Most expats who live in China have more than once been addressed as “laowai” to their face or behind their back. Anyways this is just my opinion on this matter. interesting how so many people get "offended " by the term laowai but they still use the "laowai" privilege when they want something done easily. As for me, I’ve rarely been called “laowai” in 18 years here and when i have been called that, it’s rarely been used as a pejorative (except when used preceeded by “他妈的” or “傻逼” — which again, has been an extraordinary rare experience for me). Really? Personally, I believe that anybody that has been in China long enough and speaks good enough Chinese dislikes the world. Thailand has the same issue with the work "farang", as anyone who has spent any time travelling there will know. Thank you! Again, as also stated above, it’s fully within your god-given right to be offended by it, and more power to you in your fight against this word that bugs you so much. Re: Mandarin Month: Is it Offensive to Be Called a Laowai? 4) Finally, when I mentioned to a Chinese colleague recently that many in the foreign community here in China loathe “Da Shan,” he was shocked. It’s just a common word with no racist meaning.”. ", Taking a more serious tone, he goes on to call laowai a neutral term, explaining much like Jiaming Xing that lao is simply "a title for a Beijinger to show their respect and love. I was very relieved to read your comment. He’d rather not waste time quibbling about it with his Chinese friends and colleagues, explaining: “Other foreigners who haven’t spent a few years in China may get offended by the term. No doubt, this admin actually refers to him/herself as a foreigner, having integrated into the culture so as to accept his/her fawning subsequious status. But regardless, it is just as an irritation to be constantly viewed as an outsider, especially if one is trying to settle down in a country. In China, "laowai" is an informal term commonly used by locals to refer to foreigners. And if children happen to use it parents would quickly correct them. So, a person stating that there are a lot of Chinese people waiting for the train is an accurate description of what that person is seeing and that’s it, nothing more, it is as connected to racism as a banana is to a whale. But if I then insist on calling him Paul, my insistence on "Paul" with total disregard for his own wishes, transforms "Paul" into a derogatory word, because the guy is rightfully called John. Mandarin Monday: Dongyou School Uses Cultural Activities to... Mandarin Month: Learn Chinese From Awesome 80s Hollywood... New COVID-19 Case Reported in Beijing, Connected to Lianzhu Gardens Housing Estate in Shunyi, Fast Food Watch: Thank God McDonald’s Spam-and-Oreo Burger is a One Day Only Thing. It took some time for me to realize that it wasn’t because my father in-law couldn’t be bothered to remember my name, but that he was instead horrified by the prospect of offending me by mispronouncing it. ", Meanwhile Makowski's friend Felix Liu, School Bar's owner and a former Chinese language teacher, recalls with a laugh: "I'd always explain to my foreign students: laowai is a term that originated in Beijing's local dialect, it means: 很亲切的外国人 (hěn qīnqiè de wàiguó rén, "very kind foreigner") or 很有意思的外国人 (hěn yǒuyìsi de wàiguó rén, "very interesting foreigner"). READ: Red Dress Charity Run Attracts Online Controversy as Animosity Towards Expats Grows. The same is with Laowai, it has become a generalised term to mean non-Chinese and in some cases to be used derogatory. I’ve never really had feelings one way or the Chinese is filled with terms for foreigners. Mandarin Chinese for "foreign devil". As you previously stated, 99.5% Chinese. While a White Westerner may be referred to as a laowai, someone from Japan will be called ribenren 日本人, the Chinese word for Japanese. My suggestion is to choose your battles or you will quickly become mentally unhinged with all their is to rail on about. In theory, waiguoren is the more polite word for “foriegner.” I have been told that laowai is supposed to be more offensive. The Cool, the Cheap & the Crazy | 225th Edition, The Cool, the Cheap & the Crazy | 224th Edition. Personally, the idea that I would always be viewed as an outsider, and never accepted as a local, is one reason I could not live here on a long-term basis. As device for rationalization, it's a narrow-minded perspective that hurts both Chinese and everyone else, and its legitimization is simply confounding. Mandarin Month: Global Mandarin School Provides Budget,... Mandarin Month: Get a Special Mandarin Month Discount From... Mandarin Month: How to Order a Refreshing, Cold Beer in... Mandarin Monday: Your Summer Essentials Chinese Phrases. If you’re being called a laowai a lot by people whose behavior is antagonistic (or maybe you read their minds in advance), perhaps you should consider whether you are an asshole, regardless of your ethnic origin. In China, there's a tradition of using the word "lao" in front of a family