Wanted: Chinese Women

Something I mentioned in an earlier post is the strange contradiction in Western culture whereby Chinese (or Asian) females are stereotyped as alluring and attractive to Western men ('pleasure givers' is one phrase I've heard used) but at the same time, relationships between white men and Chinese/Asian women are often mocked or looked down upon.

Why is this? Could it be anything to do with the types of white males who specifically try to hook up with Chinese women?

I got the chance (accidentally) to investigate this when I went to ThisIsLondon, entered the word 'Chinese' in the search box and came up with the following sponsored link:

Chineselovelinks.com

"Chinese Women Seek Dating and Marriage - Thousands of Chinese single women seek UK men for dating and marriage. Browse photo profiles and register free now."

I swear I'm not looking for a date or marriage at the moment, but as an inquisitive blogger, it was my duty to click on the link and investigate further.

What I found was at times quite funny, but also an interesting glimpse into the world of 'Non-Chinese Men Who Are Specifically Looking for a Chinese Woman'.

Who are these men? Why Chinese in particular? And most importantly of all, is it funny to be able to browse a website like this without having to register or pay a fee? (Answer: Yes)

So, purely in the interests of research (okay, and a little bit for laughs too), here are a few selected highlights from the Men Seeking Chinese Women section. All the ads are real but the comments are my own.

As a disclaimer, I'd just like to say that all the guys on the site are probably perfectly nice people. It's just that the comedy potential couldn't be missed :)

Remember, all the guys below are looking specifically for a Chinese woman.

Troy, 31.

The grubby vest and bathroom mirror photo combo is always a hit. Right, ladies?








John, 49

Seeks either a wife or someone to form a Northern comedy double act with.









Sanam, 37.

The key to a good personal ad is to highlight your most attractive feature - in this case, chest hair.








Michael, 55

A poet once said the eyes are the window to the soul. In that case, my soul must be a bit mad.









Makaveli, 26

Caring and compassionate. As long as you don't annoy me.









Ismail, 46

Ladies, one day this sofa could be yours (to share)









Dante, 21

"Ni ho ma, DUDE!!!!!"









Carlos, 40.

Genuine ad text: "Very unstable."

I'm a big fan of all Chinese culture, especially Jean Claude Van Damme movies.







Ulysse, 58

Seeks a lady with whom to share my love of pies.








Brad/ yang guang, 36

I have chosen a Chinese name which should put you right at ease.









Mark, 46

I may be 46 but I live by my motto, "you're as young as your hairstyle appears to be!"









Simon, 50

I'm dynamic, exciting, spontaneous, sexy and cool. Sorry about the pic, the chair I was sitting on was too small.









Sebastian, 29.

Please don't be put off by the fact that I am a disembodied head.










Jim, 36

I put a lot of effort into having this photo taken so please show some appreciation by replying to me, for goodness sake.

And my favourite dish is sweet and sour pork.








Adam, 52

You're never to old to own a webcam and wear dark glasses indoors, that's what I say.








Michael, 54

Everyone at work calls me The Joker.

Because I have such a great sense of humour, I think!









Sanjeev, 40

Sanjesus!

Genuine ad text: 'Marital status: Married'








Celso, 80

I am fun and outgoing but on no account must you EVER disrespect the Family.

And my favourite dish is sweet and sour pork.







Keith, 69

Don't judge a book by its cover. Please!









Ron, 34

The question here is, are YOU good enough For ME. Got that, Chinese woman?









William, 54

Look into my eyes. Not around the eyes.











Zebulon, 28

Don't be put off by my appearance. Everyone in my town looks like this.

And my favourite dish is sweet and sour pork.






And to show that I'm not just taking the mickey out of white guys....


Eric, 27

People often say I bear an uncanny resemblance to Andy Lau. I've no idea why, though!









Rodel, 29

Genuine ad text: 'Large body.'

Well, that always comes in useful I suppose!





Related: Wanted: Chinese Women Pt. 2

'Chinese In Britain' episodes now online

The first 3 episodes of Anna Chen's radio documentary series (The First Chinese VIPs, The Creation of Chinatown and From Ship to Shore: experiences of Chinese seamen in Britain ) are now available on the BBC Radio 4 website (RealPlayer required).

Korean family in U.S. is being sued for $67 million dollars for losing ONE pair of trousers

A quite bizarre story from the States.

In 2005 a Washington judge named Roy Pearson took a pair of trousers to a dry cleaners run by a Korean family - Jin and Soo Chung and their son.

Somehow the trousers went missing, which apparently cause the judge some distress as he planned to wear them on his first day in court. The cleaners agreed to compensate the judge, eventually offering the huge sum of $12,000 to make up for the loss.

However, for reasons that aren't very clear, the judge refused to accept the offer and has instead pursued legal action claiming damages not just for the loss of his trousers but also for the cost of renting a car to take his cleaning to another company every weekend for the next TEN YEARS and the mental distress he as suffered PER DAY since the trousers went missing.

As a result, his claim for compensation now stands at 67 million - yes, million - dollars.

Oh yes, and the cleaners say they have actually FOUND his missing trousers but he is refusing to accept them.

BELOW: Judge Roy Pearson filmed by ABC News.

The trial is set for June but the case must surely be thrown out? It is little more than malicious abuse of the Chung family.

Full story here.

HK scams targetting Mainlanders may hit tourism industry

There has been a steadily rising problem in Hong Kong of unscrupulous tour operators and shop owners tricking visitors from the Mainland into buying worthless or counterfeit goods while on holiday.

