Chinese people treat foreigners like literal gods. Here’s why.

Hey guys, since I’ve seen many posts on Chambers about what it’s like to be a foreigner in China, I thought I’d share my story. <br>A quick background: I’m an Asian-American who is fluent in Mandarin. I look identical to a random Chinese person. I’ve spent a good part of my life growing up in China, Western Europe, and the US. Recently I vacationed in China for two weeks, and sometimes, I pretend to be a local by not speaking English and pretending I don’t know any foreign language. I do this because it’s entertaining, and because it gives me a better glimpse of what China is really like beneath all the gloss and glitter.<br><br>Let’s get right into it.<br><br>The first day I arrived in Beijing, I went to a restaurant and was greeted by a waitress. I gave her a slight smile and said hi in a fake American accent. You don’t need to have seen too many American movies to figure out I was an obvious foreigner. <br><br>Her facial expression immediately changed from polite to extremely enthusiastic. The smile on her face widened, and she stood up straight, as if she had sucked in a surge of fresh mountain air that instantly inflated her lungs. It was almost comical, like I had just paid her a huge compliment.<br><br>She took my order, recommended her personal favorites (which were all very good), and kept checking on me throughout the entire meal. Every time she saw me, she would give me the brightest, warmest smile, as if she had just won the lottery. After I finished my meal and was about to leave, she followed me to the door, handed me a paper napkin, and told me to be careful driving. I had no car, but she insisted that I take it, just in case.<br><br>I thought it was a little excessive and unusual at first, but this wasn’t an isolated case. Throughout my entire trip in China, almost every single person treated me like a total boss. They gave me VIP treatment that I didn’t deserve, treated me like I was a king, and made me feel like a total celebrity. <br><br>Here are a few examples:<br><br>When I went to a car wash, the attendant waxed my car on his own initiative without charging me extra. He also gave me a huge bottle of perfume.<br><br>When I went to a street food stand, the vendor gave me a huge smile when I ordered. As I was preparing to leave, he handed me an extra meal, which I didn’t order, and told me it was on him. He wished me a bon voyage, safe travels, etc. I tried to pay him, but he refused. <br><br>When I went to a clothing store, the store assistant approached me, recommended her favorite outfits, helped me try them on, and took me to the changing room. She stayed with me the entire time I was there, and even stayed after closing time to help me. She didn’t leave until I had left the store, at which point she saw me off and bid me farewell. <br><br>When I went to a public park, a few seniors asked me where I came from. After hearing that I was an American from California, they exclaimed oh my god and asked to take selfies with me. We took pictures for nearly an hour, and when I asked them if they needed help with anything, they told me they didn’t need anything because I, a random foreigner, had already given them the most valuable gift of all: my time. <br><br>When I went to a restaurant in a small town, the owner gave me a private VIP table and a complimentary bottle of wine. He told me it was because I was a foreigner, an honored guest who had traveled a long way to be in China. I thanked him, and he told me not to mention it because it was obvious that foreigners are superior to us Chinese and therefore deserve the best treatment. <br><br>When I went to a cafe, the barista gave me an extra large cup of coffee with extra sugar and extra milk. When I asked her why, she told me it’s because foreigners are more physically gifted and more powerful than Chinese. Therefore, she said, we need more calories and more caffeine to feel normal, and she didn’t want me to feel exhausted. <br><br>When I hitchhiked one time, a driver picked me up, took me to a restaurant, and treated me to a meal. We talked for hours, and before I was about to go, he handed me his business card, which had his address printed on it. He told me to give him a call next time I was in the region, and he would show me around. He said he would be honored have a foreigner like me as a friend.<br><br>When I was at a toll booth, the attendant gave me a wide smile, waved at me, and tried to schmooze with me. She asked me if I needed help with directions, and offered to give me a free map. When I said I was fine, she told me to drive safely, and wished me a pleasant journey. <br><br>I could go on and on with countless other examples, but you get the idea. Many Chinese people, especially those in rural areas, treated me like royalty and told me they looked up to me. Some even said they worshiped me. <br><br>At first, I thought it was because Chinese people thought I was rich and powerful, but later I realized it was more than that.<br><br>One time, I went to a small town in China and met a senior who asked me where I was from. I told him the US, and he immediately told me how much he admired America, how much he envied the United States, and how much he wanted China to be like the US. He told me that China would never be as powerful as the US, because the US was a citizen-based democracy while China was still an authoritarian dictatorship. <br><br>Then, he told me that he admired foreigners because they represented everything good that China lacked. We represented a system of freedom, human rights, and justice. We were guests, guests who deserved extra respect because they had traveled far and wide to get to China, a country whose government was shameless and corrupt, and whose people were poor, ignorant, and brainwashed. <br><br>I was taken aback and didn’t know what to say. Part of me wanted to tell him he was wrong, that China was actually a great country, and that the US wasn’t all that better. But part of me knew he was right, and I didn’t want to lie to him.<br><br>Later, I realized that this wasn’t an isolated case. Many Chinese people treated me really, really well because they genuinely believed that foreigners were superior to them, and they wanted to show us respect. <br><br>Of course, there are many other reasons why Chinese people treated me like a literal god. Some were just curious. Some were trying to make friends. Some were hoping to make money. Some were trying to show off. <br><br>But overall, I realized that Chinese people treat foreigners like gods because many Chinese genuinely believe that foreigners are superior to them. <br><br>This is why many Chinese people think that foreign things are better than Chinese things. This is why many Chinese people send their kids to Western countries, send their money to Switzerland, buy luxury brands from Paris, and drink milk powder from the Netherlands.<br><br>In their hearts, many Chinese people believe that anything foreign is better than anything Chinese. We are gods to them, gods who are superior to them in every way.<br><br>&#x200B;