name. A recent blog of ours, The Complete A-Z For Beijing Newcomers (or Visitors), described the term as "Chinese slang for 'foreigner,' often said out loud after having been spotted by a particularly perceptive local." I personally taught the owner English and now he allows me to drink for free. The verdict? Indeed for many the offence may be attributed to the feeling of always been seen first and foremost as an outsider, and this being the first aspect referred to by a native Chinese person. You addressed none of my issues, such as Chinese people continuing to call Westerners 老外, which, if you have any clue, means "foreigner", even after they migrate to Western countries, like Denmark or France. If the next world superpower uses a name for me that basically means "outsider", then I regard that as significant. Do people in the west shout "hello honoured guest" at Chinese people on the street from passing cars followed by laughter. We at the Beijinger became all to aware of that recently while promoting our Mandarin Month event (and its corresponding laowai T-shirts) on social media. Yet in China, the word lao is merely a prefix indicating respect and friendliness.” Wai, the more important part of the term, implies being an outsider—one who is separate from the “inner circle” of being Chinese. Clearly this would not happen, and it's not absurd that it happens here, it's just how things are, and can be attributed to the lack of contact many people have with non-Chinese. Notice the irony of integrating and simultaneously adopting "foreigner" identity. What an utter rubbish! Don't think that Chinese tourists in Canada would appreciate being called foreigners, even though when they are approach, they have no qualms about carrying on with calling non-Chinese laowai, despite the inaccuracy, given geography. And if the masses of laowai in China want to march around steaming about this minor linguistic peccadillo, they can go ahead and rage. With this usage, the word foreigner in say, Singapore, would refer to Western non-Singporeans, Chinese non-Singporeans and Japanese non-Singporeans etc etc alike. She said it is not offensive and is in fact a term of respect because it includes the word old, which indicates respect. It's quite pathetic when one stops and thinks about it. A Malaysian Laowai (老外) now staying in Beijing, welcomes you to join his journey and images through his Nikon and his lens. All Rights Reserved. Not only did the contest seem to have been a very special day for Beijingers, media coverage also took it upon themselves to give it an even more interesting twist, or, a finger: Don't trust our bashing, check out a short video (VPN on) from the Miss Laowai pageant and form your own opinion. Similarly, if someone white treats me like an asshole, i think “asshole”, not “white asshole”. Thus Chinese dubbed foreigners "lao wai". It is an informal word that appears in both spoken and written Chinese. You are a 老外 and until the demographics of this country shift to something else but 99.5% Chinese, you can expect this trend to continue. Canney (US) "Laowai" refers to people who come from out of China. The components’ meanings don’t signal negativity: The prefix “lao” (老) is not offensive, either alone or in this compound. If you live in Australia, you're not a laowai -- racist colonial oppressor, maybe ... laowai, no. Well-meaning racists, perhaps, but racists,” he wrote in a paragraphs-long comment. It basically means 'non-Chinese'. The Global Times even named me one of its People of 2012. The word laowai first originated in Taiwan, then spread to mainland China in the 1980s. An admin also commented on this same page, providing a long list of words which include the word 老, none of which would be offensive and then s/he goes on to then state on this basis that it's crazy to think that 老外 could be offensive. "Wow, what are all these people who are from an undetermined non-Asian origin doing in the subway?". If Westerners themselves say "You can basically call me whatever you want." “Laowai Style” made it onto the Chinese evening news. What does "laowai" mean? Now, if there were a ‘bunch’ as you put it, of non-Chinese or Asians waiting for the train, and by bunch I assume you mean enough to actually cause the waiting time to rise considerably then firstly I would say, wow that’s surprising, and secondly I would say, there’s a lot of people waiting for the train. Steiner’s friend Jiaming Xing – who interacts with plenty of foreign and Chinese patrons as the owner of the Gewa Qinghai noodle restaurant and the manager of Gongti hip-hop club Room 79 – agrees that there's no reason to take umbrage with the term. When we published our first Laowai Life article, hardly anyone left comments about the article itself. Knock your sorry selves out taking offense. “Tamade shabi laowai” , yeah, offended. That's a passive l'il b**** approach to life. You are a 老外, not me. My wife’s parents in rural Inner Mongolia, for instance, would often call me laowai when we first met, much to the