Classic Marmot’s Hole post, if I may say so, concerning rising anti-Korean sentiment in China. A prominent Korean paper has recently run several pieces on the subject, pointing to the fact that during the Olympics Chinese fans took to rooting for 1. China, and 2. Anyone playing Korea.
They even rooted for Japan over Korea.
This is a subject that has long fascinated me since moving to Korea, mostly because I was surprised too see first-hand how terrible Koreans sometimes act toward Chinese people. That’s not to say all Koreans do this, and it’s not to say other races haven’t done it to Koreans and so on. I’m just talking about things I’ve seen and heard second-hand via my wife.
When we met she working in a chemistry laboratory at a university to earn her master’s. Even five years ago, studying abroad in Korea was still a relatively new idea, but my wife’s professor had brought two Chinese people into the fold.
I was amazed at the discrimination toward the two Chinese students. Some by the students, but mostly by the professor. Granted, the professor was a pig and treated all his underlings poorly, but it was clear he had a special place in his black heart for shitting on Chinese people who were unlucky enough to be under his thumb. One man, who was already a professor of Chemistry at a University near Shenyang, came to the lab to upgrade his credentials back home. Big mistake. The Korean prof routinely tried to humiliate him during lab meetings, even saying things like “Your degree is worth nothing here,” an rarely missing a chance to point out how much better and advanced the facilities in Korea were compared to those in China.
As he did with all the students the Korean prof held absolute control of their graduation dates. It wasn’t a matter of coursework or experience, but rather his own personal decision. In the end the Chinese professor left the lab after 2 1/2 years (he had less than a year to go) because he couldn’t take it anymore.
The other student was a woman trying to do a full PhD in Korea. As is fairly commonplace in Korea, the professor in the lab held the salaries (paid by the government) of all his students, usually paying them about 10-15% of that money each month. However, he paid the Chinese woman less simply because she was from China and it was presumed by the other Koreans in the lab that she was accustomed to living on less. She was from a poor family in Wuhan.
Anyway, check the Marmot’s post. Aside from the Olympic cheering he gets into other bad work study experiences, and there are a few things about business relations between the two countries.
9 responses so far ↓
1 Matt // Aug 28, 2008 at 2:53 pm
“This is a subject that has long fascinated me since moving to Korea, mostly because I was surprised too see first-hand how terrible Koreans sometimes act toward ALL people.”
Fixed.
2 Matt // Aug 28, 2008 at 2:54 pm
but all cultures are guilty of doing stuff like this.
3 simon // Aug 28, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Many Japanese people, especially the older set, act that way towards the Chinese and Koreans.
The three countries sort of have an medieval-early 20th century England-France-Germany type relationship with all the countries looking down on each other. Previous wars and occupations and all that.
4 simon // Aug 28, 2008 at 5:19 pm
> They even rooted for Japan over Korea.
This I found shocking. Has the CPP done something recently to make the Chinese public’s anti-Koreanness overpower the already significant and ever present anti-Japanese sentiments (except when it comes to pop culture and consumer products).
5 JJK // Aug 28, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Yeap. They spread rumors that Korea is stealing Chinese culture. Many Chinese who has never even met a Korean, hold anti Korean views now.
6 Kieth C. // Aug 29, 2008 at 12:27 am
As an Asian living in the US, I’ve been treated a lot worse than those Chinese people you talk about.
I’ve been prejudiced against overtly in the south and a little more discreetly in the north, but at the heart of both types of prejudice was the belief that Asians were somehow inferior to white people.
Koreans are like any other people. They have a sense of superiority over other peoples. Also, they’re wary of different races and cultures and considering their history, they have good reason to be.
But there’s actually a hidden reason behind why the Chinese are reacting so violently to Korean prejudice.
Historically, the Chinese have been treated worse by many other countries. And a country and culture which places such an importance on history does not forget such treatment.
In other words, the wartime atrocities that the Japanese committed are fresh on the minds of Chinese people everywhere.
