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What does it mean to be Chinese? Views from SCMP Opinion
In the Being Chinese column, SCMP writers and contributors – whether they are Chinese by birth, descent or osmosis – explore the different aspects of Chinese identity and experience in personal reflections.
Updated: 18 Apr, 2026
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[1]
Being Chinese | Growing up Hakka, around a language that few dared to speak publicly
My relatives spoke Hakka, but behind closed doors. Imagine my surprise when I finally found myself in a public Hakka-speaking environment.
18 Apr, 2026
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[2]
Being Chinese | Chinese overseas need not keep to ourselves. I certainly don’t
Half of my close friends in London are Chinese; the other half are not. This balance did not happen by accident.
04 Apr, 2026
[3]
Being Chinese | In New York, ‘Chinese’ doesn’t begin to capture our many tastes
In a somewhat unexpected way, moving to New York broadened my perspective on China’s vast linguistic and culinary differences.
21 Mar, 2026
[4]
Being Chinese | In China, some of us are keeping elderly care in the family – for now
My extended family has taken time to reach a decision about my grandma’s daily care. As the rest of us age, I’m also preparing options.
07 Mar, 2026
[5]
Being Chinese | The great Chinese New Year divide and how I bridged it
After sitting through the Spring Festival Gala with mainland Chinese friends, I had to introduce them to a delightful ritual from Singapore.
17 Feb, 2026
[6]
Being Chinese | I feel for young Hongkongers who say they are ‘from the UK’
Instead of mocking those who adopt a superficial Western identity, we might pause and ask: what pressure made them feel this was necessary?
10 Feb, 2026
[7]
Being Chinese | A Chinese Singaporean’s dilemma: should I change my surname?
My grandparents lost their original surnames by force of circumstance. Now that I have the luxury of choice, do I restore my family name?
24 Jan, 2026
[8]
Being Chinese | Where do lonely hearts in China go now? Late-night live streams
I was swiping past the noise on Douyin when a calm, warm voice stopped me. So began my evenings in the world of companionship live streams.
10 Jan, 2026
[9]
Being Chinese | In both China and the West, the art of parenting involves letting go
Grandpa, very much in the traditional mould, believed in toughening children up for the world. Mum, raising her only child, was not impressed.
27 Dec, 2025
[10]
Being Chinese | The 30-word identity pitch of an overseas Chinese
To some, “Are you Chinese?” is a question about nationality. To others, it’s about ethnicity. To cover all bases, I’ve crafted a 30-word answer.
13 Dec, 2025
[11]
Being Chinese | Why Chinese women like me are done being quiet and ‘appropriate’
Chinese women are praised for gentleness. Our tone must please; our anger must be graceful. But a new generation is speaking out.
29 Nov, 2025
[12]
Being Chinese | A very Chinese funeral and all the things my family didn’t say
The Chinese have dizzyingly precise words for various family members, but families like mine express emotions through stoic suffering.
15 Nov, 2025
[13]
Being Chinese | Looking for love in Shanghai, Chinese auntie-style
People’s Square is a ruthlessly efficient analogue of Tinder, run by elderly Chinese parents. I quickly learned about my own limits.
01 Nov, 2025
[14]
Being Chinese | My food obsession has deep Chinese roots
The rationing era imprinted something on me – not just a craving for food, but a reverence. In Chinese culture, food is never just food.
18 Oct, 2025
[15]
Being Chinese | How education in China has evolved, before my very eyes
Amid falling births and policy adjustments, education for one of my children is a more joyous experience than it has been for the other.
04 Oct, 2025
[16]
Being Chinese | Life and finance lessons from my Hong Kong mahjong parties
I was a hit with my mahjong buddies because I didn’t play like a typical Chinese person. The years since have taught me better.
20 Sep, 2025
[17]
Being Chinese | Young Chinese are trying out the simple life. Am I missing out?
My generation has never known an economic slump lasting a number of years. Some friends are taking the opportunity to slow down.
06 Sep, 2025
[18]
Being Chinese | Half a world away from Hong Kong, I had a Chinese epiphany
I thought I understood British culture. No amount of book reading or television watching could have prepared me for a seismic shift.
23 Aug, 2025
[19]
Being Chinese | I crave a sense of community. Is that my Chinese side talking?
AI chatbots can’t fufill a desire for connection that may have been passed down generations in a culture where community ties are treasured.
17 Aug, 2025
[20]
Being Chinese | An ‘elegant’ English name would be all wrong for my Hong Kong baby
My daughter, a child of multiple cultures, needs a carefully chosen name in a city where racial difference is not seamlessly accepted.
09 Aug, 2025
[21]
Being Chinese | I escaped a Chinese guoxue ‘reading group’. My friend is less lucky
The trend of ‘national studies’ unsettled me. Packaged in Chinese symbols – robes, incense, ancient wisdom – much of it felt too commodified.
26 Jul, 2025
[22]
Being Chinese | What’s in a Singaporean Chinese name? It’s a long story
In the US, I’ve been assumed to be Taiwanese, mainland Chinese or Korean. It’s like watching people play charades using my business card.
12 Jul, 2025
[23]
Being Chinese | Dating in the UK, Chinese auntie-style
Looking for a life partner as a 40-something Asian woman in the UK, I found success in unexpected ways.
28 Jun, 2025
[24]
Being Chinese | People laugh in my face when I say I’m Chinese. So what?
I don’t look Chinese. But it’s the tiny things, values and cultural touchpoints that collectively make a Chinese person Chinese.
31 May, 2025
[25]
Being Chinese | I’m not ‘lying flat’, just choosing a saner lifestyle than China’s 996
In China, work culture is shifting and companies are sending employees home earlier. I chose balance over fatigue before the tide turned.