amusement of my friends back in Canada whenever they asked me to dish on the cultural clashes with my in-laws. Sure, Westerners have made historical mistakes, but to say any Westerner living in Australia can randomly be called a "racist colonialist oppressor" by people like yourselves on total whim, I regard that as a nonsense. I imagine it must be especially irritating for those non-Chinese who have made China their home for the long-term, who would like to be regarded as local, but feel that they are always just viewed as an outsider, because of the way they look. Because it is neutral, it might turn to either side - positive or negative. Nothing derogatory at all.”, READ: Chinese Regionalism Joke Inspires Investigation of Whether Shanghai Expats Hate Beijing Expats, Chinese people aren't alone in thinking the term is endearing. He thinks it’s “ridiculous” to be outraged by being called laowai because “at the end of the day I don’t think anyone means it in an offensive way,” though he admits it does annoy him on rare occasions. It doesn’t mean “bad” or “lousy” or anything like that. Finding fulfillment empowering Beijing's trans orphans to pursue plant-based culinary alternatives in a non-intrusive, trigger-free safe space. Do i think people who have called me “laowai” did so with a racist intention? I don't buy it that it's a neutral word, because in over 10 years no Chinese has openly said it in front of me in an amicable context. In theory, waiguoren is the more polite word for “foriegner.” I have been told that laowai is supposed to be more offensive. No backbone. 老外，外国人，whatever. The Fulbright Foundation posted a piece on me on its website. Can I never be French, British, Welsh, American, South African but always laowai? It’s neutral. You might have a young friend (小朋友 xiǎopéngyǒu), old friend (老朋友 lǎo péngyǒu), Shanghai friend (上海朋友 shànghǎi péngyǒu), or foreign friend (外国朋友 wàiguó péngyǒu) … Now, I know Chinese people don’t see it as racist. But if the question is: "Am I causing harm by using the term 'laowai'?" READ: A Guide to Getting Laid with Laowai. The reality is, as China interacts more with the rest of the world, this term can cause a cultural clash between China and the West, and a misunderstanding of Chinese people.”, In Qi’s opinion, laowai has a negative impact on people who are on its receiving end, even if most Chinese people use the term without any negativity implied. I’m staggered that you actually wrote and tried to defend what you had previously written. (colloquial, sometimes humorous, possibly derogatory or offensive) foreigner, particularly a white Westerner (Classifier: 個 ／ 个 m) layman; amateur (Classifier: 個 ／ 个 m) father-in-law (wife's father) Usage notes . My opinions are my own and are not intended to represent “the white race” or really anyone except for me. "Effing lao wai!" Personally, if I see a lot of people waiting for a train in China and I felt in some way compelled to comment out loud on the situation ( which I probably would not), I would state that there are a lot of people waiting for the train, I wouldn’t need to state that the vast majority are Chinese, that part is so obvious that is not necessary to include it. Our writer was also quick to point out an equally important aspect about the phrase: it’s a bit "contentious as some people consider it derogatory when used in a certain way, and literally means 'outside old.’". If you're a Westerner, you must have a pretty low view of your race. So it's based on a misconception. We need to be referred to in a similar way as the Chinese themselves, with a term which denotes a specific location, background and cultural identity. Finally someone with a sense of cultural awareness and basic manners and dignity. This is the wrong question. I might add something I didn't mention in my previous post, Da Shan, photographed above said something along the lines of "the only real laowai are those who can't speak Chinese". Personally, I don’t find the term “laowai” offensive…in fact it’s usually the word I use myself when trying to say “foreigner” in Chinese. “Firstly,” he writes, “the word lao, literally meaning ‘old’, might be interpreted as offensive in the West. Most people (i.e. When these people use the term, i do not take offense. Imagine being a British-Chinese person living in Oxford and constantly hearing yourself being referred to as Asian. Others agreed, saying that the term makes them feel like outsiders while living in China. Most locals don’t use the term laowai as an insult—it’s more like a neutral label—so they often don’t realize that foreigners feel alienated by the term. I am called the same as I introduce myself as, plain and simple. If you're not upset, then you're not, and I'm not going to convince you otherwise. ^ i've been here far longer than 10 years, and i rarely hear it used in a hostile or disparaging context. Laowai Life: Is “Laowai” An Offensive Word? is a somewhat hollow argument, because the idea of "foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外" in their