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Tuesday, 27 January 2009

I want to understand what it means to be British Born Chinese in the current world - are we only allowed to associate ourselves as one identity or does the postmodern state permit us to be both British AND Chinese?

Being a BBC I am proud to be able to speak the language and I love speaking to my parents and travelling to China to meet my extended family. However there were times, in the past and sometimes in the present, where I feel I am different. Like other BBCs on this site I am sure they are familiar with this feeling, whereby you don’t look British but can speak it perfectly, you look Chinese but they know (particularly my Auntie and Uncle) Chinese is not your first language.

I know I am British, since I was born here, but I find it hard sometimes to consider myself as a Chinese individual because of many reasons – the people in my social circle, the University I study at, and the fact I do not speak with an accent (other than Scottish). Particularly I believe the media plays a part in this search for personal identity.

Understandably there are channels such as the Chinese Channel or Phoenix that contain Chinese programs but given that the majority (I am assuming) may watch BBC, Channel 4 and ITV there is a gap in the market. Given that the Chinese community in Britain is the largest growing non-European ethnic minority group I am shocked that this is the case.

Has anyone else noticed the lack of Chinese representatives in the Newsroom, in soaps and in TV Adverts? Indeed there is Gok Wan and Mutya Buena who provide us with entertainment but how about the other areas I pointed out. Does the lack of Chinese people in our Television and Radio programs mean that we are looking out for alternative role models and therefore see ourselves as British and not Chinese?

What is your identity and what are your opinions about Chinese representatives (or the lack of) in the media?

Your thoughts?

Alison Ho

 
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Hot Chinese Chips - Chinese in television Posted 11:14 on 28 January 2009
Probably the easiest job to get into for Chinese is in English television, for the very fact that there is a shortage of Chinese presenters and actors.

A few years ago, a Chinese friend told me about a Chinese Extras company, and you could fit all its actors in a small room. You may have seen the same Chinese guys over and over again on television.

It's funny that many British Chinese have this dream of being a television celebrity, or being in their favourite soap opera, but it remains an unfulfilled dream because they modelled their life on someone else's.

Send your kids to acting school.
Benchimus - Chinese in UK media Posted 11:37 on 30 January 2009
Agreed, there is a gap in the market.

South Asians have the BBC Asian Network for radio, and there are a number of journalists who appear on the major news programmes of South Asian origin.

Perhaps some of this lack is due to the way our parents view a career in media i.e. it is not something even considered. It may be stereotypical, but how many of us are encouraged to go into the professions - law, medicine, banking, accountancy?

Maybe some of it is due to the impression that as Chinese we are more suited to back room jobs, since the stereotype is that we will get on with the job, and not be (too) challenging.

Is there scope to work more closely with black and asian pioneers in the media industry? After all, we have a commonality - ethnic minorities - so collectively we could achieve much more?
Benchimus - re: Chinese in UK media Posted 11:39 on 30 January 2009
Benchimus wrote:
South Asians have the BBC Asian Network for radio, and there are a number of journalists who appear on the major news programmes of South Asian origin.


I forgot to acknowledge BBC 1Xtra for music of black origin, and the numerous very successful black presenters and journalists in broadcast and print media.
Angry Women Posted 1:27 on 5 February 2009
Is this a weekly feature? How many more Dimsum?
Edwina Lee Posted 14:36 on 5 February 2009
Hi Angry Women,

You are in the article commentaries section.

Join in our forums where we talk about any subject we like.

Edwina xx
Miguel De Vinchi - Chinese Identity Posted 14:55 on 5 February 2009
Dear Alison,

I complitly understand where your coming from, even if I'm not Chinese. But I first of all a person that deal in my daily work with cultural diversity and the fact that I travel to china so many times and have hag know how about chinese culture. I could understand fully your fustration and anger about our society. at home in China your in some way look like a foriener not as chinese but her you treated as chinese allthough you speak english as your first language. late me tall you one thing, never try to give up your identity or culture no matter what society expect from you, it's all about what you want for yourself.I'm coming my self from a 5000 old culture the INCA Indio Culture in Peru South America, we have some similarety to chinese culture, this is way i traveled in China for one year when i was 18, and fall in Love with the culture and people, and sins then allthough i stile don't speak mandarin as i wish i want to speak, i will visit china again this year in Marc. so keep smilling Alison!

