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What does it mean to be Chinese? Views from SCMP Opinion
In the Being Chinese column, SCMP writers and contributors – whether they are Chinese by birth, descent or osmosis – explore the different aspects of Chinese identity and experience in personal reflections.
Updated: 10 Mar, 2025
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[1]
Being Chinese | How far Chinese women have come since my grandmother’s time
I have more equal status than my grandmother did in the pre-communist era. But young women are still pushing back against discrimination.
08 Mar, 2025
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[2]
Being Chinese | I look Chinese but don’t speak the language. Is that so bad?
I may be missing out on a deeper appreciation of the culture, but I’ve learned to live with it – thank goodness for translation apps.
22 Feb, 2025
[3]
Being Chinese | Why don’t we say ‘I love you’ in Chinese? Let me count the reasons
Chinese speakers like me have been trained to understand the difference between ‘aiyah’ and ‘aiyaah’, and things left unsaid among loved ones.
14 Feb, 2025
[4]
Being Chinese | To know who we are, China must remain open to foreigners
Interactions with the outside world have shaped my identity as a Chinese and a human being, opening my eyes to the value of cultural exchange.
08 Feb, 2025
[5]
Being Chinese | My Hong Kong crash course in Chinese calculations of everything
Some autumns ago, a midlife crisis brought me to Hong Kong, where it has been inspiring how savvy people are about Chinese cosmology.
25 Jan, 2025
[6]
Being Chinese | The beauty of being a filial Chinese daughter
Despite the caregiving challenges, there’s a beauty in accepting filial piety is not a choice but a necessity: roles and responsibilities are clear.
18 Jan, 2025
[7]
Being Chinese | Who’s Singaporean and stressing over Lunar New Year food abroad? Not me
Grappling with being the sole source of Singapore Chinese culture for my children, I have focused on transmitting it through food.
11 Jan, 2025
[8]
Being Chinese | No stereotypes please, overseas Chinese students are a wonderful mix
By no stretch of any imagination can one reduce Chinese students in the UK to a uniform, faceless tribe, as my cohort once was.
28 Dec, 2024
[9]
Being Chinese | How my Malaysian Chinese education is paying off
Malaysian Chinese have paid a heavy price for Chinese-medium schools, but for my generation, that investment is reaping dividends.
14 Dec, 2024
[10]
Being Chinese | I may not use my ‘beautiful’ Chinese name often, but I’m glad of the gift
My father was renamed when a Briton couldn’t make out his Chinese name. I’m grateful for mine, though I now use a name that confounds some.
30 Nov, 2024
[11]
Being Chinese | English took me out of a Chinese factory, but not China out of me
I learned English as a bored young factory worker and began writing in it to avoid censorship. But my decision has come with pros and cons.
16 Nov, 2024
[12]
Being Chinese | We’re Chinese and we fight to pay for dinner
Economic and societal shifts have forced me to reconsider the fight-to-pay ritual at multi-generation family gatherings.
02 Nov, 2024
[13]
Being Chinese | In US vs Chinese soft power, guess how children are voting?
As children around me get sucked into the rabbit hole of Disney, Marvel and Netflix, I wonder about the reach of Chinese culture.
19 Oct, 2024
[14]
Being Chinese | From my Chinese Malaysian childhood, a lifelong reality check
A defining childhood moment came when I was warned my identity as a Chinese female would count as ‘two strikes’ against me.
05 Oct, 2024
[15]
Being Chinese | What’s come between China and It bags? Maybe it’s not just the economy
Chinese may be growing out of their obsession with high-end Western brands, like how I outgrew my fascination with ‘decadent Western’ jeans.
21 Sep, 2024
[16]
Being Chinese | I am a Chinese mother. Hear me worry
Like Mencius’ mum, I want to give my son a better learning environment, including by moving house. Yet I also want him to be happy.
07 Sep, 2024
[17]
Being Chinese | How I transcended my Hong Kong identity crisis
I felt neither British nor Chinese growing up in Hong Kong. Travelling the world and living in Beijing helped me find my bearings.
31 Aug, 2024
[18]
Being Chinese | Put a ring on it? Chinese women don’t need marriage any more
Women in China once believed marriage to be a necessary passage in life. Now they know they can choose to follow their desires.
24 Aug, 2024
[19]
Being Chinese | Could Olympic-inspired Hong Kong dare to fail?
For Hong Kong youth who want to take an unconventional path in life, the bar for parental approval is set too high.
17 Aug, 2024
[20]
Being Chinese | Why must Chinese parents make children dread piano?
Music lessons are practically a rite of passage for Asian children but when forced, they can strip our kids of a lifelong enjoyment of music.
10 Aug, 2024
[21]
Being Chinese | How the world has changed for a Chinese-looking person
It is remarkable how assumptions and expectations of a Chinese-looking person have evolved, as China’s fortunes changed over decades.
03 Aug, 2024