minds is clearly not based on the location being China anyway. But they will get used to it, and will learn to accept or ignore it,” advice that some may find hard to swallow. Plain and simple. The term is othering and controversial, as it may be perceived as racist. READ: Is it Offensive to Be Called a Laowai? I would heartily encourage you to have a chat with the ghost of MLK before engaging in any further debate related in any way whatsoever to racism as you don’t really seem to understand the connotations and power of what that word actually conveys. The actual contexts in which these terms would be raised are actually quite rare, like at the immigration office or what kind of library card you are entitled to (as locals don't have to pay). If the people using the term don't mean anything offensive by it, I don't think it should be construed as offensive. Who cares. PSA Fraud Warning: Avoid Laowai Career Center Scam in China - They Lie & Cheat! As you previously stated, 99.5% Chinese. But if someone calls you shabi laowai, then you beat them. I would still consider laowai as a kind of sensitive word, I personally do not like it. Interesting, then, that his image was chosen for this article. What this admin and others don't seem to realise is that, perversely, Chinese continue to refer to Westerners as "foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外" even when they are visiting Western countries. 入乡随俗. This high moral grounds of political correctnes that has sweapt the west today makes me sick. In 1998, Qi Hua, a Mandarin professor at Beijing Normal University, wrote: “Some people think, why is it such a big deal to call foreigners laowai? If people call you the same thing all the time, it doesn't mean you're that thing. It began as an informal term used by urban youths, but was soon adopted by all kinds of people around China. “[People like Lee] will never have to navigate this country as a laowai, so they can’t speak to how many of even the nice Chinese people are racists. If you're not upset, then you're not, and I'm not going to convince you otherwise. Chinese Regionalism Joke Inspires Investigation of Whether Shanghai Expats Hate Beijing Expats, Red Dress Charity Run Attracts Online Controversy as Animosity Towards Expats Grows. Don’t you realize some of these people could be Korean, or Japanese, or Malaysian, or Vietnamese? The idea that clarity is needed when Chinese communicate with each other, so the "foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外" terms are needed is simply rubbish. And if we really want to go down the dictionary definition path, "foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外" should really mean ANYONE in ANY country who doesn't hold a passport for that country (or similar definition). It carries a lot of social nuance, as Michael from Guangzhou writes: “It’s not an offensive word specifically, but a friendly reminder that it’s still ‘us Chinese’ and everyone else is ‘laowai’.” Zhu Zhu, an economics lecturer at Chongqing University of Science and Technology, reckons that we must look at the term --- The last time I had my clock cleaned in China was with CUCAS two years ago, but this Laowai Career Center is so much more bold with their lies. It's moreso simply not fun to be constantly referred to as a foreigner. A final common term in China will be 美国人 (meiguoren) which is just American, but it will often be said to British, German, and other white laowais much to their chagrin. Then there's Boris Steiner, who works in PR for a multinational and is an investor at a popular Sanlitun bar. I live in China and I am a laowai or a waiguoren or (most patronizingly of all, waiguo pengyou). Written as "洋鬼子“。 Compared to laowai, this is actually pretty offensive. This is the kind of Eastern generosity you would never find in the west. Probably the Chinese equivalent of "nigger". (Laotouzi is another term that uses lao and is far from respectful, of course). I assume you were responding to my post, as it came a week after mine and there were no posts for a long time. “Laowai for me is not meant to be offensive at all,” he says, adding it’s akin to him referring “to a good Chinese friend as ‘lao name,’ where lao is really a form of endearment. Varyingly, it is ironically embraced, begrudgingly accepted, openly resented, or not minded at all among the Western expatriate community. Laowai or waiguoren, what difference does it make? Laowai, as well as waiguoren, are commonly used terms that in everyday spoken Chinese refer to Caucasian foreigners, but not Asian foreigners or foreigners of African origin. As an admin for this site, your willingness to cast the white race in this light is shameful and unprofessional, and detracts from you and this website as a whole. It generally isn’t meant to be offensive, but context is everything.” According to Qi, Western countries are more racially diverse than China, so Westerners don’t see the need to label people as either “one of their own” or “foreigner”. You have a self-contempt of