But the reason they take offense at Korean prejudice is because of the traditional Confucianist belief that Korea is China’s “Younger Brother.”
There is a general underlying sentiment in China that Korea cannot be better than China, that Korea must always play second fiddle to China.
Because of this, Chinese take offense at Korean prejudice because they take it as a sign that Koreans think they are better than the Chinese and this is unacceptable.
I’m not saying that Koreans are right to behave the way they behave. I feel that kind of behavior to be deplorable. But the Chinese are overreacting to Korean prejudice precisely because they are prejudiced themselves and because of an exaggerated sense of importance that they have in their culture and country. Even the ocuntry’s name China, which means, “Center Country,” shows that they believe the world revolves around them.
You’re right about people in Korea being especially mean to the Chinese. It’s because they instinctively know that most Chinese think of Koreans as dogshit.
7 Jing // Aug 29, 2008 at 2:44 am
Typical gyopo nonsensical drivel. Keith C’s response is a textbook case in psychological dysfunction.
Koreans suffer discrimination in the U.S. and it’s worse too (yeah right)! Waaaaaah!
Chinese are over-reacting to Koreans treating them like shit (to be fair in and of itself not atypical as Koreans treat all wai gooks like shit, only the non-white ones shittier). Waaaaaah!
Koreans discriminate against Chinese and this is justified because they are the subjects of Chinese prejudice (In bizzaro world, Koreans are being persecuted in Korea by Chinese). Waaaaaah!
Chinese people arrogantly look down on Koreans and in fact are the true racist and should be ashamed of themselves (as opposed to the enlightened rationalism and completely non self-absorbed and humble nature of the dae han min gook). Waaaaaah!
Somebody call the Waaaaaambulance already because Keith is in critical condition.
8 Kieth C. // Aug 29, 2008 at 8:15 am
Jing, you’re the one who sounds like a dysfunctional psycho here. Your excessive use of “Waaaaahs” and exclamations shows that either you’re an irrate little 2nd grader who’s just been sent to his room by his parents or simply a retard. In any case, why don’t you try making a sensible argument without the use of constant “Waaaahs?”
I mean, what you’re saying makes no sense at all.
Are you really a retard? I mean, seriously, I’m having a difficult time understanding what the hell you are saying.
It’s ironic that you called my post nonsensical drivel and then went on to the most idiotic, nonsensical post I have ever read. I mean, I can’t even argue against your post because it makes no sense at all.
Phrases like “Yeah right,” and “Waaah” belong out in the schoolyard when you’re in 2nd grade, not in a serious onlilne discussion.
If you’re not retarded or in elementary school, the only other explantion for your idiotic post would be that you’re high or just trying hard not to be taken seriously.
In any case, kudos to your idiocy and self absorbed arrogance, they are the exemplification of all things Chinese.
9 yhap // Aug 30, 2008 at 3:26 pm
This is the column regarding of Anti-Korea in China from the Chosun online that was provided by one of the biggest S.Korean news paper. It is describing 3 reasons why this insulting commotion against Korea was happened as following.
http://www.chosunonline.com/article/20080817000009
1, Chinese government could divert Chinese people’s attention from domestic issues like as racial problems or earnings differentials between urban and provincial area etc.
2, Taiwan government could divert Taiwanese attention from domestic issues like as the recent recession or the isolated situation of diplomacy. Also they could have a sense of superiority to Korea historically.
3, Japanese government has been using syber spy groups as a countermeasure for anti-JP in China to implant good images of JP to Chinese people.
This commotion happened in China and Taiwan. Why did they bring up the story of JP syber spy groups onto the column? Where did the writer get the source of JP syber spy groups? (They think all the incidents were caused by a plot of Japanese???) Apparently the most of all Korean media have concluded that Chinese media took the nonsense articles from a bogus websites and it was caused by some anti-Korea groups.
Ironically, I often find the articles like this in the biggest news paper of S.Korea that might have been taken from a bogus website that is a den of biased views.
Anyway, the most comical thing is that they were shocked by rooting for JP of Chinese rather than anti-Korea in China.
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