by Kenneth Tan. Laowai (Chinese: 老外; pinyin: lǎowài) is one of several Chinese words for foreigner. So the common response among apologists for these expressions "You're in their country, so you are, in fact a foreigner." Here on the mainland, you have 老外 laowai and 外国人 waiguoren. An admin also commented on this same page, providing a long list of words which include the word 老, none of which would be offensive and then s/he goes on to then state on this basis that it's crazy to think that 老外 could be offensive. This is the wrong question. He’s drinking. Hotels near Laowai Jie: (0.30 km) Cavalier Village Hotel 1888 (0.71 km) Hilton Shanghai Hongqiao (0.34 km) Mingdu Dake Sina Hotel (1.08 km) Shanghai Marriott Hotel Hongqiao (0.36 km) Hongqiao Xintiandi Apartments; View all hotels near Laowai Jie on Tripadvisor Take offense if you’d like. So it's based on a misconception. In addition to laowai, a foreigner in China can also expect to hear 外国人 (waiguoren) which just means ‘foreigner’ in the most basic, factual sense as we would say it in English. “Tamade shabi laowai” , yeah, offended. Knock your sorry selves out taking offense. "Wow, what are all these people who are from an undetermined non-Asian origin doing in the subway?". You are a foreigner here. Because it is neutral, it might turn to either side - positive or negative. She goes on to concede that such labeling is integral to the Chinese lingual structure. He thinks it’s “ridiculous” to be outraged by being called laowai because “at the end of the day I don’t think anyone means it in an offensive way,” though he admits it does annoy him on rare occasions. then we don't stand a chance. I am particularly perplexed by people who say 外国人 is OK but 老外 is not. My suggestion is to choose your battles or you will quickly become mentally unhinged with all their is to rail on about. "Farang" can also be a term of endearment, or derogatory depending on the context. Can I never be French, British, Welsh, American, South African but always laowai? It also lead me to be far more patient, empathetic and above all good humored, seeing as my father in-law now sounds like South Park’s Cartman whenever he greets me (who knew a one syllable name like “Kyle” could really be that tough to say?). The indigenous people of these countries are definitely not foreigners. My wife’s parents in rural Inner Mongolia, for instance, would often call me laowai when we first met, much to the amusement of my friends back in Canada whenever they asked me to dish on the cultural clashes with my in-laws. Steiner’s friend Jiaming Xing – who interacts with plenty of foreign and Chinese patrons as the owner of the Gewa Qinghai noodle restaurant and the manager of Gongti hip-hop club Room 79 – agrees that there's no reason to take umbrage with the term. I've heard the stories like the guy who's lived in China well over 30 years has a green card stayed in the same neighbourhood knew all the people etc, then when somebody was looking for him one day, his neighbours referred to where the 'laowai… For me, it’s very difficult to hear the term laowai, because I wish Chinese people would treat me as one of their own.”. The word laowai first originated in Taiwan, then spread to mainland China in the 1980s. Laowai, is the term offensive? Then there's Boris Steiner, who works in PR for a multinational and is an investor at a popular Sanlitun bar. But if I then insist on calling him Paul, my insistence on "Paul" with total disregard for his own wishes, transforms "Paul" into a derogatory word, because the guy is rightfully called John. It generally isn’t meant to be offensive, but context is everything.” According to Qi, Western countries are more racially diverse than China, so Westerners don’t see the need to label people as either “one of their own” or “foreigner”. It took some time for me to realize that it wasn’t because my father in-law couldn’t be bothered to remember my name, but that he was instead horrified by the prospect of offending me by mispronouncing it. Occasionally I meet a Chinese person who is able to be persuaded that these "foreigner/洋人/外国人/老外" words are overused, to say the least. It's moreso simply not fun to be constantly referred to as a foreigner. I assume you were responding to my post, as it came a week after mine and there were no posts for a long time. Ive been both called laowai, waiguoren, in both situations, for good or for bad but i dont see it as an offense. Chinese people) who use the term consider laowai a casual and fairly neutral word. If you're a Westerner, you must have a pretty low view of your race. 入乡随俗. READ: Red Dress Charity Run Attracts Online Controversy as Animosity Towards Expats Grows. If you're interested in finding out what the linguistic experts think, come along to our Mandarin Month Mixer this Saturday Sunday, June 25 at Q Bar, 11am-3pm, and ask them yourself. Who cares. Andrew from Hangzhou echoed this sentiment on Facebook: “Calling someone a foreigner is pretty bigoted as it implies you don’t belong here. If the next world superpower uses a name for me that basically means "outsider", then I regard that as significant. "Laowai" is a word which myself and many other non-Chinese people in China find racist and offensive. Apologies if any Black people feel alienated by anything I've said, it wasn't my intention, I'm just speaking for myself as a White person.). Others agreed, saying that the term makes them feel like outsiders while living in China. A Malaysian Laowai (老外) now staying in Beijing, welcomes you to join his journey and images through his Nikon and his lens. A final common term in China will be 美国人 (meiguoren) which is just American, but it will often be said to British, German, and other white laowais much to their chagrin. I spotted a laowai out at my favorite pub. It's quite pathetic when one stops and thinks about it. ‘Stupid laowai’: Chengdu rapper comes out with incredibly racist diss track against foreigners . The word wasn't too reverent or serious originally. Everyone today gets offended by bullshit. (Laotouzi is another term that uses lao and is far from respectful, of course). Really? I personally taught the owner English and now he allows me to drink for free. Personally, if I see a lot of people waiting for a train in China and I felt in some way compelled to comment out loud on the situation ( which I probably would not), I would state that there are a lot of people waiting for the train, I wouldn’t need to state that the vast majority are Chinese, that part is so obvious that is not necessary to include it. A recent blog of ours, The Complete A-Z For Beijing Newcomers (or Visitors), described the term as "Chinese slang for 'foreigner,' often said out loud after having been spotted by a particularly perceptive local." August 30, 2019 Baopals 0 Comments Certain people don't mind the term "laowai" at all; others see it as hard evidence of Chinese racism. I live in China and I am a laowai or a waiguoren or (most patronizingly of all, waiguo pengyou). It is an informal word that appears in both spoken and written Chinese. I retorted, leaving her speechless for a moment. 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