Racism against East and South East Asian people in UK

Racism towards the East and South East Asian people in the UK

My Experience and Thoughts 

By 

Shufei Chen

With recent events occurring around the German Radio DJ being racist towards BTS & the number of hate crimes increasing towards the Asian community, we at BTS Radio UK have been raising awareness around racism within the UK - where to go for advice if you are a victim and using social platforms to help contribute to this.

We thought it useful if people could also talk about their own experiences around racism through our blog. As part of the BTS Radio UK team, I thought I could also share my experiences and thoughts around racism towards the East and South East Asian people in the UK.

Being a child to parents who immigrated from China, I have had my fair share of racist experiences. Despite being born in the UK and having lived here for the 19 years I have been alive, even today, I still face racial discrimination. I think a major part of this stems from the way I look as opposed to how I speak. There are major stereotypes in the UK, the biggest stereotype, to me, would be: “If you have “yellow” or brown skin, then you must be Asian and not from the UK”, and even though the UK is supposed to be one of the most diverse countries, this statement makes me feel as though I don’t necessarily belong in the UK cohort. 

Speaking more on this, I suppose one of the biggest (and dare I say life-changing) events that happened to me, was because of my skin colour. This event has happened multiple times in my life, from the age of around 10 to around 16, and I think where I lived played a major part in it. I lived in Manchester, Levenshulme – it doesn’t really matter if you don’t know where that is, it isn’t important, but the area I lived in, despite being filled with people from all around the world, was also filled with some of the most racist people I have met in my life. Living there wasn’t pleasant, I had been called all sorts of slurs, mostly ‘Chink’ – someone who comes from Chinese descent or is Chinese. All though it is true that I’m from a Chinese decent, what gives people the right to call me that in the first place? 

I have been approached by people who are not even from the UK and called that. I've been subjected to people making weird sounds at me that were supposed to sound ‘Chinese’, all this occurred on a daily basis. I used to hear these words on my way home from high school, from other high-schoolers. As days, months and years passed, I felt isolated from the rest of the UK; from people at school, and walking around in public made me feel uncomfortable. I felt harassed and alien. No matter how many times people say racist to things to you, you can never and will never get used to it. I haven't. Eventually I moved to another part of Manchester, and now I’m living a better life. I feel safer going out and happier. 

When news of Covid-19 first came about, it got worse for me. I think that people had the perception that because the first cases were found in China, all Chinese people had it. People would look at me like I had germs and I experienced people telling me to go back to China. My friends had been physically assaulted by people because they were from China and so they had to be “diseased”. For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel safe going out alone. There was a constant fear that I would be targeted and I seemed even more alien. I didn’t go out at night and barely left the house. I lived in a constant state of anxiety and I feared for my friends, my family, and myself. It took a good few months before it died down and even longer for me to feel safe, but the case was different when the UK discovered a new variant. People didn’t say “people from the UK are dangerous” but rather they said that “the variant isn’t the fault of the UK”. It would have been great if the same thing could be said about the spread of Covid-19 – “the fact that a natural illness was first discovered in China the fault of China or the Chinese”.

But that’s not the only racist thing I’ve heard. I have heard a lot of people say to me: “All Asian people look the same” and though when I hear it I may laugh it off or even joke and agree, I don’t really think that it’s a reasonable thing to say. I understand that you may think it’s a joke, but it is racial discrimination.

People look at us, see that we have “yellow” skin or small and “weirdly-shaped” eyes and assume that we are Asian. They categorise “Asian” people as though we are all from one country; as though we are all born from the same people; that’s not true, and saying this is hurtful. Saying that we look ‘similar’ would be better than saying that we all look the same. People from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines etc. have similar looks, we don’t look the same. We are individuals from different places and backgrounds, different families, different cultures & beliefs. I think that’s something that I have experienced a lot, even now in university. People see me and my friends and will make a passing comment: “Oh, you all look the same”. I reply with “how?”. What’s followed varies: “You’re all Chinese”; “You have the same eyes”; “You have the same face”, and many more. That digs deeper than anything.

It’s clear that I don’t fit in, but at the same time, I’m not the only one experiencing this. There are other people going through the same as me, but it doesn’t make it any better. I think the comments that "all Asian people look the same" has probably become so common that people don’t realise it’s racist, and very hurtful. 

There are many more experiences I could talk about but I don't think that it’s about telling everyone about every single thing I’ve come across. I have spoken about what I think are more common within the UK. In my opinion, a lot of racism isn’t necessarily intentional. It’s people being so used to a thought or a stereotype that they say it without much thought. That’s not okay. I would never condone it. I think that the UK look at East and South East Asian people as though we are not humans. Just because we don’t have the same coloured skin, or speak the same language. Just because we are from another country. We have most likely been racist or said things that imply racial discrimination without knowing it.

Racism isn’t something that will cease to exist, it has been around for so long that it’s like a permanent part of everyone’s lives. That being said, racism is something that we can decrease. It is something that we can control to an extent. We should all help to make a difference. Even a small difference, can help change lives; it can help make us all feel safer, feel less lonely, and feel happier. So I think that we should all take the step and help make a difference, especially with things like racism and racial discrimination.

A difference today will help make a better tomorrow. 

If you want to contribute and share your experience about racism towards the East and South East Asian people in the UK, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us on our social media @BTSRadioUK

If you would like to get involved in helping make that difference, or have been affected by racism and would like to help others in need, you can visit the following organisations for more information:

ESA Scotland : https://www.esascotland.org

Asian Leadership Collective : https://asianleadership.co.uk

I hope that my story has helped those who have experienced racism. I also hope you know that you are not alone and together we will work to make a difference.