Neil, we have our circle of friends and acquaintances. People we go on outings with and socialize with. They all have had a chance to meet me and know me. They treat me like "their" Meigoiren. I am the group mascot. But Guangzhou is huge with a population of 16 million. Outside of my circle of friends I am shunned and frowned at. And Fiona is treat very disrespectfully. Your lucky to live in a small town. I know that feeling from when I lived in YiYang. But the larger cities are full of racists and bandits. Not fond of foreigners at all. Really down on the Blacks, brown middle eastern and Americans of any color.
And I dont understand it. America saved China's ass in WW2. They were ready to break ranks and run for the mountains ,literally days away from being a conquered nation when the Americans forced Japan into an unconditional surrender. Do we get a thank you. No we get a "fuck you" stay away from our women. There goes my blood pressure again....
I am sorry to say that you really are getting into that dark abyss of thinking ' Should I really be here'. I can understand that you really do not want to have been here this long but you are getting more critical of the Chinese as time goes by and I fear that Fiona will not be able to continually contain your moods.
When I criticise Americans I get all that crap about how they saved our country, No saved the world. No just on the forum but in real life face to face. Now you are doing this to China.
Why do you think Americans are unpopular with the older Chinese. It is because America has now solidly assigned itself to Japan. Everything Japanese is good everything Chinese is bad. America will not even give an opinion on the latest island dispute but clearly states that the islands in question are covered by the treaty of 1963, I think, whereby American will assist the Japanese to defend any part of their territory. Trouble is USA did not look forward enough. If they had the foresight to see how financially strong China was going to become it would have been goodbye Japan hello China!
I know they are not curious when the people see me with my wife. They are thinking the same as I thought as a young man growing up in London in the post war Britain.
I was about 12 years old before I saw my first Black person and I was 18 before I was ever in a place to talk with them. The immigration of Black people to the UK did not really start until 1954 when the first immigrants ship, the Windrush arrived from Jamaica. Then we saw racism. No 'decent' woman would ever be seen out with a black guy. They were only here to make money, buy a white girl friend and then go home. (Much the same way we get looked at in China.) Now in some areas of London a white guy walking along with a black women is enough to cause consternation on the street. It goes full circle. Racism we had the worst kind in the UK.
As my Chinese is not as fluent as Gerry's then maybe I do not hear the same things. Maybe I do but do not understand what they say. But I certainly do not interpret a look the way that my mood takes me! I do not need to be loved by the world.
The USA is different they have had a mixed population for as long as the USA has existed in its present form. But I have seen racism in London in its worst forms. Signs on Pubs and hotels say 'No Blacks' just like South Africa in the Apartheid days. I have seen riots in the streets purely on the basis of skin colour, no pretence at some other reason just colour.
Willy