which I do not wish to take part. Double standard. Lee, from Hangzhou, wrote, “I think it’s not an offensive word in China. I am in fact “white” (whatever that means) but I don’t have any particular strong allegiance to my “whiteness” or my “race” or my “westerness”. The meaning of Laowai does not matter, in fact, if 外国人 is used just as frequently, instead of "that person there" or " Charlie" or some other way to describe a person, it is also symptomatic of a wider issue. A nationalistic … Laowai, is the term offensive? Hence the smiley at the end of that statement. You’re also welcomed to rail against the sun because it’s hot and the night because it’s dark. If someone Chinese treats me like an asshole, i think “asshole”, not “Chinese asshole”. I wouldn’t imagine racism has anything to do with it,  going with the flow of probability seems more appropriate. You did not acknowledge nor take any of my points into account (which is really bad debating, btw), for example 老外/外国人 continuing to be used by Chinese migrant communities OUTSIDE China of locals in the countries they move to, nor did you address the fact that Da Shan doesn't particularly like the word, despite being the poster boy for this article. 90 likes. Its no rude but it isn't polite either -.if Barack Obama visits Beijing I don't hear CCTV saying that the 'Big Chief Laowai' from America is coming to town. Clearly, the word laowai sparks hotbeds of disagreement today, but how did it become such a common term in the first place? I spotted a laowai out at my favorite pub. As an expat who studied Chinese at the Ideal Mandarin language center (we wrote about his story as part of last year’s Mandarin Month coverage), he attributes much of the issue to a lack of PC conditioning in China. Laowai is a culturally complex, and often controversial, word. I, however, as I stated above, choose not to pound my head against brick walls over such things as attempting to instruct 1 billion+ Chinese the proper use of their own language. After seeing such a clash of opinions for this story, I couldn’t help but consider how dramatically my stance on the issue has changed during my time in China. Maybe that’s because i tend not to broadly classify people (including myself) by race. In Beijing, 老师傅 (lao shifu) means 'old master,' and 老板 (lao ban) means 'boss.'". "Laowai' does not really mean anything in and of itself. However you’re going to have a hard time living life here. So, going by your previously determined assumption that in any given ‘normal’ ( excluding extraordinary mass foreigner outings on subways) situation in Beijing ( or elsewhere in China) that at any given time the demographic will be 99.5% Chinese we can say that if there are 400 people waiting for a subway train then 398 of them will be Chinese and 2 will be non-Chinese. I can certainly echo the experience of a preview commenter that laowai seems to be used when people don't think I can understand them and waiguoren is more likely to be used when people are at least attempting to be polite. Books by current and former Beijinger staffers. This is the wrong question. It is, however, not necessarily derogatory. He asked me why and I, lacking the Chinese word for “minstrel show,” couldn’t really answer effectively. But if the question is: "Am I causing harm by using the term 'laowai'?" Similarly I saw in a graded reader of the Chinese language, written by Chinese "academics", a Westerner actually introduces themselves by saying "我是外国人". "Farang" can also be a term of endearment, or derogatory depending on the context. As `` 洋鬼子 “ 。 Compared to laowai, this is actually pretty offensive has no,... There is still a surprisingly outspoken ( albeit small and overenthused ) portion of expats who from... Completely forgotten how laowai was used a Westerner, you have 老外 laowai and waiguoren! And I, lacking the Chinese evening news ” is for “ minstrel show ”. Up a mosque in anger, OK Gormey & the Crazy | 224th Edition, no with flow. Not offensive and is an interesting reflection of China ’ s past secluded culture caught up a! Beyond the public controversy, we searched through academic studies on the context screed online should accept it can. Such labeling is integral to the Chinese word for `` foreigner. I 've been here far longer 10... Imagine being a British-Chinese person living in Oxford and constantly hearing yourself being referred to as foreigner., ' and 老板 ( lao shifu ) means 'old master, and! Opinion on this matter she goes on to concede that such labeling is integral to the is laowai offensive, poor! Between different Asian groups doing in the first demographic hey English class 's a tradition is laowai offensive. Wish to take offense portion of expats who are outraged by its utterance, begrudgingly accepted, resented... That laowai is an informal term commonly used by locals to refer to foreigners many foreigners find laowai an term. Is still a surprisingly outspoken ( albeit small and overenthused ) portion expats! 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