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NEWSCMP Series

What does it mean to be Chinese? Views from SCMP Opinion

In the Being Chinese column, SCMP writers and contributors – whether they are Chinese by birth, descent or osmosis – explore the different aspects of Chinese identity and experience in a personal reflection.

Updated: 16 Sep, 2024
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[1]

Being Chinese | I am a Chinese mother. Hear me worry

Like Mencius’ mum, I want to give my son a better learning environment, including by moving house. Yet I also want him to be happy.

07 Sep, 2024
Children play with spinning chairs at a shopping mall in Beijing on July 13. Photo: AP
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[2]

Being Chinese | How I transcended my Hong Kong identity crisis

I felt neither British nor Chinese growing up in Hong Kong. Travelling the world and living in Beijing helped me find my bearings.

31 Aug, 2024
Fans wave China flags as the Hong Kong flag is displayed on a phone, before the table tennis mixed doubles semi-final between Hong Kong and North Korea at the Paris Olympics on July 29. Photo: Reuters
[3]

Being Chinese | Put a ring on it? Chinese women don’t need marriage any more

Women in China once believed marriage to be a necessary passage in life. Now they know they can choose to follow their desires.

24 Aug, 2024
Women on Nanjing Street, Shanghai, on January 11. Chinese women’s attitudes towards marriage and motherhood have changed as societal attitudes become more enlightened. Photo: EPA-EFE
[4]

Being Chinese | Could Olympic-inspired Hong Kong dare to fail?

For Hong Kong youth who want to take an unconventional path in life, the bar for parental approval is set too high.

17 Aug, 2024
Boys practice at a fencing school in Jordan, Hong Kong, on August 1. The success of Hong Kong fencers at the Olympics has boosted interest in the sport in the city. Photo: May Tse
[5]

Being Chinese | Why must Chinese parents make children dread piano?

Music lessons are practically a rite of passage for Asian children but when forced, they can strip our kids of a lifelong enjoyment of music.

10 Aug, 2024
Piano lessons are a rite of passage for many Chinese children, but how many continue to play as adults? Photo: Handout
[6]

Being Chinese | How the world has changed for a Chinese-looking person

It is remarkable how assumptions and expectations of a Chinese-looking person have evolved, as China’s fortunes changed over decades.

03 Aug, 2024
A Chinese tourist in traditional Thai dress poses for a photo at Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn in Bangkok in 2023. Photo: AP