Quora：为什么中国人对移居中国的外国人如此有好感？
According to my observations among foreign residents in China, generally speaking, the Chinese people have a welcoming attitude towards them. However, don't have too much exaggerated confidence in this matter. Things are not static, and China is a country that is developing and changing rapidly.
I think we can elaborate on this issue from two aspects and provide some reference and suggestions to some friends who want to immigrate to China.
根据我对在华外国人的观察，总体来说，中国人民对他们持欢迎态度。不过，不要对这件事抱有太夸张的信心。事物不是一成不变的，中国是一个快速发展和变化的国家。
我觉得我们可以从几个方面来阐述一下这个问题，给一些想移居中国的朋友提供一些参考和建议。
1. Why do Chinese people have a favorable impression of foreigners who immigrate to China?
This involves historical issues.
In the past 40 years, China's biggest political event has been "reform and opening up."
In the early 1980s, China opened its doors to embrace the world. At that time, China was a poor, backward, and closed country. Ordinary Chinese families consider buying a bicycle as their greatest wealth. People wear blue and gray clothes to work and only have one day off a week. Many families can only eat meat once a week. A Chinese teacher in his 40s told me that when he was a child, a worker's monthly salary was only about $5.
1、为什么中国人对移民中国的外国人有好感？
这就涉及到历史问题了。
过去40年，中国最大的政治事件是“改革开放”。
20世纪80年代初，中国敞开国门拥抱世界。当时的中国是一个贫穷、落后、封闭的国家。中国普通家庭认为购买自行车是他们最大的财富。人们穿着蓝色和灰色的衣服去上班，每周只有一天休息。许多家庭每周只能吃一次肉。一位40多岁的中文老师告诉我，他小时候，工人的月薪只有5美元左右。
But in this era, the United States is at its peak, and Germany, Britain, France, and Japan are all at their richest. Guess how Chinese people feel when they see the appearance of these countries on TV, movies, and newspapers? Skyscrapers, private cars, beach surfing, snow mountain skiing, never-ending clothes, random waste of food. A pair of high heels for ladies on the streets of Washington, DC, they can’t even afford after working for a year.
How do you think they felt at that time and how did they view their country?
The Chinese people are shocked by this huge contrast. "Foreign countries" are like heaven, while "China" is like hell. Everything in foreign countries is "good", while everything in China is "bad".
Therefore, throughout the 1990s, some Chinese people who were highly educated or had just become wealthy tried every means to leave China. To realize their "American Dream", or "European Dream", or "Japanese Dream".
但那个时代，美国正处于巅峰，德国、英国、法国、日本都处于最富有的时期。你猜当中国人在电视、电影、报纸上看到这些国家的样子时，有何感想？摩天大楼、私家车、沙滩冲浪、雪山滑雪、穿不完的衣服、随意浪费的食物。华盛顿街头的女士们穿的高跟鞋，他们工作一年都买不起。
您认为他们当时的感受如何，如何看待自己的国家？
这种巨大的反差令中国人民感到震惊。 “外国” 犹如天堂，“中国”则如同地Y。外国的一切都是“好”，而中国的一切都是“坏”。
因此，整个20世纪90年代，一些受过高等教育或刚刚富裕起来的中国人想方设法离开中国。实现他们的“美国梦”、“欧洲梦”、“日本梦”。
This creates a subconscious feeling: Who would want to move from heaven to hell?
Therefore, when they discovered that there were actually some "foreigners" who were willing to leave their "heaven" and come to live in their "hell ". This shocked them and made them simply think: "These foreigners must really love our country and culture." "They bring us capital, technology and knowledge."“They mast good man!”
It is not surprising that the Chinese people sincerely welcome and favor a group of foreigners who gave up the "beautiful world", immigrated to China, and "truly love China."
这就产生了一种潜意识的感觉：谁愿意从天堂进入地Y？
因此，当他们发现居然有一些“外国人”自愿来中国生活的时候，他们就惊呆了。那些愿意离开他们的“天堂”的人并来到他们生活的“地Y”中。这让他们震惊不已，不由得感叹：“这些外国人一定很热爱我们的国家和文化。” “他们给我们带来了资本、技术和知识。”“他们是好人！”
中国人民真诚地欢迎和青睐一批放弃“美好世界”、移居到中国、“真正热爱中国”的外国人，也就不足为奇了。
Time has come to the 21st century, and it is now 2023. After 40 years of development, China has become the world's second largest economy, and its coastal cities have entered the level of developed countries. Chinese families, like American families, all have cars, mobile phones, endless clothes and endless food. They have also begun to consume luxury goods and travel by plane. China is no longer that "bad" country.
