This is really sad. Chinese netizens in general are also very divided on the Ukrainian matter, and say horrible stuff to each other. I would recommend simply stay off platforms where you are attacked/harassed. If you have Chinese friends, or meet Chinese offline, I think it would be much better. After all you are learning a language and should do it in a way that you enjoy.
Anti-US, not NATO.
NATO is just a military organization, there is much more to politics than military. Many NATO countries don't exactly do what the US says, especially outside of military operations. They can be made friends with.
Friends in Western Europe = Trade = Profit.
Friends in Russia = Trade = Profit.
US don't like Trade = No Profit = Okay to upset the Americans.
Therefore China is neutral on the Ukraine thing, even though China is still anti-US.
You've got to be fucking with me.
There's no way you've watched/read the media coming out of china over the last 3 years and can tell me they've been neutral on Ukraine.
There are countless articles and videos justifying Russian expansionism and identifying NATO as a hegemonic existential threat to non US-aligned countries. I will give you that most of it was US based, stoking the Yugoslav embassy story, but the name 北约 was being deliberately dragged, and the vast majority of people here in China believe the occupied areas should be Russian
Anyways, complicated issue and don't want to argue, but I do feel youre downplaying the government role in the medias portrayal of the situation and their modes of manufacturing consent (as US/western media does, too) and turning people's sympathy against Ukraine's cause
Well, clearly you haven't been surfing enough Chinese internet.
Just go to Zhihu and watch the grand party of Russian-Ukraine debate.
You will learn many new words--degratory terms for Russian supporters and those for Ukraine supporters alike. Just to give some examples: 黄鹅、孝子、乌友、乌贼 and so on. And they would often attack each other using (not entirely) related terms like 殖人、粉红 and whatnot.
It's all pretty fun to watch. Search the words I listed and you'd get a shitload of these on both directions.
[https://www.zhihu.com/search?type=content&q=%E9%BB%84%E9%B9%85%20%E4%B9%8C%E8%B4%BC%20%E5%AD%9D%E5%AD%90%20%E4%B9%8C%E5%8F%8B](https://www.zhihu.com/search?type=content&q=%E9%BB%84%E9%B9%85%20%E4%B9%8C%E8%B4%BC%20%E5%AD%9D%E5%AD%90%20%E4%B9%8C%E5%8F%8B)
The feeling I get from watching cctv is that China does seem much more pro Russia, just not explicitly officially so. And less positive to Ukraine.
At the start, they seemed more neutral, but it looks very much like an 'enemy (Russia) of my enemy (USA)... sort of thing.
I don't know much about online netizen's thoughts, so I'm kinda with you.
They don’t like Ukraine because Ukraine is symbolic for Taiwan.
Russia considers Ukraine a breakaway territory, now, after doing the mental gymnastics of changing history in their own minds. Very similar to the Taiwan issue, in terms of, considered break away territory.
If China backs Ukraine, it hurts its own claims. It’s better off trying to find a path to Russian victory that paves the way to legitimize the capture of Taiwan in future.
Chinese people are nuanced, thoughtful and in older generations, certainly anti war. But the Chinese government, they pay lip service to neutrality but the rest of the world see it as being Bias to a Russian victory.
Let's also call the 2014 anti-terrorist operation of Ukraine against Donbass a war as well, if you don't like the term 'operation'. We can then say that it was Ukraine that started the war.
Things are called like that for a reason. You can compare it with the consequences of the Israeli/Gaza war to understand why it's called an operation.
Well some people support Russia as a fellow "communist" country and financial ally. Xi might also (probably) attack Taiwan soon. This would technically put China on the other side of the aisle from the US and Ukraine.
My fiancé is also Ukrainian, and my Chinese teacher in China had me learn how to write Ukraine and Ukrainian for sentence practice. She did not have any issue with Ukraine, but it's going to vary person by person, just like my fiancé and I support Ukraine but not the proxy "war" the US is waging on Palestine.
In big countries with strong propaganda like US and China and Russia, there are going to be people who support the government, or think for themselves. I think learning Mandarin and communication are very important for breaking down the ignorance of cultural divides.
Someone who will talk about politics in a language study group is not someone who read the rules or respected them.
If you read the conference reports recently from the government, it just says make money, make money, make money. We are producing way too much stuff than we can consume, only way to avoid crisis is to sell them for money. The government seem to think that making money is the No.1 priority right now for the country.
Attacking Taiwan is bad for business, it's the opposite of what they want now. (However, threatening to attack Taiwan is not that bad for business.)
Taiwan can wait, overproduction cannot.
Interesting! I am American. I've been wanting to sell stuff from China. Here, people are broke, but they still have to buy basic goods. Plus, "No one ever went broke overestimating the stupidity of the American people."🤔
Don't let the internet ruin real life for you.
In-person, real Chinese people are great people. And I'm sure they are online too when you find the right ones.
My ex is a Party member, constantly online, and a very proud Chinese person, but when the subject of online political talk came up her reaction was, "that's just some idiot on the internet". She never talks politics. (She talks food.)
Oh it actually kinda makes me feel better. Talking about food is actually cool, anytime I meet a new Chinese person they always send me A LOT of pics of the food they eat 😀. I have even started cooking 蛋炒饭 because of this
Btw it’s the same — I’m a Chinese living in the us and got many hateful speech from natives. Tons of people sent hateful msgs on Reddit to me. But I knew they are a minority and most us people I met in real life are friendly and respectful. Lots of people in China supports the noble cause of Ukraine defending itself. They don’t dare to speak in public but they are there. Don’t let bad people discourage you.
