21st Century Geopolitics
A Perspective of the Chinese

Which Chinese group do other Chinese people like the most?

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Chinese Diaspora
Asia Culture of China Chinese Ethnicity and People +1

Which Chinese group do other Chinese people like the most? Mainland Chinese , taiwan chinese, Hongkong chinese, macau chinese, Singaporean chinese, thai chinese, malaysian chinese, Indonesian chinese.... And any other chinese diaspora. Which is the most liked amongst other Chinese people besides their own?

Can you answer this question? Answer 7 Answers

Ray Tan Ray Tan, Malaysian Chinese 6.3k Views

I'm a Malaysian Chinese who studied in Singapore before. I have also gone to Taiwan for a long trip in which I met a couple of friends from mainland China, Macau and Hk.

Before I start, I would like to emphasize that these are all my personal opinions and impressions about those different groups of Chinese. Due to my limited experience, the opinion may be shallow and untrue to some people but I do not mean to offend you.

Mainland Chinese: although some of my Malaysian friends have bad impression about Mainlander being rude tourist or materialistic nouveau riche, this may be due to 'selection bias' since average Chinese student usually do not consider Malaysia as an education destination. So most mainland Chinese we encountered in Malaysia may not be good representatives of their group, e.g. In my sibling's neighborhood we know there are some pretty and young mistresses from China who stayed secretly with the married guys (tbh I despise the cheated husband even more but I just don't get why a young and healthy lady will sell her body for money), so some people just generalize mainland girls to be materialistic money chasers. But this is very unreasonable since those are just few exceptions. For my case, I have met plenty of smart and easygoing Chinese students when I studied in Singapore. IMO, the Mainland Chinese students are quite talkative and curious about international current affairs or world history. Also since I am very fond of Chinese history and culture, chatting with them can be really enjoyable. They are often open minded and willing to exchange opinions with me. So despite having some bad experiences with mainland tourists, I find mainland Chinese students to be intellectual, bright and perhaps the easiest to mingle with. I haven't been to mainland China so most mainland Chinese friends I met are from overseas campuses...

Taiwanese: I stayed there for about half year. The Taiwanese youngsters are pretty friendly, but like what the other answer said, I observed they have preferences over westerners or Japanese. I think the youths are a little bit ignorant and not so curious when it comes to international affairs. They are more inwardly looking, and most young people mainly care about pop cultures or domestic news. This is why sometimes I find it hard to carry out a meaningful conversation with them. I ended up befriending with exchange student from mainland China, specifically Guangdong province during my campus life in Taiwan. Lol. Also there are some interesting moments during my family trip to Taiwan, due to the 'unique' accent and very Chinese facial feature of my family members, some Taiwanese shop owners or taxi driver might mistakenly think we're mainland Chinese. Their attitudes were cold or aggressive initially but turned better (or even felt awkward) immediately when they knew we're overseas Chinese. But these are few exceptions too. Generally, Taiwanese Chinese are friendly and polite people.

Hk people: I just met two or three hk people, usually they're surprised when I speak Cantonese with them. I don't have much experience with hker in personal life, but I've heard my relative or friends who went there before saying hkers are quite rude and snobby. Perhaps it's due to their hectic urban lifestyle, the service sector is really bad and people are always rushing. On flip side, I think they are just being straightforward and pragmatic. I used to watch a lot of hk drama and movie so I always feel nostalgic whenever I rewatch the Stephen chow movies and listen to Cantonese classic pop songs. Sad to say that but I feel like hk entertainment business slowly dies out due to both internal and external factors. It's even more saddening to see some hk young extremists who become very cynical and attribute the problem of hk to a sole reason, ie returning of hk to China in 1997. As much as I could agree that the rise of neighboring giant has inevitably affected hk, but a defiant and victimized attitudes may further trap hk itself in a vicious cycle(as a Malaysian Chinese I could empathize with hker though, since it must be painful to go through the identity crisis. What's more, Malaysian Chinese got it worse since we face a systematic policy discrimination. So yes, to some point, I could understand why some hk youth are becoming frustrated). As the one who enjoyed hk pop culture a lot, I hope hk can survive through the transition periods.

