(this question was asked in person but I get asked it enough that I decided to address it here as well)

Dear Ethan

Why do foreigners come to China and treat Chinese badly? Are they not able to make it back home so they have to leave to find money and girls?

Wondering About Foreigners

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Dear WAF

I have had this question or questions like it asked of me since I first came to China and I’ve always wondered why people ask this. Two parts, firstly, not all foreigners in China behave badly, yes quite a few do because they are here on holiday and just want to party, if China does not want these people here China should make some rules and enforce them to get rid of them. However it’s not all foreigners who do this. Myself and the foreigners I hang out with all agree the foreigners who just come and act like fools should leave and they annoy the rest of the foreigners just as much as they annoy you. So it’s important to remember the vast majority of foreigners in China are good people, we’re just not as loud as the rest so you don’t see and hear us very often.

Secondly, and this is the part that always confuses me, why do so many Chinese think the only reason to come to China is money or girls? China is a country rich in history, culture and interesting places to see, there are many reasons to come here for all kinds of people. When Chinese claim foreigners must only come for money or girls you are insulting your own country a great deal.

Myself for example, I came here to see the world and see a new culture. I have stayed here because I have an interesting life, lots of good friends and it’s a great place to use as a base for traveling around Asia.

For many people money isn’t the important thing in their life, what’s important to many is enjoying life and for people, such as myself, enjoying life includes traveling and seeing all the different styles of life there are. Yes, if I stayed in Canada I could make more money and have a car and house, but my life would be much less interesting and I wouldn’t have nearly so many great experiences interacting with people from all over the world.

There are plenty of reasons, besides money and girls, for foreigners to come and see China and there are plenty of great and kind foreigners here, if you see bad foreigners being loud and making fools of themselves in the street, try your best to ignore them and remember, you only see the loud, rude people. Most foreigners live their lives here simply and quietly and you never see them.