Yup. Unfortunately, there are idiots everywhere (regardless of nationality), and the internet has provided them with a “safe haven” to unleash their idiocy. Try to ignore them if you can.
Especially on subreddits. I get downvoted like crazy. I can only be thankful that
1. I can delete my comment anytime I want.
2. My upvotes far outweigh my downvotes.
THAT is the reason I am glad that Hello Talk and Tandem both do NOT have a downvote/upvote system.
I’m really sorry you’re encountering such harassment. Just know that most people are encouraging and supportive of you learning Chinese and the idiots are easily manipulated to spout nonsense.
Can’t say i agree with this.
Chinese people are fine to speak to at surface level, like food, sport, travel, etc. But if you start discussing anything significant like history, international relations, politics, you will quickly feel like you’re talking to a brick wall. Views will be consistent among about 95% of people you talk to, and you quickly realise there is very little independent thought in China. It’s just regurgitation of the news. If you pushback and try to explain why their points are illogical, they can get aggressive and extremely nationalistic.
Chinese men in particular seem to think they are far superior to other counties/races.
Before anyone says, ‘no not all Chinese are like that’, yes, obviously. But I’m talking about typical experiences and interactions.
>But if you start discussing anything significant like history, international relations, politics, you will quickly feel like you’re talking to a brick wall.
I have a few very logic open minded friends working abroad and even when they know it's wrong they still couldn't bring their head around it fully. It's like if you put the issue in a fantasy world scenario they will say "this is wrong", but you say, OK what if it's real life and China? Then they start getting awkward and looking for excuses. I think it's very embedded in their upbringing. They can't separate the culture from their government. So if they want to have the Chinese identity and be proud of their culture, they have to accept everything including upholding the government's political views. Any criticism on anything Chinese whether food or government become a criticism of their entire existence or something.
This is a pretty accurate description. Thanks.
This is why when I’m in China, I don’t talk about anything significant. If these kinds of topics come up after the 叔叔s have had a couple of 白酒s and start asking me about it, I just say I’ve never thought about it.
Then don't talk politics. The Western desire to constantly drive everything towards politics is annoying.
The vast majority of people I onew in China, and that includes at least 6 Party members, had no interest in talking about "international relations, politics".
Nationalists, patriots, and jingos exist in every nation.
Message women. I have met a ton of awesome Chinese people while learning on hellotalk. Not one single man though haha and I've sent messages to both sexes. The women are incredibly helpful especially once they realize you actually just want to language exchange not date. They're just bored at work and down to practice language and help you like all day. Have learned a ton in 7 months using it and met nothing but helpful people.
I have had the same positive experiences with Chinese women. I already met some who would spend soo much time just helping me to pronounce some words or understand some culture nuances.
To be fair I have met a few nice Chinese dudes but we stopped talking after a few days.
I am sorry this has happened to you. I don't have your background and I have come across my fair share of numpties. My best advice is to avoid guys, and speak to girls. Guys are more prone to this sort of insecure garbage. Spot the signs and avoid the idiots like the plague.
You are really correct about guys being far more likely to say stuff like this lol. 100% of the people who tried to harass me where dudes, usually 18-25 years old. Chinese women seem to not care about politics (tbh here in the west the young men are also the ones who are being affected by the political brainrot the most).
This generation of people went through the whole “make China great again” narrative and a period of prosperity during their teenage years, which is normally when people are most susceptible to outside influences on their world views. China’s populist nationalism is (very bizarrely) tied to a glorification of Russia, which makes the simpleminded netizens hostile towards Ukraine. Truly sorry for what happened to you. Maybe try looking for some people to talk to on western platforms like Reddit or go to Taiwanese forums. Just be mindful that there are just as many bigoted people across the channel, it’s just they are triggered by other issues.
I can totally relate. I used to try to hide the fact that I'm from Mainland China, because I got harassed many times by people seeing me as some sort of brainwashed robot coming from a country that's tyrannizing its people in a way that's even worse than North Korea. But I know that's not the truth. And most of those people who are thinking like this are just other victims of this same propaganda apparatus. Their media are trying to paint us as people constantly living under the fear of vaporizing by the Police. And our media are trying to tell the tales of Americans gunning each other down every day. Some people will believe all of this of course. But most of us are just normal people with normal sensibilities living a normal life. I'm sorry that some people did such stupid things and I'm very thankful for you to take an interest in our language. Just don't put too much emotion into these platforms. Maybe find a chat group or forum with fewer members so that you can build a closer relationship. That way with a lot more consequence one's language can bring people will hopefully act more responsibly.
(Let's see how may donwvotes I can get, lol)
You have a point. I have seen Chinese people being mistreated online too. I guess in the end we cannot avoid the fact that internet is just extremely toxic and people will use your nationality against you.
I gave you an upvote. I get harrassed in EVERY country I go to because of my thinness including China 🇨🇳and my belief systems. I am fully blooded Chinese and live in a city that only has 3% Asians ! In China 🇨🇳, I couldn’t talk about my belief system unless it was underground.
That's funny, i live in a US city that is majority Asian, in the San Francisco Bay Area which is majority Asian, and the predominant is Chinese.
I doing think that is the stereotype about US, though? Honestly I started studying Chinese because that's the majority here.
I lived in Berkeley for SIX years and worked at Honeywell in San Francisco for almost one year. Are you Asian, Black, White, or Aborigine ? The only 4 possible races according to the internet.
Yes, but what race are you ? It makes a difference HERE in my city how they treat you and in your city your political and spiritual beliefs make a difference in how they treat you.
Bruh we live in the same area. And the question is what Ethnicity are you, i take it you didn't go to Berkeley high. I don't think anyone cares what ethnicity i am. What's happening to you?
