So when Zorro and I went to Beijing, I was recognized by the girl checking us in at the airport! (Hi Echo!) In case you were wondering, getting spotted by a reader is the coolest thing that could happen to a blogger.
Anyway, Echo left a comment to let me know she saw us, and in the course of our messages, Echo mentioned she thought Zorro was Chinese, until she saw his American passport. Interesting observation. China does not allow dual citizenship, so there’s no gray area about Chinese-Americans. There are notable exceptions, but it seems like most Chinese are so proud of being Chinese that there’s not really any room for a second nationality.
Most Americans see ourselves as having ethnic identities besides just American, and it’s not confusing or unusual to meet someone with multiple nationalities. I definately see myself as Italian and Scottish as well as American… or I did before I came to China and became Foreigner.
My wife has been in the US longer (16 years) than she was in China (14 years) and to this day she still thinks of herself as a Chinese citizen even though she was naturalized to the US.
Watching the Olympics is always fun. She say things like, “Did you see how well we did today in this sport? We kicked some ass! China won” this and that. The only time she cheers for US athletes is when China isn’t competing against them. There is no question where her loyalties lie when it’s China vs. US.
Acidelic, I came to the US when I was 3 and now I’m 20 and I still think of myself as Chinese and root for the Chinese Olympics team versus the US. Maybe if I was from a country that doesn’t get gold medals, but we kicked ass last time (32 golds vs 35 US) and we’ll do even better this time.
Why? I don’t know. Probably because Americans keep asking Asian people where they’re from even if they have no accent whatsoever. And the lower class Americans just assume you’re Chinese.
@anonymous
The funny thing is that I find myself rooting for China right along with her. Maybe being Chinese is adictive. I eat Chinese food (not fast food, but food my wife ate in China) for almost every meal, I’m self teaching myself Mandarin and now I’m rooting for China in atheletic competitions. It’s either addictive or she is slowly changing me. No complaints from me.