The Great LOL of China | A Jew, Chinese Person, and a Cameraman Walk Into a Comedy Club…

Chinese people love Jews. Bookshelves in every bookstore in the country are stocked with several books espousing “The Wisdom of the Jews,” and there is a Weibo page with millions of followers with the same title.

This all strikes me as a bit strange, because almost no Chinese people have ever met a Jew. Knowledge about Judaism in China tends to be broad but not deep, and therefore consists mostly of stereotypes.

My favorite way to describe the Chinese attitude towards Jews is that the same stereotypes about Jews in the West apply in China too, although the bad stereotypes are good ones here:

“Oh, you’re Jewish? That’s great! The Jews make so much money, and never spend any of it! And they control the media AND the banks! In America, too, no less! It must be because they are super smart!”

What do I say in the face of this bizarre pro-Semitism?

Every time I reveal I am Jewish, I get a look of surprise, followed by sudden understanding. “No wonder your Chinese is so good!” people say. “You’re just smart!”