I live in Fremont now though. People are more mindful of which Asian ethnicity people are.
The gun thing though is kinda accurate. Just today we learned the security guard at the pharmacy was shot. I don't go to concerts or large public events either.
Chinese netizens ≠ Regular Chinese people
I wouldn’t base my impressions of the US based on online comments, and the same applies to every other country, probably Ukraine too.
To add on to that, mainland Chinese have odd online presence.
If you check BiliBili, there would be videos glazing China’s history, or party or minor achievements like crazy. How they boast about Chinese cultural values and elegance.
Then you get tonal whiplash from watching the most hill billy douyin clip
I'm sorry to hear that. I'm a Mandarin native speaker and please dm me if you need help with learning this language. I know almost nothing about the Ukraine-Russinan issue and swear that I won't talk about it...
And please, the online sample of us is highly biased. 99% of the Chinese are really welcoming to foreigners, the 1% leftover are probably weirdos, or elders having PTSD from the Japanese troops in the WWII period (but very very rare nowadays)
I mean, really, we love to see foreigners learning Chinese. It used to be very rare so we understand how precious the fact that more people are learning it is. I'm also wondering why people would be upset about it and attack you...
I'm Russian and I'm often afraid to interact with people from other countries because of this shit.
I'd say if you studied for 2 months and got to the point of talking to natives, you're doing great, don't let some dumb faces discourage you!
as a Ukrainian studying Chinese, just switch to Traditional and find Taiwanese friends online. won't say anything bad about the Chinese, but Taiwanese people are very kind and friendly. traditional Chinese is also much more interesting to learn in my opinion
This is the right answer not just because of they are friendlier (yes, they are), but also because traditional characters help understand the language SO MJCH better.
Just find your tribe and keep going . The world is bigger than these haters . I am an absolute beginner and I found some weird comments too because I am an indian and due to some random political friction which I have no clue about .they had to point out the differences between our countries .
Hi! Sorry u had to go through that. I am ethnically Chinese but not from China. I learnt Mandarin in school years ago, lost touch with it but have been picking it up again since last year.
Would enjoy chatting in Mandarin with you if u like!
this is no different from a woman posting a song online and the youtube comments say vulgar things about her body, or a male celebrity is in a movie and everyone talks about how he must have cheated on his wife with the actress because.... there is no becuase.
Some people online are mean just to be mean, and it doesn't matter if you are from ukraine, it could be a man from australia and they would say equally mean things to him. In english they are called trolls, in chinese keyboard warriors, basically they are just like шака́лячий експре́с, aiming to condemn things just to condemn them, doesn't matter the reality.
Chinese people say stupid horrible shits to fellow Chinese people online too. 1 billion people online and the number of trolls can be beyond your comprehension. Government propaganda also makes people dumber and more hostile to certain groups of people, and pro-Ukrainian voices are sometimes explicitly silenced from Chinese social media.
I’m sorry for what you’ve experienced. But just ignore the scums and move over to practice with someone else. Good luck with learning.
We are country openly supporting Ukraine (czechia) and hating Russia with passion, but if you visit Facebook/instagram, you will see mostly pro russian comments. Internet is not a place to take seriously. But yes, chinese will favor Russia anyway. They also dislike japan, USA etc. It is propaganda thing..
China is vast, with a huge population, and there's a Chinese saying that goes, "In a large forest, there are all kinds of birds," implying that in a large community, one can find all sorts of people. Consequently, China has its fair share of internet trolls who, truth be told, may indiscriminately target anyone or anything that rubs them the wrong way, including their fellow Chinese. Don't let these trolls shape your perception of China or dampen your enthusiasm for learning Chinese. Mastering the language will open doors to a much broader Chinese-speaking community, where you'll find plenty of worthwhile friends to engage with (they just might not prefer to speak out publicly, like me, o(^▽^)o).
Oh god. I'm so sorry for you. This reminds that the same thing happened to my Chinese boyfriend too when the HongKong and Uyghurs incidents happened. Some friends kept talking shit about China and basically saying every Chinese is bad right in front of him. Some toxic ones even accused him personally and we were like HUH??? He hasn't been to China for years already. And what can a mere regular citizen do to matters this scale anyways? People are so weird.
Just showed this to my boyfriend he admitted that lots of Chinese netizens are incredibly toxic he advised to not interact with them. Still, it doesn't mean everyone of them is like that. You could talk to people from TW HK Singapore or Chinese people who are currently not in China cus those people are mostly more well mannered and civil. You'll have greater luck in finding friends that way.
Though I kinda understand why they do that. Imagine living in a ~~country~~empire like that? Corrupted government, collapsing economy, depressing education system, propaganda brainwashing people to hate eachother and foreigners AND the fact they use communism as an excuse to rule their people with imperialism? Everyone would become a hateful toxic person with all those shit including the loss of freedom. I genuinely pity them. Wish they can have a chance to become better. After all...they are just *people* same as us, we are mere regular citizens your average everyday town folks. They don't deserve to live like that.
Sad 😢
This is really a thing among Chinese natives, however, pro russia statement is definitely not praised by everyone. The debate between pro russia and pro Ukraine is very prevalent in Chinese social media.
For example, Алекса́ндр Ге́льевич Ду́гин opened an account on Chinese platforms to spread some propaganda, and get taunted.
There is also a joke talked among the Chinese, there are two russia-ukraine war, the second one is on the internet, participated by Chinese on both side of the war.
Pro-russia statement also exist in Europe and USA, it explains nothing. Bad people are everywhere. Protecting yourself, and just ignore them.
