About China blogosphere, travel, and entrepreneurship

If you’ve been watching the officialspeak lately, the word 华人 (hua ren), which means — quite simply — “Chinese” — has been floating around more often than nationality-related terms, such as “PRC citizen”. Those who are joining the “Heart China” MSN movement are no longer “just” citizens of the People’s Republic — they included Chinese of foreign nationalities, which would include yours truly — a Swiss citizen of Chinese descent. The unifying factor here is more related to blood and ethnic ties than it does with what kind of passport you have.

There is this term that has been floating around for some time — it’s a term that makes folks who are Chinese by descent but of foreign nationalities feel both “at home” and at the same time “alienated”. It’s the term 外籍华人 (wai ji hua ren), or “Chinese with foreign nationalities (citizenships)”. The “at home” bit is the 华人 (huaren) bit, which means “Chinese” (quite literally). The bit of “alienation” is the 外籍 (waiji) bit, which implies that you do not have Chinese citizenship (ie legal citizenship).

Most Chinese with foreign citizenships are World-friendly. Born in an international environment, they appreciate the best of both cultures — Chinese and Western (or Chinese and plain-vanilla “foreign”). Their eyes on the World are wider than the average 5 minute “world news” bit on Chinese TV (to make an understatement). It seems, then, that the term is “good”.

Except for the fact that it has the 外籍 (waiji) part. This bit is alienating. You feel ever so close to China, yet the fact that you don’t have their citizenship is a real bummer. PRC law bans dual nationalities, so if you want to be Chinese by law, you have to stop being Swiss (or American). And Chinese passports don’t grant you visa-free access to the US, Europe or even Taiwan, so…

But what if you’re Chinese by ethnicity and have a more World-oriented outlook? Here’s where I drop in a new term, 国际华人 (guoji huaren), which simply means “international Chinese”. This term is a good one, because it shows that the Chinese are World-oriented as in they care about what happens beyond their national frontiers. In this day and age, there’s the need to know what’s going on in Beijing, Bangkok and Berlin.

The 国际华人 (guoji huaren) bit also reflects well on the Chinese as a whole, as it shows that the Chinese are more “international” (the 国际 (guoji) bit stands out really well) and hence gives you this feeling that they’re more active on the World stage. It showcases their might and the fact that they’re ready to embrace the World. They can talk with folks around the planet. They can communicate with folks around the World. And yes, you can use this term regardless of nationality, as long as you have Chinese blood or are Chinese by ethnicity, and you’ve lived around the World. It includes both 华侨 (hua qiao; overseas Chinese) and the 外籍华人 (Chinese with foreign nationalities).

The International Chinese is part of this great family people — people, purely people at that — people who are just as equal as the guy or gal next to you. They are all individuals on the planet. They are free to, and in fact, should, mix and mingle with folks of different cultures and nationalities. If you’ve heard of the word “World Citizen”, you can count the International Chinese in as a World Citizen. The only “bit” that they have that makes them a tad different is their heritage. Theoretically (and legally) speaking, though, they are — when all is said and done — just another human being on the surface of the Earth, when it comes right down to the fundamentals.

The International Chinese should be open to different cultures and ways of thinking, while at the same time preserving — and yes, bravely reforming (when needed) their own culture. The bits and pieces that make Chinese culture — well, Chinese culture — should be kept intact. At the same time, they should be free to use “this and that” from all other cultures. This is, after all, what’s supposed to constitute a World Citizen.

The International Chinese can be anyone: theoretically speaking, the average farmer with access to the Internet, who sells his produce to buyers overseas can be considered an “International Chinese” because he interacts with the rest of the globe. The taxi driver who reads the news every day and takes a keen interest on what happens outside the PRC is also a good candidate for an “International Chinese”. If a formula was to be formulated, it’d look something like this: Chinese by descent + frequent ties to the World = International Chinese. (But then again, this is no strict formula.) And for those who are more “domestic” (as in they’ve never travelled outside the country and have only limited knowledge of the outside World), they’ve an equal opportunity to become an International Chinese by getting to know the outside World more and more. Theoretically, every student that goes through the 9-year minimum education has the knowledge to become an International Chinese. It’s just how deeply they’re involved with the rest of the planet that distinguishes this guy from the guy sitting next to him.

I’m tossing the word 国际华人 into the lexicon while relinquishing any rights. Go ahead, use it. It’s “my bit” for the rest of us.