However, this inertial thinking of "foreign countries are advanced" and "China is backward" still affects Chinese people born between the 1970s and 1990s. Their age is about 30-50 years old, which happens to be the main group of people who control wealth and power in this country.
So, so far. Foreigners who immigrate to China are generally still welcomed, and the Chinese have a favorable impression of them.
时间来到了21世纪，现在已经是2023年了，经过40年的发展，中国已经成为世界第二大经济体，沿海城市已经进入发达国家水平。中国家庭和美国家庭一样，都有汽车、手机、穿不完的衣服和吃不完的食物。他们也开始消费奢侈品和乘飞机旅行。中国不再是那么“坏”的国家。
然而，这种“国外先进”和“中国落后”却是一种惯性思维。至今仍影响着20世纪70年代至90年代出生的中国人。他们的年龄在30-50岁左右，恰好是这个国家掌握财富和权力的主要人群。
所以，到目前为止。移民到中国的外国人普遍还是受到欢迎的，中国人对他们也有好感。
2. Why not be overconfident
The world is changing, and so is China.
What is even more noteworthy is that China is the fastest-changing country in the world. This makes the China travel guide written by a foreigner three years ago likely to be completely outdated three years later.
Chinese people's attitude towards foreigners is also undergoing rapid changes.
This change is particularly evident among young people born in the 21st century.
Since the younger generation was born in a privileged social environment, most of them have never seen poverty in China. Them understanding of the past comes only from history books and the narratives of elders. That history is too far away from them.
2. 为什么不要过度自信
世界在变，中国也在变。
更值得注意的是，中国是世界上变化最快的国家。这使得三年前外国人写的中国旅游指南很可能在三年后就完全过时了。
中国人对外国人的态度也在发生迅速的变化。
这种变化在21世纪出生的年轻人中表现得尤为明显。
由于年轻一代出生在优越的社会环境中，他们中的大多数人从未见过中国的贫困。他们对过去的了解只能来自历史书和长辈的叙述。这段历史离他们太遥远了。
On the contrary, when they were born, China was already climbing the peak of the global economy. They are accustomed to clean and tidy cities, convenient public facilities, beautiful parks, fashionable clothing and consumer goods, and the ubiquitous Internet and digital devices. At this time, the United States, Europe, Japan, and the entire Western world began to decline.
Young Chinese people have discovered that: whatever the West has, we have it. What they don’t have, we have too. Why do we say they are developed countries and we are developing countries? This is so stupid.
They no longer have the stereotyped image of the Western world that the older generation of Chinese have, and no longer believe that "foreign countries are good" and "China is bad." They began to view all kinds of foreigners from an equal perspective.
相反，当他们诞生时，中国已经攀上了全球经济的顶峰。他们习惯了干净整洁的城市、便捷的公共设施、美丽的公园、时尚的服装和消费品、无处不在的互联网和数字设备。这个时候，美国、欧洲、日本以及整个西方世界都开始衰落。
中国年轻人发现：西方有的，我们也有。他们没有的，我们也有。为什么说他们是发达国家而我们是发展中国家呢？这太愚蠢了。
他们不再有老一辈中国人对西方世界的刻板印象，不再相信“外国好 ”和“中国糟”，他们开始以平等的视角看待各种外国人。
There are now millions of foreigners living in China. They come from different countries and have various purposes. Many of these people actually do not come with "simple and kind intentions".
It was the Africans who ruined their reputations first.
Tens of thousands of Africans live in cities such as Guangzhou, China, and they are engaged in the business of reselling Chinese goods to Africa. These people have stayed illegally for a long time and caused many security problems. In the past, the Chinese government’s “unique tolerance for foreigners” has fueled their unscrupulous behavior. Robbery, molestation, insults, vandalism of public facilities, theft and other behaviors occur frequently among these Africans. This ultimately aroused the anger of the Chinese public and media.