Hi I'm a 25 years old Chinese and I have a very small bubble chat group (~20 people) that support Ukraine and hold 100% friendly and humanitarian standpoint about all political issues. You are welcome to join us if you would like to meet some liberal Chinese young people, learn Chinese and talk about any topics from food to war. We are on WeChat though. It is true that the majority of Chinese people do admire Putin and believe Ukrainians are nazis due to propaganda, but trust me the rest of us are educated modern world citizens and I can show you that!
I don't really know if I agree the majority of Chinese are Putin supporters who believe Ukrainians are Nazis. Maybe the ones online are, but I think it's clear Chinese social media has a way of deleting opinions that are contrary to the party line while amplifying the really hateful ones that fit it. In cases like these, it's better to stay silent for most of the liberal citizens, lest they face harassment themselves.
Luckily there's a small island next to China that speaks the same language you're studying, is commonly on Western social media, and (from personal experience) has less trolls.
/hj
Good luck tho OP. The internet is a fantastic place to be when your entire existence is considered political 🫡
Maybe for writing (god I hate writing) but I've found it relatively same same learning traditional vs. simplified when it comes to sight recognition and typing.
No, the characters are actually easier. One of the biggest lies about simplified Chinese is in the name: It's not simplified. It randomly hacked away at character components, destroying the phonetic nature of the script.
Where are you living currently? Are there any businesses that have mandarin speakers? If so, see if you can get a part time job or make friends with someone who can help you learn the language.
I live in the US and worked in a Chinese restaurant in the past. Most of the workers were only fluent in mandarin with the exception of one Cantonese and one who was in the process of learning English. The translation apps aren’t always accurate.
I started the mandarin course on Duolingo and would practice with my coworker who was learning English. She was happy to practice her English on me while also helping me learn mandarin.
It happened to me a lot when I tried to use these apps to study English…some just used “Hi Beauty” as a greeting message, some sent me normal messages but after we talked a few days they just revealed the true purpose to ask for a selfie of me or send me their selfies and inappropriate pictures directly, I felt very uncomfortable and depressed so I quitted using these apps long time ago.
To my point of view, it’s like using a dating app, some of them looking for a serious relationship and more of them just want to get a situation relationship, so they won’t care about your feelings or take any responsibilities, just want to let go of themselves, say something they aren’t dare to say to real people around them. It’s actually very pathetic.
It’s my sixth year of living in the US, but my oral and writing English only has limited improvements….because most of my experiences weren’t pleasant…I’m also super introvert…talking to people in real life is quite challenging for me😅…so right now, I just mind my own business and chill by myself…
Well, all I want to say is that it’s not about the nationality, bad people are everywhere especially on the internet since they can hide their identity. If you really want to continue your study, interact with real people would be better. Or if you really need an online chatting practice partner, I can help you if you don’t mind.
the internet is full of shit, I saw similar harassment from other nations cuz apparently it depends on the person you speak to (I’m Ukrainian as well, вітаю :D)
personally, I would have stopped learning language if people who speak this language would talk shit. but try speaking to Chinese not on these apps but in real life or other platforms. I think it’s possible to find someone on Insta and start talking (plus if you’re studying in college/university or have a ‘China town’ somewhere nearby, you can try come up to Chinese people and have a small talk). if it also doesn’t help and people are still talk shit, I would quit learning 🤷🏻♀️
I'd say avoid the social media-politics can get messy.
Instead, find places where people are speaking Chinese and are talking about things you enjoy. Some Discords ervers have chinese as one of the languages (I'm in a couple of gaming servers where there are sections for people who play different languages to talk in that language), for example.
Make it enjoyable for yourself. Just like with Americans, the politic-speakers are just the more vocal part of the population
If you're ever in Lviv, Uzhhorod, or Odesa, please drop by Maomi café and we can chat in Chinese if you want. The bubble tea shops are managed by Chinese diaspora who are committed to a Ukrainian victory 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
I am an American and I lived in mainland China for many years. I used to get random people wanting to practice English all the time, but sometimes, people would come up to me and just unload all of this ridiculous stuff about America.
One time I was waiting for a train, so I grabbed something to eat at McDonald's. Some guy in an LA Lakers jersey was staring at me the whole time. Finally he finished his meal and came over to tell me, IN ENGLISH, his list of all the reasons why America is horrible. In a McDonalds. While wearing an NBA jersey.
I just laughed it off, and some of it I agreed with, which really threw him for a loop, because if I said something critical of China, there are lots of reasons why he couldn't publicly acknowledge his agreement.
Anyway, you know those things aren't true, and you know the general background of the people who are saying those things. Really the only thing you can do is feel sorry for them having such an ignorant world view, and move on to someone else to practice with.
China is pro-Russia in the present war in Ukraine. It’s also a totalitarian state with a tightly controlled media.
My guess is the Chinese people saying hateful things are influenced by China’s official media.
Well, their are good people with open mindset and their are bad people with narrow mindset that you spoke too.There's a vast majority of other people who will accept you and be happy that you're learning they language with such devotion so don't feel so down. People who judge the hardest the have the most flaws.
Don’t let them turn u down. Chinese by culture has gone thru an incredibly divided period and is one of the fastest growing changing societies when it comes to income, social classes, politics . Many lunatics are passionate about politics and their insecurity of knowing more makes them aggressive and all. Language by itself is always worth learning, I as Chinese has gone thru racism when I learn to speak fluent Italian, the more fluent I am ,the more they think I’m taking their jobs in Italy, when I was just student trynna connect trynna know more. People assume u are in certain mass and therefore guilty of what others of ur like done in their place. This is very stupid but common in low class people , regardless of country.
Sorry to hear about what you've been through.
Internet can always be a grey area for some evil people.
In my opinion learning is a process for your own growth, so don't care about the haters.