17 May, 2025
[26]
Being Chinese | Once a Chinese frog in a well, I’m now living my travel dreams
When China opened up and millions went abroad, it influenced everything from fashion and cuisine to values and perspectives.
03 May, 2025
[27]
Being Chinese | I’m a Cannes-going Chinese showbiz producer. It’s fun – except when it isn’t
I make deals with international studios and platforms. Often, I face a wall of Western presumption about the Chinese way of doing things.
19 Apr, 2025
[28]
Being Chinese | I identify as a Chinese auntie, cheapskate and busybody. Anyone else?
I revel in low prices and awkward questions. I’m finding that being a Chinese auntie overseas also means being part of an Asian sisterhood.
05 Apr, 2025
[29]
Being Chinese | In Singapore, my children are freer to be happy than I was in China
Having been through China’s pressure-cooker education system, I appreciate how Singapore balances Eastern discipline and Western creativity.
22 Mar, 2025
[30]
Being Chinese | How far Chinese women have come since my grandmother’s time
I have more equal status than my grandmother did in the pre-communist era. But young women are still pushing back against discrimination.
08 Mar, 2025
[31]
Being Chinese | I look Chinese but don’t speak the language. Is that so bad?
I may be missing out on a deeper appreciation of the culture, but I’ve learned to live with it – thank goodness for translation apps.
22 Feb, 2025
[32]
Being Chinese | Why don’t we say ‘I love you’ in Chinese? Let me count the reasons
Chinese speakers like me have been trained to understand the difference between ‘aiyah’ and ‘aiyaah’, and things left unsaid among loved ones.
14 Feb, 2025
[33]
Being Chinese | To know who we are, China must remain open to foreigners
Interactions with the outside world have shaped my identity as a Chinese and a human being, opening my eyes to the value of cultural exchange.
08 Feb, 2025
[34]
Being Chinese | My Hong Kong crash course in Chinese calculations of everything
Some autumns ago, a midlife crisis brought me to Hong Kong, where it has been inspiring how savvy people are about Chinese cosmology.
25 Jan, 2025
[35]
Being Chinese | The beauty of being a filial Chinese daughter
Despite the caregiving challenges, there’s a beauty in accepting filial piety is not a choice but a necessity: roles and responsibilities are clear.
18 Jan, 2025
[36]
Being Chinese | Who’s Singaporean and stressing over Lunar New Year food abroad? Not me
Grappling with being the sole source of Singapore Chinese culture for my children, I have focused on transmitting it through food.
11 Jan, 2025
[37]
Being Chinese | No stereotypes please, overseas Chinese students are a wonderful mix
By no stretch of any imagination can one reduce Chinese students in the UK to a uniform, faceless tribe, as my cohort once was.
28 Dec, 2024
[38]
Being Chinese | How my Malaysian Chinese education is paying off
Malaysian Chinese have paid a heavy price for Chinese-medium schools, but for my generation, that investment is reaping dividends.
14 Dec, 2024
[39]
Being Chinese | I may not use my ‘beautiful’ Chinese name often, but I’m glad of the gift
My father was renamed when a Briton couldn’t make out his Chinese name. I’m grateful for mine, though I now use a name that confounds some.
30 Nov, 2024
[40]
Being Chinese | English took me out of a Chinese factory, but not China out of me
I learned English as a bored young factory worker and began writing in it to avoid censorship. But my decision has come with pros and cons.
16 Nov, 2024
[41]
Being Chinese | We’re Chinese and we fight to pay for dinner
Economic and societal shifts have forced me to reconsider the fight-to-pay ritual at multi-generation family gatherings.
02 Nov, 2024
[42]
Being Chinese | In US vs Chinese soft power, guess how children are voting?
As children around me get sucked into the rabbit hole of Disney, Marvel and Netflix, I wonder about the reach of Chinese culture.
19 Oct, 2024
[43]
Being Chinese | From my Chinese Malaysian childhood, a lifelong reality check
A defining childhood moment came when I was warned my identity as a Chinese female would count as ‘two strikes’ against me.
05 Oct, 2024
[44]
Being Chinese | What’s come between China and It bags? Maybe it’s not just the economy
Chinese may be growing out of their obsession with high-end Western brands, like how I outgrew my fascination with ‘decadent Western’ jeans.
21 Sep, 2024
[45]
Being Chinese | I am a Chinese mother. Hear me worry
Like Mencius’ mum, I want to give my son a better learning environment, including by moving house. Yet I also want him to be happy.
07 Sep, 2024
[46]
Being Chinese | How I transcended my Hong Kong identity crisis
I felt neither British nor Chinese growing up in Hong Kong. Travelling the world and living in Beijing helped me find my bearings.
31 Aug, 2024
[47]
Being Chinese | Put a ring on it? Chinese women don’t need marriage any more
Women in China once believed marriage to be a necessary passage in life. Now they know they can choose to follow their desires.
24 Aug, 2024
[48]
Being Chinese | Could Olympic-inspired Hong Kong dare to fail?
For Hong Kong youth who want to take an unconventional path in life, the bar for parental approval is set too high.
17 Aug, 2024
[49]
Being Chinese | Why must Chinese parents make children dread piano?
Music lessons are practically a rite of passage for Asian children but when forced, they can strip our kids of a lifelong enjoyment of music.
10 Aug, 2024
[50]
Being Chinese | How the world has changed for a Chinese-looking person
It is remarkable how assumptions and expectations of a Chinese-looking person have evolved, as China’s fortunes changed over decades.
03 Aug, 2024
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