The large influx of PRC Chinese into Singapore has created increasing friction between local Singaporeans and the PRC Chinese.
Please note that in this post, I may not be referring to your China wife/GF/good friend/colleague, so there's no need to get indignant and try to defend them.
Just like when people talk about the traits of ugly Singaporeans rushing for a seat on the MRT or whatever, I don't go screaming.. "Screw you! not every Singaporean is like that!!"
If you are PRC (or a lover/admirer of one), and you don't behave this way, then this is not addressed to you and you don't need to feel threatened. But...I'm sure you cannot honestly deny that you do quite often see these annoying traits displayed by the PRC here in Singapore..?
- Don't spit on the ground in my country. The floors here aren't made of dirt. Concrete won't absorb your spit. Plus it's unhygienic and unsightly!
- If you are going to work in the service industry answering my calls, driving a taxi or taking my food order, learn to bloody speak simple English! Sorry, but you are not in China. When in Rome... you know the drill.
- Shower EVERY morning before you get on that train with me. You do sweat and ooze impurities through your pores as you sleep at night. We all do. Plus, PRC guys, bed hair is not attractive.
- If you're a woman, shave your armpits or wear sleeved tops. exposing scraggly spider legs everytime you lift your arm can put people off their meals.
- Squat on the toilet seats if you must. Whatever you do in there is your business, I'm not going to tell you how to use the loo. But have the decency to clean up after yourself! Leave no shoe print on the seat or pool of piss on floor. Flush and then double flush if you have to.
- STOP cycling like the freaking Grand Prix. Try doing that shit on the main road instead of bullying the pedestrians. If you cycle on the pavement, don't go full speed and twang on your shitty bell expecting us to jump onto the grass verge in 2 seconds. It is dangerous. Plus, one day you will get someone who has had enough of this bullshit and (hopefully) swing a bag in your face as you ride past.
- Don't be so smug about China's achievements. You do have your shortcomings. Yes, kudos to your country on all those Olympic medals... and maybe some of you do better than local students when you're doing a short engineering stint at NUS. But at what cost?
Lastly, please don't pass yourself off as Singaporean when you act like a village monkey doing all the things mentioned above. You're giving us a bad rep!
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Aiya, many Singaporean Chinese also don't bathe in the morning lah. ;)
ReplyDeleteamen to EVERYTHING you just said!!
ReplyDeleteim on a holiday trip in australia and overheard a PRC telling someone he's a singaporean. Apparently they give out PRs within 6 months if you are from China.. =.=
used to be so proud to call myself a singaporean... now im just ashamed!
I wonder will anyone really swing a bag at them?.It is really irrating when they are speeding through the pedestrain road
ReplyDeleteHolly, great article. i find these PRC chinese utterly distasteful in everything about them, i shudder to think that they consider themselves "singaporean" and are hiding amongst the crowd here.
ReplyDeleteeven in australia, these PRC's are giving asians a bad name and the black sheep of asians are all mostly PRC chinese.
i dont understand how they can be so oblivious to their surroundings and live in their own bubble and disregard how other people stare or disapprove of their actions
Hey Holly,
ReplyDeleteI'm currently in Beijing for personal reasons and work. Sometimes, I just want to punch someone because of some of the locals annoying habits/characteristics etc.
You hit the nail on the head, when you said they tend to speak very loudly in public places. In China, not only do they do that, but strangers (especially older ones) then to be very blunt and direct to the point of being rude, even if you don't know them.
Example 1: I was walking my small dog just before. I was standing 1 meter in front of the door of the bakery, waiting for a friend who is inside. I didnt seem to block any traffic because there was no one entering in or exiting the entrance. Suddenly this lady from behind me, rudely said in chinese, "Are you entering or not? You are standing in front of the door with your dog and your dog can be dangerous and blocking my way..." i an extremely rude tone.
A simple, "excuse me, can i please pass" or "could you and your dog stand aside please?" would have suffice.
I have so many other examples but i shall refrain from saying too much.
Smell: Ah, another huge topic. Imagine being on a packed train where almost nobody wheres deodorant or perfume or seem to shower everyday. Now, that really stinks. Once this local guy told me the reason why westerners invented perfume is to cover up their smell. I wanted to tell him that, "Chinese ppl probably need it more" but I decided to control my tongue. Needless to say perfumes here are not very popular. Deodorants here are not very common and most ppl don't use them.
Shaving armpits: I find that the educated women usually shaved their armpits. If you are around the cbd area, youll notice that most women have shaved armpits. The ones that don't are older women or the middle/lower class women. The same goes for spitting on the ground. The younger, more educated generation is less likely to do so. But I cannot say the same for the rest.
Shouting: With regards to shouting, for some reason, Chinese ppl tend to think shouting gets their message across. For example, my Chinese isn't that great. Sometimes, I cannot understand what they are saying and they know that Chinese is not my first language. Instead of trying to make me understand it, they will shout louder and louder, hoping that I will. Dude, no matter how loud you shout, I still wont understand.