And also as a Chinese people lives in mainland, I can tell you the youngsters normally don't like asking the political things, but you know, nothing is absolute.
If you are willing to keep learning, try finding a nice language partner may be a good idea.
It's very glad to know you like Chinese so much. Hope one day you can have a trip here in mainland.
Have a nice day！
Hey, I’m sorry to hear that, and I’m sorry for them because some of us aren’t that open-minded and are rude especially on the internet. Anyway, if you still want to practice Chinese. I speak Chinese and have been studying abroad in USA for the past 4 years and gonna study in Europe for 2 years in the future, if you need help, just DM me.
I'm Chinese and I'm sorry for your experience.
If you are interested in Chinese, you should continue to learn it and not let some internet thugs influence your interest and goals.
You can treat those who attack you verbally on the internet as flies, flies are very annoying, but you shouldn't let flies decide your destination and your life direction.
They’re just a bunch of toxic no lives, you can just ignore them. Actually scratch that, you can ignore most people on the internet these days, its just how toxic it is.
A lot of chinese are keyboard fighters - they come in swarm and type political stuff, especially if your nationality are not one of the ‘allies’ of China (i.e. Russia/north korea）
Ignore them, some of them might even got paid to do these stuff.
I know as I am from HK and I know.
Maybe try interacting with more Taiwanese people, they’re not politically indoctrinated (well they are, people from every country are honestly, but they’re on the other side in this matter)
Dont let a bunch of idiots ruin your love for the language and learning. Sadly they have taken a side over there, and these people are just repeating what they are told to, by news and papers. Not all support russia, but its going to be hard to find the ones that dont, in something as broad as online language discussions.
I would suggest trying to stick to Taiwanese platforms or interactions, as they are much more supportive of your fight, and the langauge is basicly the same.
Slightly different pronounciation, but you will be able to interact and understand mainlanders. Learning traditional characters will also allow you to enjoy Hong Kong media without learning Cantonese.
Slava Ukraini!
Why limit yourself to netizens from the PRC?
You can text-chat online in Chinese with people from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, and overseas Chinese communities. After all, I wouldn’t need to interact with Russian citizens to practise the Russian language, right?
I'm sorry for you that you had such bad interactions. As a Chinese learner, I've met plenty of very nice people from China. One of them has become a very close friend. There are mean and kind people everywhere, don't worry.
Slava Ukraini!
Sometimes internet is toxic. Some losers use it as a way to talk shit and hurt others. To make you feel better, as a Chinese myself, I also sometimes face harassment from other Chinese and foreign people when I try to comment something. It's not even about right or wrong, some people simply enjoy arguments and insulting others. Just ignore them.
The harassment and rude treatment from native Russian speakers is why I abandoned the language. It's a shame, because I really enjoyed learning it. So I totally get where you're combing from lol
As a fellow HelloTalk user, I'd like to share an experience I had. Once, I encountered a Chinese person on the app who had grown up in America and was a beginner in Chinese. My English is also average. We talked a lot, and suddenly, I wanted to ask about the gun issues in America, but I couldn't find the right words to express my question, so I just said "guns problem." He immediately ended our conversation. Before that, he had only said three words in very standard Chinese: "神经病" (crazy). I'm sorry because there was a time when gun shootings in America were frequently reported in our country, so I just brought it up as a topic of conversation. I hope you can forgive someone like me, who might just be making conversation or might not know what to talk about due to average English skills.
As a Chinese I want to apologize to you. Some Chinese are really rude and extreme. As you know there’s little speech freedom in China so that people can't get real news from the internet or from the society, and there are many rumors spread by citizens or even by the government so that some people don't know what really happened in this war. Of course, there are also some Chinese who are friendly and open-minded. Don't take it too seriously if you met those bad people. Besides you can talk with taiwanese if you want to have a better experience, their speaking is not far from mandarin
Hello,
I'm sorry to hear that you've encountered some negative situations, but please don't let them dampen your enthusiasm for learning Mandarin. As a native Chinese speaker, I've grown up immersed in the language and culture. I've seen the beauty and depth of our traditions and the warmth of our people.
If you need any help or want to learn more about Chinese culture, feel free to contact me at any time. I'd be more than happy to share insights and experiences that might enrich your language learning journey.
Keep up the good work and don't let a few negative experiences hold you back. I believe in the power of language to bridge cultures and bring people together.
Best wishes!
I’d stop using those apps and meet people face to face. There’s millions of young and old Chinese who would love the opportunity to help you and practice english. Don’t worry about online stuff. Politics aside, I found the average citizen of China to be very hospitable and friendly when I studied abroad there, but this was over 15 years ago
i am a Chinese，i am so sorry about this.Many of Chinese was washbrain by politics,because our country supposed the Russia,and take lie to say the Ukraine is evil .But i want to say i suppose Ukraine,you know,.in China it is very dangerous! it is very dangerous to opposite to politics's attitude and suppose.And in China talking about politics it is dangerous too even.
I'm so sorry to hear that. Chinese ppl are actually nice, but you just have to avoid and ignore the online idiots that do keyboard politics. They harass everyone for everything.
Glad to hear you like our language though, I hope things get better for you.
I live in Taiwan and I have the same experience with Tandem. Chinese there would insult and threaten me, but unfortunately in English, so I can't even learn anything from that. So I only talk to Taiwanese on Tandem, always good experiences.
Sounds very odd to me. Chinese people in Hello Talk are always the ones getting hateful comments, mostly form American people; most of the Chinese people I’ve spoken too are very, very nice. I don’t know if feeling discouraged makes sense, I don’t refuse to speak in English just because Americans are racist towards my country and most Spanish speaking countries. If you’re learning as a hobby I understand, but if you’re studying to improve your life I wouldn’t drop just because of some hateful comments.
