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I saw a Xin Jiang kid picking a pocket couple days ago on the way home from work and instinctively shouted at him. Then I found out I was followed by two other Xinjiang adults for about 3 blocks. The most scary part is that once they found out that I noticed them, they got even closer and started to kind of threaten me with a language I dont understand. I was freaked out so I went to the police at the next intersection. They left as soon as they saw me talking to the police. I still couldnt go home cuz I was afraid that they would follow me home. So I basically stayed with that police for about an hour till my friend came to pick me up by her car.
Quote:I saw a Xin Jiang kid picking a pocket couple days ago on the way home from work and instinctively shouted at him.Agreed, be careful about the Uygur and Tibetan men in Chengdu, I swear to God it is not racist! Most thieves with the descent of Han and other minorities are usually not very violent in Chengdu, I can not say they are safe but at least relatively not very violent, compared with the Uygur. Even the most Uygur pedlars I’ve saw on streets were very rude and they even force you to buy their poisonous rice cake (it is said that the cake has mercury within). So how can you imagine what a Uygur thief would do to you?
So if you want safety, you must try to keep away from these Uygur as you can, it is not racist, trust me. And you know the Law here is flawed, the Police would not give a shit most of time, maybe they treat foreigners better, but it is better to be smart yourself.
Quote:You and your girlfriend are right, you are taking a risk by intervening in a crime. Chinese people can stand by and do nothing as petty thieves operate with impunity, but my instinct (and the instinct of most foreigners, it seems) is to intervene because it is the right thing to do. Chinese have a lot redeemable qualities but some bad ones as well like littering and not helping strangers in need.It is also the instinct of most Chinese people, but the truth hurts.
Quote:Agreed, be careful about the Uygur and Tibetan men in ChengduPeople have been telling me this for years, but I’ve never had a problem with Tibetans or Uygurs, either in Chengdu or in Tibet or Xinjiang. They’re always friendly to foreigners in my experience, especially Tibetans. When I was in Lhasa the Chinese people that I went with told me not to walk alone on the street at night! There were no problems though.
With regard to Uygurs and Tibetans I think the foreign experience is different than the Han Chinese experience. They are both definitely looked down upon by Han Chinese society but foreigners don’t look down on them and maybe that affords us some kind of kinship. Tibetans, Uygurs, and caucasians are all kind of like foreigners in China. We have our own language, culture and ethnic background which is separate from Han Chinese.
Tibetans/Uygurs dislike Han for different reasons, not really because they’re “looked down upon”, but more so, in my opinion, because of the history between PRC and their respective “countries” – ie. being forced into joining the PRC through political manipulation and force…I think they view Han much like Han view Japanese in many cases.. ie. “The invasion and subjugation of Tibet and its people and the subsequent flight of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to India in 1959 is well documented. The International Commission of Jurists charged the Chinese Government with genocide of Tibetans.”
They both are generally really nice to foreigners..also because they see the foreign media and foreigners in general as being more supportive of their plights than on the CN gov’t side of things, which is most cases is true. Like you, I’ve never had any problems with any minorities, especially these 2.. but if they’re thieves or criminals, I don’t think they’d care so much about where you’re from and be more concerned with you fucking up their business 😀
Quote:They’re always friendly to foreigners in my experience, especially Tibetans. When I was in Lhasa the Chinese people that I went with told me not to walk alone on the street at night! There were no problems though.I feel hard to agree they are always friendly to all foreigners, they are “friendly” to white-skin “foreigners”. I am sure they worship western government, and they are generally very very very nice to westerners. But the westerners in their mind are Caucasian, for all non-uygur Chinese people and the foreigners that get Asian faces, I would say NEVER NEVER NEVER walk alone on the street of Urumchi at middle night.
@ouk RE: “for the foreigners that get Asian faces”
I think this is true for any stereotype, not just in Uyghur or Tibetan eyes..when you’re assessing someone at first glance.
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