现在有数十万外国人生活在中国。他们来自不同的国家，有着不同的目的。这些人中的许多人实际上并不是带着“简单而善良的意图”而来的。
首先败坏他们声誉的是非洲人。
数以万计的非洲人生活在中国广州等城市，从事着将中国商品倒卖到非洲的生意。这些人长期非法滞留，造成不少安全问题。过去，中国政府“对外国人独特的宽容”助长了他们的不法行为。抢劫、猥亵、侮辱、破坏公共设施、盗窃等行为在非洲人中时有发生。这最终引起了中国公众和媒体的愤怒。
You must know that the Chinese do not have any historical debt to black people, and there is no political correctness of "Black Lives Matter" in China. When Chinese people don't like them, they express it directly. Black people were deported and hatred of black people spread across the country. In the eyes of many Chinese, the image of Africans has gradually changed. Black = criminal, black = irresponsible, black = barbaric.
要知道，中国人对黑人没有任何历史负罪感，也不存在“黑命贵”的政治正确性。在中国。当中国人不喜欢他们时，他们会直接表达出来。黑人被驱逐出境，对黑人的厌恶在全国蔓延。在很多中国人眼中，非洲人的形象逐渐发生了变化。黑人=犯罪，黑人=不负责任，黑人=野蛮。
Next, Europeans and Americans also began to mess up their reputation.
In the past 20 years, some Europeans and Americans with no work ability or professional ability have obtained English teacher positions in China by virtue of their ability to speak English. And received a high salary that they could not even imagine in their motherland. This caused many people to flock here. Many of them even think, "In China, as long as you can speak English, you can earn $200,000 a year! Countless Chinese girls will compete to fall into your arms."
This has led to more and more people going to China to "gold hunt". Many of these people have no real English teaching experience or ability, nor any other professional qualities. In their original countries, they are unemployed or even homeless.
接下来，欧洲人和美国人也开始把自己的名誉搞坏。
近20年来，一些没有工作能力、没有专业能力的欧美人，凭借会说英语的能力，在中国获得了英语教师的职位。并获得了他们在祖国根本无法想象的高薪。这使得很多人涌向这里。他们中的很多人甚至认为，“在中国，只要你会说英语，一年就可以赚20万美元！”无数的中国女孩都会争相投入你的怀抱。”
这导致越来越多的人前往中国“淘金”。这些人中许多人没有真正的英语教学经验或能力，也没有任何其他专业素质。在他们的祖国，他们基本就是失业族甚至无家可归者。
This has made the negative effects more and more serious, and many negative events and information about "foreigners working as English teachers in China" continue to emerge: "Americans who have not attended college earn higher salaries than Chinese people who have graduated from Harvard." "Crime, fraud, raping female students, abandoning Chinese girlfriends."
A new word has emerged in Chinese society: foreign garbage.
Used to refer to these foreigners who live in China by virtue of their foreign status.
Gone are the days when you could be popular simply by having a white face.
这使得负面影响越来越严重，不少“外国人来华英语教师”的负面事件和信息不断涌现。不断涌现：“没有上过大学的美国人的工资比哈佛毕业的中国人高。” “犯罪、诈骗、强奸女学生、抛弃中国女友。”
中国社会出现了一个新词：洋垃圾。
用来指那些凭借外国人身份居住在中国的外国人。
仅仅靠一张白人脸就可以受欢迎的日子已经一去不复返了。
3. What kind of foreigners are really popular in China?
The Chinese, like everyone else in the world, have the same pursuit of "good".
They welcome foreigners to work and live in China. In fact, the Chinese are not xenophobic at all.
But if you want to be truly welcomed and widely respected, then the requirements for yourself are no different than in your own country.
A. You need to have certain professional abilities and work experience, and learn some Mandarin so that you can engage in truly meaningful work in China. (The route of becoming a teacher just by being able to speak English basically no longer exists)
B. You need to abide by Chinese laws and morals, respect Chinese traditions and habits, and do not feel that you are different or even superior to others.
3. 什么样的外国人在中国真正受欢迎？
中国人和世界各国人民一样，对“善”有同样的追求。
他们欢迎外国人来中国工作和生活。事实上，中国人根本不排外。
但如果你想真正受到欢迎和广泛尊重，那么对自己的要求与在自己的国家没有什么不同。
A. 您需要具备一定的专业能力和工作经验，并学习一些普通话，这样您才能在中国从事真正有意义的工作。 （会说英语就能当老师的路线基本不存在了）
B、你需要遵守中国的法律和道德，尊重中国的传统和习惯，不要觉得自己与众不同，甚至高人一等。
As long as you do the above two things, you will become a popular foreigner.