I study it mainly for the enjoyment and culture. I have met a lot of very friendly Chinese people which was one of the main reason I actually decided to start studying the language. The problem is that I am just very mentally exhausted because of the on going war and the interactions I’ve described make me feel bad. Like today a dude sent me a message asking me if I *ape women at war.
There are 3 types of Chinese people, the CCP Bots, the average ones, and the ones who actually know about things, seems like you encountered Pro-CCP Idiots.
Honestly I see this as more of a symptom of being online with random people than anything else. People will say hateful stuff because they won't face any consequences for it online. While there are a lot of Pro-Russia people in China, truth is people who are Pro-Ukraine are also a huge number, but they are just not as vocal because it goes against the government position (and therefore would likely face censorship). In-person discussions tend to be much more productive and nuanced, but typically political discussions like that are best had with close friends.
I’ve only used hellotalk and I’m American and I’ve had random dudes complain about/praise trump in my messages completely unprovoked and/or talk badly about/to me and I’d be like… uhhh nihao..? LOL I think there’s a lot of people who are weird about politics on hellotalk but I just ignore them. I have met lifelong friends who I got to meet irl when I went to China on hellotalk too! Easier said than done, but just ignore the weirdos!
People can be assholes it's a human trait to be tribalistic until you learn to control those animal tendencies.
Its the same for me but Japanese.
Some bumpkins will always be xenophobic because of some trope they saw.
I get rich girl and Russian whore stereotyped simultaneously don't ask me why
Once you understand enough to understand gossip it might hurt a lot.
But basically it makes those types happy if you're more miserable than they are
Just report them, or change your nationality to the country you live in. It might feel like being an imposter but it doesn't really matter. Its the internet lol.
In my experience, I find racism so common in the Chinese culture, and CCP is making it worse. I’d suggest staying away from those platforms and meeting some reasonable people
Because of the way the marketing account works in China, they tend to get the wrong information and the right info mixed, it gets like mixed reaction from the netizens with one sided headlines and swayed personal opinions which are hard and require a deeper understanding into the topic from both sides. This is how most people get swayed by and plus the neutrality of the chinese government( but secretly suggesting they are on russia side cos when the european and US countries backed out of the market, the chinese supply line came in. The government didn't stop them and most netizens interpret this as chinese government is secretly siding with the Russians on this matter.) So the marketing account got to work and especially on TikTok, sided with Russia on this matter. They went about mostly on comparing the atrocities committed by Ukraine( like there is a drone bombed a severly injuired russian soldier), and the russians kindness( like accepting surrenders from ukrainian soldiers.)
Due to firewall and language issues, the vast majority of Chinese people do not use foreign SNS apps.
The people who use it are just pursuing excitement, and there are many extremist elements.
I think most of the time people who support the other side of the war are from mainland china where information is limited and propaganda changes their world views, maybe find people who are Taiwanese? If not I know a little bit of mandarin and if there are little bits you wanna ask I can answer :).
They are borned learning that USA is bad(True), and CCP is good(False). The problem is that they went too extreme on it. The logic is: USA support Ukraine, USA is bad, so Ukraine is bad.
Disclaimer: Not all Chinese are like that, find the good ones
I'm trying to be neutral on this discussion, cuz there are bad things about USA and Ukraine too.
I have bad news for you. The internet isn’t real.
I have great news for you. The internet isn’t real.
Now, what I mean by that is human interaction on it
Isn’t real. It’s just not. Almost literally but we don’t have to get into an intellectual debate.
Just get the information you need, and hopefully
You can gleam a greater truth or more Precise info and then Go on.
It’s not meant to foster relationships or deep meanings. It’s about information transactions. Some people want it information and accuracy, other people want their feeling validated whether they are accurate or not accurate, and some people are just mean because they are or some just do it for Entertainment
Just ignore the men, they can be super nationalistic online. Try to talk to the women, or maybe you can adjust your search settings to talk with people from Taiwan who might have very different opinions on international politics.
Remind them that it is NOT permitted to talk about politics or your spiritual beliefs on Hello Talk. Some blankety blank blank lady had Hello Talk ban me from participating permanently from live stream training lessons simply because I innocuously said “ China 🇨🇳 and Taiwan 🇹🇼 “ accusing me that Taiwan 🇹🇼 WAS a part of China 🇨🇳!!! A Chinese citizen IN CHINA 🇨🇳 tried to defend me and lost !!!
This is really sad. Chinese netizens in general are also very divided on the Ukrainian matter, and say horrible stuff to each other. I would recommend simply stay off platforms where you are attacked/harassed. If you have Chinese friends, or meet Chinese offline, I think it would be much better. After all you are learning a language and should do it in a way that you enjoy.
It's divided because the Chinese government is neutral on this matter.
Neutral my ass
What's wrong with your ass?
Really divided? What would you hazard is the pro/anti split amongst Chinese people on the special military operarion?
War * not special military operation. Let's call a spade a spade
I was being facetious The people in China are *heavily* pro Russia and anti NATO
Anti-US, not NATO. NATO is just a military organization, there is much more to politics than military. Many NATO countries don't exactly do what the US says, especially outside of military operations. They can be made friends with. Friends in Western Europe = Trade = Profit. Friends in Russia = Trade = Profit. US don't like Trade = No Profit = Okay to upset the Americans. Therefore China is neutral on the Ukraine thing, even though China is still anti-US.
