Funny video shows problems of "overseas Asians" in China

A YouTube video produced by Shanghai-based sketch group MAMAHUHU shows the problems and pressures faced by "overseas Asians" in China in a funny way.

The three-minute video is narrated by a Caucasian, who says that "as a white guy, I can be from anywhere. But my overseas Asian brothers on the other hand, aren't as lucky."

The video then shows a series of situations in which overseas Chinese are pressured to live up to a certain set of standards held by locals when in China, reports Shanghaiist.

For example, Westerners are praised and admired when they speak broken Mandarin, but overseas Chinese who speak more fluently than the Westerners are still criticised for speaking poorly.

The video also shows how non-Chinese Asians, like Koreans, are mistaken for Chinese and expected to be able to speak Mandarin.

Overseas Chinese are also questioned on their parents' or grandparents' decision to leave China.

"Your whole identity is often based around your nationality, but try saying that in China," the narrator says.

"You are a bad Chinese person," says one Chinese girl to an overseas Chinese male.

According to Shanghaiist, the video shows that whatever it is, the aggravation faced by overseas Asians can far exceed that of another foreigner's so-called "bad China day".

seanyap@sph.com.sg