“Go back and fill out the card in Chinese!”

I was going through immigration at the Beijing airport heading back to Hong Kong this afternoon. After waited in the line for about 10 minutes and it was my turn to show all the travel documents to the custom officer, a young Chinese woman in a light blue uniform.

She looked my Chinese passport and the Departure Card I filled out for leaving the country. Then she looked me and said in a very stiff, commanding voice “go back and fill out the card in Chinese!”

The Departure Card I filled out was in English, which I’d done automatically. I wasn’t even aware that it might be an issue. As someone who lived in the US for almost a decade working back and forth in between China and the US so many times, filling out the Departure Cards or Entrance Cards in English is something I do naturally. They process them in either language and I never considered it would be an issue.

Honestly, I was very angry and asked in Chinese– Does it have to be in both Chinese and English? “You are Chinese and you have to fill it out in Chinese!” She didn’t even look at me.

Do I need her to remind me of my Chinese identity? NO. I’ve always intended to keep my Chinese passport and not apply for the US citizenship for a very simple reason – I don’t want to lose my Chinese nationality. This, although I was eligible to get a US passport many years ago. I travel to China with my US green card.

This young Chinese woman may have felt I was doing this on purpose. She may have found me arrogant, or ignorant. Perhaps she thought I pretending for effect. Maybe she was simply jealous of my relative freedom to come to and leave from China as I pleased. Whatever the reasons behind her attitude, commanding me to “go back and fill it out in Chinese” as if I were less than human, was her own issue to deal with. I just wished she could ask me differently, even it is REALLY NECCESARY to fill out the card in both Chinese and English ( we all know it doesn’t matter whether it’s filled out in Chinese or English). She could say –

- “I believe you write Chinese beautifully, could you please fill it out in Chinese?”

- “it would be great if you could also fill it out in Chinese. Thank you.”

I would have even accepted: - "Ms. the regulations state Chinese citizens must fill the card out in Chinese. Please prepare the card in Chinese as well."

My feelings to her would be totally different, if she had said above words. Maybe I am just dreaming. Bureaucrats in any country are rarely known for going out of their way to be polite.

I realized today that I needed to manage my “Multiple Identity Disorder” issue. I use the term of ‘Multiple Identity Disorder” because like many Chinese who lived and worked in the US for many years, I am in between the two cultures. As my husband said, to be truly bi-cultural is always painful. I just simply can’t behave like a 100% local Chinese in China, any more than I could ever really completely adopt American culture!

Filling out the Departure Card in Chinese is a natural extension of my American day-to-day life and, it never occurred to me whether I should fill it out in Chinese or English. As matter of fact, I do sometimes fill out the cards in Chinese.

From an etiquette point of view, this young Chinese immigration officer certainly has a lot of things she needs to work on in her own maturation process. From the big-picture perspective I find it sad to be reminded how low the level of courtesy is by Chinese officials towards Chinese people at my nation’s capital airport, and by extension, throughout the country. This woman is just one manifestation of our slow evolution towards greater civility among Chinese people.

I may see her and going through her checking counter again in my next trip to Beijing around end of May. Maybe I can get her to smile this time . . .

Comments

[Bing Wei]

Thanks for sharing your experience, Vida. I agree with Helen's nationalism analysis and can identify with your frustration. There was, I believe, a level of jealous from the immigration officer for free travellers from her home country as well as the “ugly Chinese” nature of categorizing people. I do also think all these officers in at the immigration needs some etiquette training as they are the face of the country.

A very English way of dealing with the situation would be to behave OVERTLY polite and courteous to make the officer realise how ridiculous she is: you could say: “I do beg your pardon and I’m terrible sorry for not having written in Chinese. Thanks ever so much for your kind patience of pointing this out and hope you can read my poor hand writing.” Try this next time to see if she blushes and becomes aware of her own manner.

[Vida]

Thanks Helen & Liwei for your comments.

Yes Helen, I am with you on the nationalism analysis here. A recurring problem is that people define nationalism on the basis of their local experience, which is really dangerous in today’s world. Where could be diverse than an international airport in Beijing today? All different kinds of people from different parts of the world flying in and out of the airport. You just never know who stands next to you.

This is something the immigration officers at the airport need to work on, if they really care about China – building a first and last good impression to the international travelers by understanding and respecting the diversity of cultural elements flowing through the airport. This is particularly critical for the 2008 Olympic Game.

Liwei: I did show them my Hong Kong ID card but it didn’t work. What worked was my US green card.

[Helen Wang]

Vida, I see this an issue beyong communication etiquette. The underline issue may very well be nationalism. "A Chinese should write in Chinese" is the rational behind her behavior. If you write in English, they consider you "崇洋媚外”。The national ego get hurt. Like racism, nationalism is another factor for conflict and disunity among people, especially in today's global environment. I believe one should not be proud of loving his/her own country, one should be proud of loving whole humankind.

[Liwen]

Vida

As far as I remember, there is a line of small words in the card saying that Chinese should fill the form in Chinese. I am a "good" Chinese citizen, so every time, I follow the rules, in order not to irratate them.

While, you know what, if you were Hong Kongness, you would not even show your passport. You show your Hong Kong ID card (like Chinese ID), and you pass. The other day I asked Immigration why the Hong Kongness have the previlige? They smiled with a bit ashamed.