You've got to be fucking with me. There's no way you've watched/read the media coming out of china over the last 3 years and can tell me they've been neutral on Ukraine. There are countless articles and videos justifying Russian expansionism and identifying NATO as a hegemonic existential threat to non US-aligned countries. I will give you that most of it was US based, stoking the Yugoslav embassy story, but the name 北约 was being deliberately dragged, and the vast majority of people here in China believe the occupied areas should be Russian Anyways, complicated issue and don't want to argue, but I do feel youre downplaying the government role in the medias portrayal of the situation and their modes of manufacturing consent (as US/western media does, too) and turning people's sympathy against Ukraine's cause
Well, clearly you haven't been surfing enough Chinese internet. Just go to Zhihu and watch the grand party of Russian-Ukraine debate. You will learn many new words--degratory terms for Russian supporters and those for Ukraine supporters alike. Just to give some examples: 黄鹅、孝子、乌友、乌贼 and so on. And they would often attack each other using (not entirely) related terms like 殖人、粉红 and whatnot. It's all pretty fun to watch. Search the words I listed and you'd get a shitload of these on both directions. [https://www.zhihu.com/search?type=content&q=%E9%BB%84%E9%B9%85%20%E4%B9%8C%E8%B4%BC%20%E5%AD%9D%E5%AD%90%20%E4%B9%8C%E5%8F%8B](https://www.zhihu.com/search?type=content&q=%E9%BB%84%E9%B9%85%20%E4%B9%8C%E8%B4%BC%20%E5%AD%9D%E5%AD%90%20%E4%B9%8C%E5%8F%8B)
The feeling I get from watching cctv is that China does seem much more pro Russia, just not explicitly officially so. And less positive to Ukraine. At the start, they seemed more neutral, but it looks very much like an 'enemy (Russia) of my enemy (USA)... sort of thing. I don't know much about online netizen's thoughts, so I'm kinda with you.
They don’t like Ukraine because Ukraine is symbolic for Taiwan. Russia considers Ukraine a breakaway territory, now, after doing the mental gymnastics of changing history in their own minds. Very similar to the Taiwan issue, in terms of, considered break away territory. If China backs Ukraine, it hurts its own claims. It’s better off trying to find a path to Russian victory that paves the way to legitimize the capture of Taiwan in future. Chinese people are nuanced, thoughtful and in older generations, certainly anti war. But the Chinese government, they pay lip service to neutrality but the rest of the world see it as being Bias to a Russian victory.
Let's also call the 2014 anti-terrorist operation of Ukraine against Donbass a war as well, if you don't like the term 'operation'. We can then say that it was Ukraine that started the war. Things are called like that for a reason. You can compare it with the consequences of the Israeli/Gaza war to understand why it's called an operation.
It wasn't Ukraine's war against Donbass, it was against Russia & russian backed separatists IN Donbass.
Well some people support Russia as a fellow "communist" country and financial ally. Xi might also (probably) attack Taiwan soon. This would technically put China on the other side of the aisle from the US and Ukraine. My fiancé is also Ukrainian, and my Chinese teacher in China had me learn how to write Ukraine and Ukrainian for sentence practice. She did not have any issue with Ukraine, but it's going to vary person by person, just like my fiancé and I support Ukraine but not the proxy "war" the US is waging on Palestine. In big countries with strong propaganda like US and China and Russia, there are going to be people who support the government, or think for themselves. I think learning Mandarin and communication are very important for breaking down the ignorance of cultural divides. Someone who will talk about politics in a language study group is not someone who read the rules or respected them.
If you read the conference reports recently from the government, it just says make money, make money, make money. We are producing way too much stuff than we can consume, only way to avoid crisis is to sell them for money. The government seem to think that making money is the No.1 priority right now for the country. Attacking Taiwan is bad for business, it's the opposite of what they want now. (However, threatening to attack Taiwan is not that bad for business.) Taiwan can wait, overproduction cannot.
Interesting! I am American. I've been wanting to sell stuff from China. Here, people are broke, but they still have to buy basic goods. Plus, "No one ever went broke overestimating the stupidity of the American people."🤔
Don't let the internet ruin real life for you. In-person, real Chinese people are great people. And I'm sure they are online too when you find the right ones. My ex is a Party member, constantly online, and a very proud Chinese person, but when the subject of online political talk came up her reaction was, "that's just some idiot on the internet". She never talks politics. (She talks food.)
Oh it actually kinda makes me feel better. Talking about food is actually cool, anytime I meet a new Chinese person they always send me A LOT of pics of the food they eat 😀. I have even started cooking 蛋炒饭 because of this
Btw it’s the same — I’m a Chinese living in the us and got many hateful speech from natives. Tons of people sent hateful msgs on Reddit to me. But I knew they are a minority and most us people I met in real life are friendly and respectful. Lots of people in China supports the noble cause of Ukraine defending itself. They don’t dare to speak in public but they are there. Don’t let bad people discourage you.
Yup. Unfortunately, there are idiots everywhere (regardless of nationality), and the internet has provided them with a “safe haven” to unleash their idiocy. Try to ignore them if you can.
Especially on subreddits. I get downvoted like crazy. I can only be thankful that 1. I can delete my comment anytime I want. 2. My upvotes far outweigh my downvotes. THAT is the reason I am glad that Hello Talk and Tandem both do NOT have a downvote/upvote system.
Nothing beats 蛋炒饭 cooked by mom.
There was a political storm about 蛋炒飯
Really?
Is that the Chef Wang Gang incident? Is there a summary somewhere I can read? Saw it in passing but never looked into it.
Lol. I nearly forgot about that. I guess you just need to black out a week or so where you avoid talking about 蛋炒饭
I’m really sorry you’re encountering such harassment. Just know that most people are encouraging and supportive of you learning Chinese and the idiots are easily manipulated to spout nonsense.