Singaporean Chinese: I think of them as more westernized Chinese (relative to Malaysian Chinese). The Chinese community in Singapore and Malaysia used to be very similar but had gone through a separate path ever since Singapore's involuntary independence in 1960s. To be more precise, the Malaysian Chinese who receive English education may still be highly similar as Singaporean Chinese, be it from perspective of language, mindset or religion etc. But since most Malaysian Chinese value tradition and culture a lot, English-educated Malaysian Chinese who don't speak mother tongue at all may find it difficult to break into a Chinese circle. But I bet this obstacle eases (or perhaps nonexistent) in Singapore since English is the first language of many Singaporean Chinese families. I as the Chinese educated person had a kind of prejudice towards Singaporean Chinese when I was a kid after watching the Singaporean film 小孩不笨. I thought why as an ethnic Chinese they're so whitewashed and look down at their own culture. After gaining more information about sg, I realized that it is because Lee Kuan Yew deliberately eradicated vernacular schools and chose English as intermediate language to avoid ethnic tension with such a multiracial background. There are other political reasons for shutting down Nanyang University but I’m not gonna go further into that issue. All in all, this is a deliberate action to cultivate a Singaporean identity which works out pretty good eventually. Nevertheless, LKY also revealed in his publication (or speech, I can't really remember) about the bilingualism that he wished Singaporean Chinese would speak mother tongue (but since he banned dialects on tv so I guess what he referred to is mandarin Chinese) to their children. He thought that Singaporean should still preserve their Asian identity instead of being very westernized since they could never be the westerners. But since they have an environment which highly promote English status, the outcome of more and more households switching towards English as first language is unavoidable. Language is a carrier of culture, it's not surprising that Singaporean Chinese often do not have good command in Chinese, as a result lack of contact with Chinese history and philosophy. So that's why I said they're more westernized ( not necessarily a bad thing though, depending on what you care more about as a person. At least knowing English is a key to success in Singapore, so cultural root may not be their concern la)

Indonesian Chinese: this is also a diverse group but since I've already generalized many groups so I just don't care now ( just kidding :-P). Ok, I kinda sympathize Indonesian Chinese for the early mistreatment they got, such as the anti-communist riot which turned to a Chinese massacre in 1960s and the anti-Chinese riot in 1998. Although I've been informed that not only Chinese had been the scapegoats in 1998 riot as this is more of a political than an ethnic based riot, and yes I know it occurred years ago and you might think I still lived in last century for mentioning it. But still, growing up my deepest memory associated with Indonesian Chinese was the news of 1998 riot, I could still remember I was a kid watching the tv show, wondering why a mob burning down a large bungalow with tall fences and holding weapons in their hands. Apart of that, since some Indonesian Chinese do not speak Chinese(even if they do, they mostly speak dialects with local accent) and do not have Chinese names, I'm not really sure if they are Chinese. There were some Indonesian schoolmates of mine who seem like Chinese but im not certain since it might be awkard to ask about their racial identity. I also think most Indonesian Chinese have high living standards in Indonesia. Most of them are rich, even middle-high income could afford hiring several household helpers and drivers since the labour price is not that high in Indonesia. I respect Indonesian Chinese for their achievement despite such harsh condition.

Macau Chinese- not so clear since I only met a few. I think they're pragmatic like hker but less snobby.

Thai Chinese- only met a few, one who can speak just a little dialect, another was former Malaya communist member whose citizenship got deprived by Malaysian government and became a Thai so I don't think it counts. From Thai films, I think thai Chinese are largely localized. They may be glad to tell you about their Chinese ancestry but they are definitely proud of being Thai. I like Thai people and culture but I feel least Chineseness in Thai Chinese.

Updated Tue • View Upvotes Upvote62DownvoteComments9+ Share

Ericko Samudera Ericko Samudera 3.3k Views • Ericko has 120+ answers in China

From my interactions with them:

- Mainland Chinese, possibly the most adventurous Chinese people, you can find them doing odd jobs deep in Papua, Australia, Africa, Egypt, and even war-torn regions. I'll never get bored listening to their weird adventures (and misadventures).

- HK Chinese, to this day I'll never understand how they can survive working, while having three part time jobs, while also studying for graduate degrees, AND while taking vocational courses. My cousin even told me that some will get anxious when they're not working! Like mainland Chinese, they also have interesting stories, living in world trade crossroad.

- Singaporean Chinese, they are probably the most sarcastic people on the Internet, and they speak in *hilarious* creole language, combining the best of English, Chinese and Malays.

I've never interacted much with Malaysian Chinese, ABC, and Taiwanese, so I can't really say anything about them.

Written Mar 14 • View Upvotes Upvote21DownvoteComments2+ Share

Jimmy Burhan Jimmy Burhan, Critical Observer. 1.5k Views • Jimmy has 30+ answers in China

I can't speak for the entire Chinese-Indonesian because this is such a rather diverse group, culturally and economically, spreadout all over the nation of >10k islands. So, this is just my personal opinion:

Disclaimer:I have friends from each group and they are as nice as how normal people should be, but since we are talking about the general population it's hard not to make a generalization.