That's my 2 cents worth on my thoughts of Chinese ppl (Please note, those are only the negative points. They do have positive traits too =) )
Joanne
True to a T. Good Job Holly. You Singaporeans hv my sympathy. I used to live in S'pore for 6 years and hv since left. I left then the influx of PRCs started trinkling in. These days when I go back to Sin for my annual visit, I'm simply amazed by the quantities of PRCs.
ReplyDeleteFind the cycling bit an eye-opener. How inconsiderate. Guess they are showing their prowess after cycling their entire life time.
Oh, and one more annoying thing to add, when PRC men travel in planes, they took off their shoes and it stank big time! Imagine trapped in the confine space of the cabin. Faint! And the sound effects from collecting phlegm in their throat before spitting. Utterly gross!
oh you totally got the point about cycling at full speed.
ReplyDeletei was walking at a narrow path in ubi area while on my way out from CDC [driving centre] and i did not know there was a PRC on bicycle behind me. he cycled full force and didnt manage to press the bell in time. the path was too narrow so his bike's handles scraped my arm, leaving a very very big bruise frm the knock and a long red scratch.
thats not all. HE DID NOT EVEN TURN BACK TO APOLOGIZE OR ANYTHING. he just continued his way. wow... i was totally stunned.
omg holly, so glad you blogged abt this!
ReplyDeletei'm becoming very intolerant of the PRCs and everyone around me seems to be feeling that way as well!
it's gross how so many of them have a bush under their armpits and yet wear sleeveless tops. also, i get so nauseous standing near them or taking the trains as the smell they emit is beyond horrendous.
i don't understand why singapore is allowing so many PRCs to come here esp since they can't even converse in basic english and yet, they work in service industries where they have to communicate with tourists and locals as well and they can't even converse!
it's ridiculous how maids have to pass an english test before they can get employed here in singapore. these domestic helpers only need to converse with the family that they are employed to and yet they have to pass an english test?? why then do the china buggers not have to pass an english test when they are coming to singapore to work in an industry where english is required?
it's simply ridiculous. the government has become too biased. they wanted a cosmopolitan country and now singapore is unrecognisable.
so many ppl are packing their bags and moving away from singapore. i'm fine with PRCs coming to singapore if they can actually add to singapore and not take away from it like the china fools.
i wish the gov would open their eyes soon as they have lost and are still losing a lot of respect.
Singaporeans themselves have earned a bad reputation overseas for being rude and impatient, complaining loudly in public, not knowing how to say "please" or "thank you" and driving inconsiderately. The PRCs as a society may not be as evolved as we'd like them to be but Singaporeans aren't too far ahead ourselves. Maybe instead of pointing out their shortcomings we can have a look at ourselves and lead by example.
ReplyDeleteFor me, what i dont like about PRC are those PRC men who keep staring at ladies, i was once intentionally knocked on the shoulder by a PRC man,he smiled and looked at me from top to toe after that. And i wasnt even wearing sleeveless or shorts that are obscenely short! What are they thinking about?! Cant they be more civilised?! And this is not the first time this kinda stuffs happened.
ReplyDeleteNot forgetting their bad service. There was once when i was at Suntec foodcourt ordering noodles, the PRC lady asked if i want a bowl of soup with the noodles as i had ordered dry noodles, i asked what's the soup and the reply was, "Soup is soup la! What soup!! U want i give u, dont want then dont want la! What soup!"
My husband even commented that nowadays the PRC and FT are working at the stalls or even owned the stall while Singaporeans are the ones clearing the dishes and mopping the floor.
Hi Holly, I agree with you on two things on your post; the cycling and the passing off as Singaporean bit. I remember when my mum and I were carrying chunky plastic bags full of groceries, and leisurely walking on the side-walk when the Chinese cyclists from a nearby factory rang their bells insistently to get us off the FOOT path. This happened numerous times. I've been living in Perth for a while now, and I agree with PRC Chinese telling people they're Singaporeans. I met a few of them at uni, and I knew straight away they aren't Singaporeans. I don't have any problems with them saying they are, but when they constantly speak Mandarin in public ie in class, in Australia and speak English with a thick Chinese accent, they are going to give Australians the wrong impression of Singaporeans.
ReplyDeleteagree with *the part about* PRC Chinese telling people they're Singaporean.
ReplyDeleteYou took the words out of my mouth Holly. How true!
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine ever told off a PRC lady for making her toddler son pee in a dustbin when the loo is not far away. How disgusting is that!
The stories about them can never end as long as they are here and before their influx to our country, we never had to encounter such frequent habits.
I miss those times.
~Alynna
lol Singaporeans Chinese are lucky to migrate to Singapore earlier afterall they are descendent of PRC
ReplyDeleteYup know the thing about some singaporeans that sometimes I find it amusing? That is their 'infallible' assumption that they can differentiate who is Singaporean n who is from China. for example, my friend who is a pure blooded Chinese Singaporean or true blue Singaporean gets it frequently that he 'must be from china'. I mean please be rational sometimes...if u urself look so Chinese...why do u blow up when also say u look like from china XD but it is ok for u to insist that somebody else has from China features? :-P
ReplyDelete