American Stereotypes of China

Richard Rodriguez article, “The Chinese in All of Us (1944)”, argues that many different cultures have contributed to making up the American culture. Rodriguez backs up this claim by sharing

Chinese and American culture has a lot more differences than similarities. To the Chinese reputation of the individual is very important. If an action will humiliate someone or ruin a reputation, it is avoided. When shame occurs, the person sacrifices their job or whatever it is that will heal the shame. In America, reputations come and go overnight and in the end usually does not matter. “Go to an American home in exurbia, and almost the first thing you do is drift towards the picture window” [Example from American space, Chinese Place]. It is true that we American’s always want something more than what we have in front of us. We are always looking forward to the big picture of our

Secondly, the ingredients in Chinese and American food are different. Chinese cuisine involves rice, flour, beans, and vegetables. American cuisine is relatively simple and mainly includes meat, bread and vegetables. For the Chinese one, most dishes include rice, because it is the main crop of many Asian countries and is used in almost every capacity. Not only steamed rice, but rice paper and noodles can be included in a meal. Second, tofu is often used in vegetarian meals, because it is high in protein. It is used heavily in regions with a tradition of Buddhism. Third, sauces are important to flavor rice and stir-fry. Soy sauce, oyster sauce, black bean sauce, and fish sauces are easy to keep on hand (Yang 3). Rice is a major staple food for

There are different stereotypes about the Asian Indians. These stereotypes are originated when interact with the Asian Indians. They observe their living style or when they meet them in different places like universities, school, colleges, restaurants and hotels. There are some good as well as bad stereotypes are famous about the Asian Indians. Some common stereotypes of the Americans about the Asian Indians are listed below:

Frank Chin has been the most vocal critic of Kingston's who accused her "of reinforcing white fantasies about Chinese Americans" (Chin, 1991) and claimed that writers like Maxine Hong Kingston, Amy Tan and David Henry Hwang who won approval of the American white readers deliberately distorted the image of Chinese American to reinforce stereotypes and cater to the fantasies of American readers about a traditionalist Chinese culture. (Frank Chin, 1991, pp. 3-29)

All women are too sensitive! All Mexicans are illegal immigrants! If you’re from the South, then you are ignorant! Most people have heard at least one of these stereotypes pertaining to a certain group. Some people believe them whilst others do not. American Born Chinese illustrates three stories depicting the custom of stereotypes surrounding society: “The Monkey King”, the story of Monkey King’s thirst for infinite power, and his quest for atonement; “Jin Wang”, the story an awkward boy who tries to “fit in” the community around from but constantly fails; and “Danny”, the story about a high schooler who feels uncomfortable by his stereotypically negative Chinese cousin Chin-Kee. In this day-and-age, stereotypes are what bring people

The media is often the only form of culture that many Americans are subjected to. Consequently, many stereotypes are formed from that medium. These stereotypes include the interfering Asian American woman that cannot keep her nose out of other people?s business. The Asian woman is also supposedly sexually active, exotic, overly feminine and eager to please. This character is termed the ?China Doll,? and appears countless times in popular movies. Hollywood tends to characterize Asian women as prostitutes, yet fails to portray the hardships these women face such as trying to support their families. Asian American women are also depicted as passive and indecisive, and often times are treated as though they want to have sex with white men, even when they are verbally not agreeing. ?Dragon Lady? refers to an Asian

Chinese culture is obviously extremely different than the culture in the United States, and not many Chinese citizens actually know what it’s like to live in America. This could lead to the United States being represented incorrectly. Most Chinese citizens have the impression that America is the land of dreams, and that you can go there and live a successful life, make money and be famous but that’s not always true. According to an article written by Patrick Kim of tutorming.com; there’s a huge list of shows that are popular in China that are originally from the United States. The most popular show on the list is a show called The Big Bang Theory. In the show, there are four geeks who all have their PHDs and all do wacky things. Since this is a popular show in China, a good percentage of the population most likely watches the show. The show could easily give off the impression to Chinese citizens looking to immigrate to America that