Mainland: I find Mainland Chinese to be the sincerest of them all. They might be rude, but they actually didnt mean it. They thought of it as a normal way of life. I'm still pissed by their marketing technique, they would literally pull your hand to their stores. So aggressive! And they would be mad if you didnt buy anything. They are totally aware they are lacking in the mannerism department, especially the young people, but they are catching up fast with the rest of Chinese diaspora. My sister who lived in China for a year said it wasn't as bad as before. If they know you are a guest they would treat you as well as they could afford.

Taiwanese: They are especially nice to you if they know you are American-or European-born, or Japanese. But if you come from a third world country, don't expect them to treat you as equal. So, even though I know Taiwanese Mandarin and weird Hokkien (I lived there for a year), I like to use English whenever I visit Taiwan. I look ABC and my English is next to native, so they treat me like a God.

HK: We all know they are rude. They are rude to everyone and each other. So, I don't feel discriminated. But, speak English, there are lots of tensions against Mainland Chinese these days and you would definitely receive a better treatment.

Malaysian: My parents are very fond of them, maybe because they find them to be the most relatable to them (my mom was born in an island just an hour away from Malaysia by boat). But, I find them to be very arrogant against Indonesians and I've experienced it firsthand (I lived in Malaysia for a year). So, sorry not sorry, I find Malaysians to be the least likable. They are very blunt in making commentaries. Some of their Chinese cant speak Malay and they seem to be proud of it. Especially proud when they know how to speak Mandarin, Cantonese, and Hokkien. They would sometimes say, 'I speak 5 languages, English, Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien' I dont know if the last three count as 3. Haha

Singaporean: I like them. Very discipline. Very sincere. Very blunt. I don't know that many singaporeans so I cant say much. But my visits to singapore are generally positive. Oh, I'm just gonna say that in general we see singaporeans as very law-abiding. They are so law-abiding that singaporeans find it hard to grasp why would people break the law on purpose, like jaywalking. Im pretty sure this sentiment is shared by other group of chinese.

Thai: like any other Thais, Thai Chinese are very polite. They arent as blunt as any other type of Chinese when it comes to making commentaries and criticisms. They are very tolerant of cultural differences. I think they are culturally as Thai as the natives. They are hardly Chinese anymore.

Generally: They are all very money-oriented, Chinese-Indo are also guilty of this! Except maybe Taiwanese.

Updated Mar 16 • View Upvotes Upvote11DownvoteComments3+ Share

Michel Wilde Michel Wilde, A Chinese Indonesian. My great great great grandparent was a Jinshi (施調赓)

590 Views • Michel has 30+ answers in China

I like Malaysian Chinese, and mainland Chinese compared to Taiwanese, because Taiwanese and hongkongers don't consider themselves as Chinese people.

Although I like hongkongers too, because they speak a very fluent English.

Written Mar 14 • View Upvotes Upvote3DownvoteComments2+ Share

Will Wang Will Wang, on the road to freedom 326 Views

What Malaysian Chinese think of others (some are a result of ignorance):

Mainland Chinese: money-minded, will do anything like cheating to earn money fast, low quality or fake products, the food might be tainted so be careful when you buy anything, the women are generally pigeon-eyed (i.e. like shiny things), pretty girls are husband snatchers and gold diggers

HK : materialistic, rude, terrible crowded place to live, the youth like the movies and music

Taiwan: look up to them since they share a common dialect, many Malaysian Chinese go to Taiwan for tertiary education, the old ladies love the TV dramas

Singapore: materialistic and like to compare with others, kiasu, snobbish but modern and high standard of living, the leaders did all the right thing to make the country developed in contrast to the lousy Malaysian government

Indonesian: mostly rich bosses

Macau and Thai: unknown

Malaysian Chinese think of themselves as unfortunate to be discriminated otherwise they might have better opportunities (basically if they are not successful at something they will blame the discrimination) , the women think proudly of themselves as perfect housewives or wife material (in contrast to the materialistic or gold diggers of other countries Chinese), they love their food very much so as a result it is the most obese nation in South East Asia.

*Note: this is not what I think of the other countries Chinese.

Written Apr 26 UpvoteDownvoteComments1+ Share

Zhuang Yan Zhuang Yan, A China citizen 61 Views

Some Chinese Malaysians are very impressive, because they are not only fluent in the language, but also have quite a knowledge about China’s history and culture.

I appreciate them the most. Written May 21 UpvoteDownvoteComment Share

Selina T. Johnson Selina T. Johnson, I am Chinese from China. 334 Views

I am mainland Chinese, I like most Malaysian Chinese. I admire them for their sacrifice and donation to the Chinese education in Malaysia. And to some extent, I think they are the genuinest Chinese. Mainland Chinese have been washed brains by communism and the cult of money worship. Written Mar 14 • View Upvotes Upvote2