Miguel
Yinnie Chung - Chinese identity Posted 2:57 on 10 February 2009
I agree with you that there is a real shortage of chinese actors, presenters in the media and there should be more, but not many chinese are willing to go through the hardships to get into television. I would love to get into television producing and acting, but i just don't have the qualifications or the courage to, even as a british chinese.

With the british chinese identity, I find alot of us seem to have been brought up to keep our heads down and focus on a career goal and not to be given alot of attention. I know a fair lot of British chinese that are very much like that, and without the want for attention, i don't believe that with the current chinese/british chinese ethics in britain at the moment, chinese people will never really be quite as well known in the media.

forgive my late night ramblings.
Alison Posted 21:23 on 12 February 2009
Thanks for all your comments

So far my studies has confirmed the reason for the lack of Chinese representatives in British Media is due to lack of interest, hence fuelling the notion of Chinese people remaining a 'hidden' minority.

Therefore is it not important to challenge this notion and become part of the media to encourage and influence other BBCs to participate in their Chinese heritage? BBCs are able to explore their British side at school, and without the possibility of meeting another BBC and the lack of Chinese influences at home, their Chinese side goes unexplored, thus ignoring their 'Chineseness'.

By having little or no Chinese people in the media - we will forever be stereotyped as the 'brainy' ones, take-away owners, martial arts experts and/or doctors.

Does anyone see the 'whiteness' of British TV a problem? And therefore inturn feel alienated when watching soaps/news etc...

Your thoughts?
Lost Posted 8:05 on 23 February 2009
Alison

I'm a BBC now working in China. In terms of how I deal with work and non-work situations, etc, I can safely say that I am far more British in my thinking than Chinese. In fact, I can get by here speaking English but not Cantonese. So, my experience here is that I may look like everyone else but I certainly don't feel I'm one of them. So what does it mean to be Chinese? For the CBCs (China born Chinese), Chinese-ness is very straight-forward; it's based purely on your appearance.

In terms of role models, for me you need not look any further than your parents. If they are like mine, they left their homeland to work hard for a better life for themselves and their children in a land they didn't know and where they didn't speak the language. And anyway, would you want a Chinese Jade Goody as a role model?

You say you've been to China, so you know that many of the film and music stars that the young Chinese like are from Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and Korea; not so much from China.

I don't feel that the 'whiteness' of British tv is a problem given that the vast majority of people in Britain are white. But if you permit me to be ethnocetric for a while, if you look at the school examination performance of the different races in the UK, the Chinese are the brainy ones. Also, from my (Chinese) social circle in the UK, most of us are or come from the take-away business. So is this the media being accurate. Or is the problem that they are not portraying the image that we would wish them to?
Graham - Chinese identity Posted 10:33 on 23 April 2009
You might be interested in some of the things on http://sites.google.com/site/grahamchansite/
view Posted 22:16 on 14 May 2009
If you look at the stats over 99.5% of the Uk population in not chinese. The issue I have about chinese represenation, I don't have a problem that the chinese are portrayed as take-aways workers but HOW they are portrayed.
James - view Posted 2:16 on 31 May 2009
Being british born, we will be rather english but also very chinese. But, most of us, (not all) will usually not understand 100% of the ways of the english. You know why? Because we are chinese. All chinese are different just like british born chinese are different from american born chinese. I have no problem with my identity now. For very young people, it is normal to have issues on i.d. As for chinese on british television, there could be that there is just not enough drive for a chinese to pursue fame in the UK. People wanting fame (especially good looking educated chinese women) would usually take a shot at the Miss Hong Kong contest and stand a good chance of making it big than trying to reach slim chances of fame in the UK. And now with Mr Hong Kong being popular, educated or successful chinese men would be tempted to enter that comp than going into showbiz outside China to ask producers for a chance. There is also racism. So, there is just not enough drive. Or even talent. But I have no problem with any of this.
another view Posted 20:13 on 10 June 2009
Its good that ppeople like james can have a peace of mind and appear not to have a problem, but do you care about the issues that affect other chinese people? I spoke to my grandpa about my identity issues his reply sums up our different worlds "I dont' know, I going to the casino"
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