America’s Deep-Rooted Hatred of the Chinese: the Effects of Sinophobia

“You’ve got the virus. We have to kill you.”
These were actual words spoken to Jay Koo, a Chinese-American citizen, on March 24th, 2020 outside the New York Presbyterian Hospital. Jay had just dropped off his brother at the emergency room, and on his way home, two men started following him, calling him racial slurs and threatening him. Jay only managed to escape by faking a cough and threatening to give them the virus in return.
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of innocent civilians were verbally assaulted, women were pushed into subway tracks, defenseless children were publicly beaten to near death, and people in critical condition were left to die. Studies report that over only five months in 2020, anti-Asian crime rates had risen by 339%.
Although anti-Asian violent crimes have decreased since then, racism and sinophobia continue to persist in other forms. They reoccur in non-Asians’ “jokes” about Asians being nerds and having no personality, in internet memes that mock the intonation of Chinese words and music, and in slander and false criticisms against authentic Chinese food. Many pass off these forms of sinophobia as light-hearted fun. However, these “jokes” enforce untrue and harmful stereotypes that further damage the Chinese image within America. As a Chinese-American, I’ve experienced and witnessed this shift in attitude over the past few years: two years ago, Americans would demonstrate their sinophobic attitudes by covering their mouths when Asian citizens walked past, while today, it is more common for people to smile to our faces with a judgmental glint in their eye, then laugh at our culture behind our back. Discrimination against Chinese has not diminished by any means; it has simply become more silent, and even more pervasive.
When examining a topic as deeply rooted within American society as sinophobia, it’s important to trace the problem to its origins. Due to white Americans’ complaints about Chinese people “stealing their jobs” in 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was established, prohibiting those of Chinese descent from entering the country. This was the first major and explicit showcasing of sinophobia within the United States in which innocent people were discriminated against solely for their Chinese heritage. Since then, Chinese-American relationships have remained tense. From the founding of Taiwan to the Korean War to modern-day militaristic and economic tensions, America and China have a geopolitical track record of opposition.
The political situation has begun to affect not only the relationships between Chinese and American citizens but also Chinese-Americans within the States. American media often portrays China in a negative light, emphasizing its communist government and its “strange” culture (especially its food); thus increasing sinophobic attitudes among American citizens. This reflects the idea of the Yellow Peril; an idea introduced in the late nineteenth century that East and Southeast Asian people are an existential danger to the Western world. Many Chinese immigrants come to America to escape a restrictive government and seek opportunities in the “land of the free.” Instead, many are met with prejudice and irrational paranoia.
One such victim was the police officer Baimadajie Angwang, a fully naturalized U.S. citizen. In September 2020, Angwang was accused of secretly working for the Chinese government and was arrested. For months, he lived under horrible conditions in prison. There were constant Covid lockdowns where he was confined to his cell for weeks at a time, shortages of staff and food, and nights without heat. By the time he was finally deemed as not a threat, he had lost his position as a police officer forever. In May 2016, Chinese-American physics professor Xi Xiaoxing met a similar fate when he was suddenly arrested for allegedly sharing secret technology from an American company with his colleagues based in China, and was accused of being a Chinese spy. However, it was soon proven that Xiaoxing and his colleagues had been discussing a different technology that had been public for years. These cases showcase how far sinophobic paranoia and stereotypes can go.
These are only two stories out of thousands. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Chinese-Americans and even non-Chinese Asians became the subject of extreme discrimination and violence. “It was scary reading stories of other Asians facing hate, or of the president at the time explicitly stating that Asians were the reason for the pandemic,” a Chinese-American student at Greeley, who wishes to remain anonymous to avoid targeting, said. “My parents were also worried during those times at what this meant for the future. They were worried that this would become a stain upon the Asian-American identity that none of us would be able to escape from.” This fear was shared among the entire Asian-American community and quickly came true. A new sinophobic insult had been invented—being dehumanized to a “virus.” Chinese people were denied access to certain places because “they aren’t accepting Chinese people at the moment for safety reasons” (a clear violation of The Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 which states that businesses cannot discriminate based on a customer’s national origin, sex, or race). Others narrowly escaped death while crossing a street with pedestrians yelling “run them over!” to a nearby bus.
“I was sort of scared that assaults similar to what was broadcasted on the news would happen to me or my family,” another anonymous Chinese-American student says. “But it wasn’t something shocking to me because I had been brought up to believe that most people held some sort of resentment/prejudice against me because of my race.” The fact that Asian Americans are being taught this by their parents and the people around them as they grow up in America, the supposed land of the free and just, shows the true nature of American society. Now, all of their worries have come to fruition and have taken on a shape far darker than many may have imagined.
Luckily, sinophobia at Greeley seems to be far less severe than in the rest of America. Many students don’t feel that their identity as an Asian-American affects the way they are treated. “I have not really felt like race was a factor for how included I feel in school,” a Chinese-American student says.
However, there is always room for improvement. There have been certain recurring Asian-American stereotypes in media at school such as in the stories, videos, or articles we view in class that aren’t always true and may create misconceptions, as another student says. “I feel like a lot of school material portrays Asian Americans in the same way: teenagers with identity crises struggling between two cultures. Because of this, I feel like this is ironically stereotyping the type of struggles that Asian Americans are supposed to have. By emphasizing struggles with culture, I think it makes it so that being Chinese-American becomes a major part of my identity, when there is so much more to me than just my ethnicity.” This stereotype is present in widely known books such as Almost American Girl by Robin Ha or Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. Although many Asian-American students do experience internal conflict about their identities, there are also many who don’t; it’s important that we don’t assume such stereotypes based on the content we consume.
Other students feel that the best way to combat sinophobia is to learn more about Chinese culture. “I think compared to other cultures, Chinese culture can be paid more attention,” Remey Song, president of the Chinese Club at Greeley, stated. “For example, without the hosting of the Chinese New Year party by the Chinese Club and Chinese Class, the school and community don’t celebrate this festival a lot. There’s no holiday for those festivals and these festivals are not mentioned in the daily announcement during important Chinese or Asian festivals as well compared to festivals of other cultures.”
Chinese-American students also have concerns with the way Chinese history is taught in Greeley. Horrific Chinese history in America is often brushed past in class and paid little or no attention to. “In my experience from Global 10,” Remey continues, “Chinese histories like Unit 731 or the Massacre of Nanjing are only included in one lesson as an optional assignment.” In addition, China has more than 5,000 years of history and has made significant contributions to humanity. Take the invention of the first seismograph which saved hundreds of lives, or perhaps the invention of paper, gunpowder, bronze, porcelain, and more. Students feel that the Greeley curriculum has brushed past these far too quickly considering the level of impact such achievements have made. “I think the cause of sinophobia is the lack of understanding or even misunderstanding of Chinese culture,” Remey adds. “And this can be solved with more lessons about Chinese histories in social studies and ELA courses, including some introduction to Chinese histories or festivals from the school—not only the Chinese Club or Chinese class.”
Outside of Greeley, sinophobia exists across the country in extreme forms and millions of people are affected every day. However, we as the Greeley community can stand up for those who are being discriminated against. Starting with small actions like attending the Chinese holiday events hosted by the Chinese Club and AAPIA (Asian-American/Pacific Islander Association) we can spread awareness of this issue and learn to appreciate Chinese culture. Step by step, American students can work towards changing the flawed American perspective of China and eradicating sinophobia from our country once and for all.