In the end, stereotypes-- unfair beliefs that all people and things with a certain characteristic are the same-- will stay present until we work together to open our eyes to the world around us. As hard as getting rid of the stereotypes that offend people and impact lives can be-- especially when they are found everywhere from our homes to our schools-- by informing ourselves of other cultures, we can abolish them, and replace them with much needed

Those of Asian Indian heritage tended to smell heavily of curry or the food they ate.  Also, many of the women did not shave their armpits or legs.  Many cultures around the world do not place as much emphasis on vanity as Westerners do, so these stereotypes can easily be made. One of the doctors was from India as well but he was neither smelly, dirty, or sloppy.  He did advise many of his Indian patients the importance of eating a better diet, stating that obesity was becoming a problem in their culture. One stereotype that I tended to make was that Asians have two left feet and could not walk on a treadmill. For some reason or another, it seemed to be a trend. Although it wasn’t the case for all, it seemed to be the majority. Before doing this study, I’m sure I could have easily mistaken some East Indians as Chinese. Going from Wheeling, WV to working in a multicultural city was an awesome experience! Not only did I learn a lot professionally, but I also learned a lot personally. It was very interesting to meet people of so many different backgrounds with so many different languages, beliefs, and characteristics.

One experience so far in China that left a strong impression on my mind was a visit to the Shaanxi museum of history. Our tour guide was a locally educated young woman in her twenties. As she took us through the different periods of Chinese history, at every exhibit showing some sort of tool or mechanistic contraption she would turn and say “as you can see, the Chinese people are very smart!” She also recounted a story in which she was very offended that an American made a comment that Chinese people are short, to which she replied “yes, we are, but we have five thousand years of history and culture!” Both the richness and vastness of Chinese history was a huge source of pride for her, as her slightly illogical response to the American’s comment shows. In retrospect, her age denotes that she grew up on the government’s campaign in the 1990s to educated students about China’s greatness, to foster pride.

Chinese families are highly misunderstood and stereotyped in the United States. It is important to understand a different culture before one makes the assumptions produced by these stereotypes. In order to find a better understanding about Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans, one must do research on that countries heritage, traditions, and other customs before submerging one-self into a Chinese families home. I chose to experience and observe a Chinese family who was kind enough to let me be a guest in their home to share dinner.

This year is my forth year that I has been studying in the United State. I’m already used to the U.S. culture and the U.S. living style. So in general, I didn’t experience any culture shock after I got here. If I had any culture shock, it’s probably three years ago. I couldn’t remember any of them. However I do have some thoughts about the differences between the U.S. and China after four years of studying in the United States.

There are different foods from different countries around the world. The different elements are noticeable in our foods. Chinese dishes are prominent and it is the ultimate food. People have different tastes in food though many people appreciate Chinese’s. It is famous for color, appearance, taste, aroma, and meaning. Around the bay area there are many Chinese restaurants. My family is Chinese, so Chinese food are something we eat almost every day. Even though I eat Chinese food every day, I still don’t get bored with it. My favorite Chinese foods are sweet and sour pork and fried rice. Sweet and sour pork is my favorite because of the sauce and fried rice because of its taste and it is simple to make when I have to make my food; both foods are the traditional dishes may be found all over the world.

China and U.S. relations are complex, but it is important to attribute historical context when analyzing contemporary issues. Prior to China establishing their global role as a superpower, their nation endured nearly a century of humiliation which began in the 1800s and concluded in the mid-1900s. Although they’ve redeemed their nationalism, the intrusion of Western imperialism created tension and hostility which lasted for years after. Also, the United States’ response to local Chinese events, such as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, negatively impacted their relationship because it was an example of how American media and officials utilized knowledge about particular Chinese events and disseminated various rhetorical messages in response.