If you want to go one step further and have people not only welcome you, but want to praise you, support and help you, you can do more.
for example:
Learn, understand and appreciate Chinese traditional culture;
Try and really get used to China’s regional food;
Follow the locals and learn to speak some dialects
If you can do these three points, you will basically become a social star among Chinese people. Everyone will like you and brag about being your friend. They will take a photo with you and post it to their social media and write: Hey, this is my foreign friend.
只要你做到了以上两点，你就会成为一个受欢迎的外国人。
如果你想更进一步，让人们不仅欢迎你，还想赞扬你、支持你、帮助你，你可以做得更多。
例如：
学习、理解、欣赏中国传统文化；
尝试并真正适应中国的地方美食；
跟随当地人，学习说一些方言；
如果你能做到这三点，你基本上就成为中国人中的社交明星了。每个人都会喜欢你并吹嘘自己是你的朋友。他们会和你合影并发布到他们的社交媒体上并写道：嘿，这是我的外国朋友。
4、Asian countries
People from Asian countries are treated very differently in China. If we don't speak, the Chinese may not be able to tell whether we are Japanese, Korean or Singaporean. But once they find out, they often get different treatment.
First of all, we Singaporeans are the most popular. While they will give you the convenience of foreigners, they will treat you like a Chinese, reducing many hypocritical politenesses.
4、亚洲国家
来自亚洲国家的人在中国受到的待遇非常不同。如果我们不说话，中国人可能分不清我们是日本人、韩国人还是新加坡人。但一旦他们发现，往往会得到不同的待遇。
首先，我们新加坡人是最受欢迎的。他们虽然会给你外国人一样的便利，但会像中国人一样对待你，减少了很多虚伪的礼貌。
Secondly, the treatment of Japanese people is also good. Although I have always heard that China and Japan have historical animosity, from what I have observed, most Japanese are treated well in China. This may be related to the fact that the Japanese themselves are very polite and humble.
Finally, Koreans are treated poorly. Many Chinese confided to me privately their impatience and disgust with Koreans. So, if you don’t want to tell people which country you are from, don’t lie and say you are Korean.
Finally, I would like to give an extra reminder to my Singaporean compatriots.
其次，日本人的待遇也不错。虽然我一直听说中国和日本有历史仇恨，但据我观察，大多数日本人在中国都受到很好的待遇。这可能与日本人本身就非常有礼貌、谦逊有关。
最后，韩国人的待遇很差。许多中国人私下向我倾诉他们对韩国人的不耐烦和厌恶。所以，如果你不想告诉别人你来自哪个国家，就不要撒谎说你是韩国人。
最后，我想特别提醒新加坡同胞。
If you travel to China like me, you happen to be a Singaporean of Chinese descent like me, and you can speak Chinese.
Then you will get an advantage: Chinese people usually don't regard you as a foreigner, and you can easily integrate with them. and go about your work and business.
But you will also get a disadvantage: in some places, especially small cities, it is difficult for you to get "super-national treatment" because you lack a foreign face.
如果你像我一样去中国旅行，你恰好是像我一样有华裔血统的新加坡人，你也会说中文。
那么你就会得到一个优势：中国人通常不把你当作外国人，你可以很容易地融入他们。继续你的工作和生意。
但你也会遇到一个劣势：在一些地方，尤其是小城市，你很难获得“超国民待遇”。因为你缺乏一张外国人的面孔。
It is particularly noteworthy that, except for the two southern coastal provinces. The vast majority of Chinese people cannot understand Cantonese and Hokkien. Therefore, don’t think that the Cantonese or Hokkien you learned from your parents is feasible in China. You'd better learn Mandarin. If you don't know what standard Mandarin is, watch more videos of President Lee Hsien Loong's speeches.
If you decide to speak English as a supplement, that's no problem. Be sure to use standard English, not our usual "Singlish". After all, many young Chinese can communicate in English, but "Singlish" would overwhelm them.
尤其值得关注的是，除南方沿海两个省份外。绝大多数中国人听不懂粤语和闽南语。所以，不要以为你从父母那里学的粤语或者闽南语在中国是可行的。你最好学一下普通话。如果你不知道什么是标准普通话，请多看李显龙总统的演讲视频。
如果您决定说英语作为补充，那没问题。一定要使用标准英语，而不是我们常用的“Singlish”。毕竟，很多中国年轻人都可以用英语交流，但这种“新加坡式英语”却无法用交流。会让他们不知所措。