The scam was exposed on Chinese TV channel CCTV recently and now it is feared that tourism to Hong Kong from the Mainland will be affected as a result. Already, drops of 30% in the number of visitors from Mainland China are being predicted in the light of the scandal.

The way the scam works is that a tour operator will take a group of tourists to specially designated shops in Hong Kong, where they will be encouraged to buy as much as possible. Sometimes the operator will have enticed customers by offering a 'no fee' deal. The profit for the operator comes, of course, from taking a cut of the shop's profits.

This kind of arrangement can be perfectly legal but the CCTV report exposed collusion between tour operators and shop owners in selling counterfeit or worthless goods to tourists, hard sell techniques and plenty of bad attitude when tourists failed to purchase goods.

A Shanghai tourist said all group tour members were taken to designated shops and asked to buy goods. "Sometimes our tour guide gave us a long face if we didn't buy anything. As the authenticity of items is difficult to determine, I bought some cheaper things in the shops," she said.

Some industry experts blamed the industry malpractice on the "zero-fee tours" for mainlanders. For such tours, travel agencies and tour guides would not charge tourists fees and would take them to do shopping in designated stores, which would then give them commissions of up to 30% on goods purchased by the tourists.

In October, a "zero-fee" group from the remote northwestern Chinese province of Qinghai were abandoned by their tour guide after they refused to buy goods at certain shops.

Full report here.

After working so hard to shake off its image as 'home of counterfeit goods', why have scams like this emerged 'exclusively' for Mainland tourists?

HK authorities are now introducing new measures to protect tourists' rights and prevent people from being ripped off.

His name is Gok and, ladies, he might change your life.

Stereotypical bbc jobs? What stereotypical bbc jobs?

I mentioned a few bbc/British Chinese celebs in an earlier post and what with Dr. Rob Yeung having his on BBC TV series on careers and confidence, there is a growing pantheon of individuals who are disproving the old bbc stereotypes on our screens these days.

The latest addition is Gok Wan, a bbc fashion guru from Leicester who's TV show (and book) is entitled 'How to Look Good Naked'. He was doing a book signing in London today, an advertisement for which prompted me to post this.

Gok's speciality is taking women who dislike their bodies and building up their confidence using fashion and style tips. At the end of his coaching sessions, his subjects pose nude to demonstrate their new found confidence.

UPDATE: Gok Wan's TV show begins on Channel 4 on May 1st, 8pm

Read about Gok and hear an interview with him here.

After some Googling, here's a post about Gok from a blogger friend of his.

And finally, Gok's book is out now.

Spot the difference: Maths test in China vs. England

This article from the BBC website made me chuckle.




The first question is aimed at pre-entry university applicants in China.

The second question is aimed at 1st year students already at university in England.

Now, I'm not a maths whizz by any means (perhaps because I went through the English school system rather than China's?) but the difference between the two tests is surprising. So much so that it has raised concerns that English standards are not high enough.

If you can solve the Chinese test question, a £500 prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry is on offer (and perhaps a place at a Chinese university, I presume?).

bbcs on the BBC: 'Chinese in Britain' (Radio 4, Mon April 30th, 3:45pm)

A new radio series charting the early history of the British Chinese community begins on Radio 4 on April 30th. Presented by Anna Chen, the series will cover a variety of topics, some familiar, some less so, as you can tell from the programme titles:

1. The First Chinese VIPs
2. The Creation of Chinatown: the myth and the reality
3. From Ship to Shore: experiences of Chinese seamen in Britain
4. Steam and Starch: life in a Chinese laundry
5. Educated in Britain : the history of Chinese students
6. Feet unbound: pioneering Chinese women in Britain
7. Mixed Blessings: growing up half Chinese
8. Artistic Pursuits: stepping out on Britain ’s cultural landscape
9. Screen Beginnings: the first British Chinese screen actors
10. Peking Duck… and Chips: early Chinese restaurants

The shows are on at 3:45 in the afternoon which means a lot of people won't be able to listen, but they should ber available on the BBC website after they've been broadcast. I'll update with links as I find them.

Cho Seung-Hui an untreated autistic?

The UK's Daily Mirror reports that Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-Hui was diagnosed as autistic at an early age but his parent did not have "the time or money" to get him specialist help.

Yang-Sun [sister of Cho's grandfather] revealed the eight-year-old was diagnosed as autistic soon after his family emigrated to the US.

She said: "He was very quiet and only followed his mother and father around and when others called his name he just answered yes or no but never showed any feelings or motions.

"We started to worry that he was autistic - that was the big concern of his mother. He was even a loner as a child.

"Soon after they got to America his mother was so worried about his inability to talk she took him to hospital and he was diagnosed as autistic."

It wouldn't surprise me if, in a Chinese or Asian family, a mental problem was brushed under the carpet or not given much attention as these things are often not taken seriously. Meanwhile, the Cho family have made a moving statement about the Virginia shootings and how they are trying to cope in its aftermath.

The family of Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho told The Associated Press on Friday that they feel "hopeless, helpless and lost," and "never could have envisioned that he was capable of so much violence." "He has made the world weep. We are living a nightmare," said a statement issued by Cho's sister, Sun-Kyung Cho, on the family's behalf.

"Our family is so very sorry for my brother's unspeakable actions. It is a terrible tragedy for all of us," said Sun-Kyung Cho, a 2004 Princeton University graduate who works as a contractor for a State Department office that oversees American aid for Iraq.

"We pray for their families and loved ones who are experiencing so much excruciating grief. And we pray for those who were injured and for those whose lives are changed forever because of what they witnessed and experienced," she said. "Each of these people had so much love, talent and gifts to offer, and their lives were cut short by a horrible and senseless act."