom of being born as natural by the British, but they have never remembered their lives.Even if it is a face -to -face chat, Chinese politics is not a common topic.There are very few Chinese in mainland China who can talk about Chinese politics.
In the past two years, Hong Kong immigrants with more than 100,000 British (overseas) (BNO) passports in the UK have nearly 100 households in our town alone.In the past, I knew all the Chinese / Chinese in the town because of the dozen households, but now I often encounter Xinhua face.At first, I was worried that because of my mainland background, they would not be willing to communicate with me -this was the impression left by my early immigrants.In 2004, when I was studying at the University of Bristel, China had just joined the World Trade Organization. Unlike the United States as the number one challenger in the world today, a Hong Kong classmate in the class ignored me ——I was unwilling to be willing; I ignored and lacked politeness. I understood that it was the discrimination of the mainlanders that were common in Hong Kong people at the time. Later, I met Hong Kong immigrants from the 1970s.This mainland student.
I did not expect that Hong Kong BNO immigrants expressed their anger to Chinese politics, because in the past few years, they were deprived of freedom and forced to immigrate to the UK.They now regain their freedom, but they must take the initiative to give up their pursuit of the workplace and work with ordinary work.
However, due to fear, they keep low -key on social media.
Hong Kong immigrants I know in the 1970s have always been cautious.This may be related to the Hong Kong background where they immigrated. They came to the UK to seek a good life, not freedom; at that time, the Hong Kong people had not received much citizen education and kept a distance from the election and politics.I encountered an old Hong Kong waiter at a restaurant. He told me that the better the reputation of China in the UK, the more beneficial to his life.Although I have not been discriminated at the Britain's 19 years, his words should be the protection of racial discrimination in the UK in the early years.Perhaps Malaysia and Singapore immigrants had the same mentality in their early years.
Alan Mak is the first Chinese parliamentarian in the UK.In 2015, on behalf of the Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), I reported the historical night he was elected at the election at the election. He declined to interview all Chinese media, including BBC Chinese website.I still report on the spot regardless of his opposition.At that time, I didn't understand why he was so indifferent to the Chinese media.When I participated in local elections this year, the most worried point was "Will the voters trust me because of my Chinese background?" In an instant, it may be the scruples of Alan Mak at the time.
The author is a bilingual writer who settled in the UK
