The term ‘BBC' is for all those of Chinese ethnicity born in Britain. Coming from a countryside background, I have recently moved to Manchester after spending my university years in Newcastle. During this spell of living in two cities, I noticed that there is a difference between myself and the BBCs that I have met in the city. Yes, we have a similarity in that we are British-Chinese, but we are British-Chinese in different, skewed ways. I have noticed that a lot of the articles from this website are city-centric, with the majority of articles concerning London-based issues, and have therefore wondered if countryside BBC's have a different take on being British-Chinese than metropolitan BBC's. Also, I have been pondering over the balance of ‘Britishness' and ‘Chineseness.' Are these two aspects of our life separate? Do they go up and down like weighing scales, or does being a BBC mean that we are another ethnicity altogether, that of being ‘British-Chinese?'

In terms of being British, there is not too much difference between the two types of BBCs. There's the obvious contrast of one being from the countryside and one being from a city, but that difference is definitive of British people in general. What I am concerned about, however, are the Chinese differences between countryside BBCs and metropolitan BBCs.

Firstly, there's the exposure to culture. Being in the city, I am exposed to a large level of multi-culturalism. I see people of all races every day, as well as having the opportunity to experience Chinese culture that was unavailable when living in the countryside. From ‘yum cha' to Chinese art galleries, Chinese film festivals to large-scale Chinese New Year celebrations, the exposure to Chinese culture is eclectic. Seeing Chinese people walk the streets practically everyday is also a comforting sight: knowing that there are people similar to you just ‘being there.' Even meeting other BBCs and Chinese people whilst out in clubs and bars has been a relatively new and alien experience. This is where the differences come in. Having met quite a few BBCs now and also from talking with relatives from the city, I've noticed that my level of ‘Chineseness' doesn't match theirs.

My parents immigrated to Manchester back in the 1970s, and decided to move further north to the Lake District when I was one. Having lived in a small town called Ulverston until I left for university in 2004, I was hardly exposed to the Chinese culture that I experience today. There was the family, with whom I could talk Cantonese, eat Chinese food and once in a while watch Chinese films, but apart from that, things were scarce. There were a few Chinese takeaways dotted around town, whilst my parent's restaurant was the only one for a few miles. Inevitably, I was made to become friends with the only other Chinese person my age, which, like some friendships do, just drifted apart. Apart from that one Chinese friend during my primary school days, there were none; all the rest of my Ulverston days were spent with mainly white friends. On top of that, you'd rarely ever encounter another Chinese person on the street, perhaps one if you were lucky, and they'd be an older person who would, naturally, know your parents.

Racism would occur on a larger scale, although to be fair, Ulverston was a charming and friendly town, but due to the fact that there were hardly any other ethnic minorities, locals would be a lot less accepting of us compared to the multi-cultural cities. Because of this, I feel as though my level of ‘British-Chineseness,' leant more to the British side as I never really got to experience Chinese culture and Chinese people like those in city get to. On the other hand, some might say that being a countryside BBC means that your ‘Chineseness' gets accentuated and galvanised because you are so distinct from everyone else. To me, I felt as though I was more assimilated in British culture because I did not have the stimuli to fuel my ‘Chineseness'. I know that some of the younger generation who live in Ulverston are shunning their Chinese culture because of the lack of stimulation and the fact that ‘Britishness' is just so much more accentuated around those parts of Britain.

Recently, I ventured back to Ulverston to visit my parents and ended up going round the traditional English pubs with some friends. Immediately, I noticed the effects that living in the city had done to me. I was more confident and comfortable being British-Chinese compared to what I was a few years ago. As the night wore on, I noticed that I was literally the only ethnic minority in every pub I went to and I could feel the countryside BBC slowly seeping back. Whereas in the city, I was more galvanised as a Chinese person, more in tune with other Chinese people, more culturally Chinese, here in Ulverston I noticed that the balance was different; I felt more cynical, more esoteric, less multi-cultural, more British. A stereotypical country bumpkin I suppose.

What are your experiences? Share them with us here.

 

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BBC - City v Country Posted 21:28 on 15 April 2008 I enjoyed reading this article, I am a "city" BBC and I know where you are coming from; I think there are minor differences between BBC from urban or rural roots, city people I found tend to be more extrovert and more used to noise, but it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I think one s class and education background has a greater impact. When I was at the uni digs, what people noticed was not my obvious chinese appearance but the newspaper i was reading at the time which in their opinion was too lefty (don't have a preference anyway only quality critical writing). I think sometimes we can get too hung-up about BBC identity, I have many multicultural friends they too ponder deeply about their identity just like we BBCs. Lets not forget the "British" themselves have great difficulty defining what Britishness or English-ness is. In the end we are all human no matter where one comes from. Reply | Quote

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