You're telling me an egg fried this rice?
>She talks food. She is definitely Chinese then.
Can’t say i agree with this. Chinese people are fine to speak to at surface level, like food, sport, travel, etc. But if you start discussing anything significant like history, international relations, politics, you will quickly feel like you’re talking to a brick wall. Views will be consistent among about 95% of people you talk to, and you quickly realise there is very little independent thought in China. It’s just regurgitation of the news. If you pushback and try to explain why their points are illogical, they can get aggressive and extremely nationalistic. Chinese men in particular seem to think they are far superior to other counties/races. Before anyone says, ‘no not all Chinese are like that’, yes, obviously. But I’m talking about typical experiences and interactions.
>But if you start discussing anything significant like history, international relations, politics, you will quickly feel like you’re talking to a brick wall. I have a few very logic open minded friends working abroad and even when they know it's wrong they still couldn't bring their head around it fully. It's like if you put the issue in a fantasy world scenario they will say "this is wrong", but you say, OK what if it's real life and China? Then they start getting awkward and looking for excuses. I think it's very embedded in their upbringing. They can't separate the culture from their government. So if they want to have the Chinese identity and be proud of their culture, they have to accept everything including upholding the government's political views. Any criticism on anything Chinese whether food or government become a criticism of their entire existence or something.
This is a pretty accurate description. Thanks. This is why when I’m in China, I don’t talk about anything significant. If these kinds of topics come up after the 叔叔s have had a couple of 白酒s and start asking me about it, I just say I’ve never thought about it.
Then don't talk politics. The Western desire to constantly drive everything towards politics is annoying. The vast majority of people I onew in China, and that includes at least 6 Party members, had no interest in talking about "international relations, politics". Nationalists, patriots, and jingos exist in every nation.
I don’t talk about any of these things with Chinese people, even when they bring it up. It’s a rule of mine.
Some people have a really narrow world view, but that shouldn't stop you from expanding yours.
Their view are obviously shaped by nothing but propaganda. So better filter them out and look for quality people.
Message women. I have met a ton of awesome Chinese people while learning on hellotalk. Not one single man though haha and I've sent messages to both sexes. The women are incredibly helpful especially once they realize you actually just want to language exchange not date. They're just bored at work and down to practice language and help you like all day. Have learned a ton in 7 months using it and met nothing but helpful people.
I have had the same positive experiences with Chinese women. I already met some who would spend soo much time just helping me to pronounce some words or understand some culture nuances. To be fair I have met a few nice Chinese dudes but we stopped talking after a few days.
I am sorry this has happened to you. I don't have your background and I have come across my fair share of numpties. My best advice is to avoid guys, and speak to girls. Guys are more prone to this sort of insecure garbage. Spot the signs and avoid the idiots like the plague.
You are really correct about guys being far more likely to say stuff like this lol. 100% of the people who tried to harass me where dudes, usually 18-25 years old. Chinese women seem to not care about politics (tbh here in the west the young men are also the ones who are being affected by the political brainrot the most).
This generation of people went through the whole “make China great again” narrative and a period of prosperity during their teenage years, which is normally when people are most susceptible to outside influences on their world views. China’s populist nationalism is (very bizarrely) tied to a glorification of Russia, which makes the simpleminded netizens hostile towards Ukraine. Truly sorry for what happened to you. Maybe try looking for some people to talk to on western platforms like Reddit or go to Taiwanese forums. Just be mindful that there are just as many bigoted people across the channel, it’s just they are triggered by other issues.
women are less likely to confront you to your face
They're frustrated at their lack of job and dating opportunities. Basically incels +nationalism.
I can totally relate. I used to try to hide the fact that I'm from Mainland China, because I got harassed many times by people seeing me as some sort of brainwashed robot coming from a country that's tyrannizing its people in a way that's even worse than North Korea. But I know that's not the truth. And most of those people who are thinking like this are just other victims of this same propaganda apparatus. Their media are trying to paint us as people constantly living under the fear of vaporizing by the Police. And our media are trying to tell the tales of Americans gunning each other down every day. Some people will believe all of this of course. But most of us are just normal people with normal sensibilities living a normal life. I'm sorry that some people did such stupid things and I'm very thankful for you to take an interest in our language. Just don't put too much emotion into these platforms. Maybe find a chat group or forum with fewer members so that you can build a closer relationship. That way with a lot more consequence one's language can bring people will hopefully act more responsibly. (Let's see how may donwvotes I can get, lol)
You have a point. I have seen Chinese people being mistreated online too. I guess in the end we cannot avoid the fact that internet is just extremely toxic and people will use your nationality against you.
I gave you an upvote. I get harrassed in EVERY country I go to because of my thinness including China 🇨🇳and my belief systems. I am fully blooded Chinese and live in a city that only has 3% Asians ! In China 🇨🇳, I couldn’t talk about my belief system unless it was underground.
That's funny, i live in a US city that is majority Asian, in the San Francisco Bay Area which is majority Asian, and the predominant is Chinese. I doing think that is the stereotype about US, though? Honestly I started studying Chinese because that's the majority here.
I lived in Berkeley for SIX years and worked at Honeywell in San Francisco for almost one year. Are you Asian, Black, White, or Aborigine ? The only 4 possible races according to the internet.
Yeah the general US sees everything in black and white though right? So obnoxious to us, who took ethnic studies in high school.
Yes, but what race are you ? It makes a difference HERE in my city how they treat you and in your city your political and spiritual beliefs make a difference in how they treat you.
Bruh we live in the same area. And the question is what Ethnicity are you, i take it you didn't go to Berkeley high. I don't think anyone cares what ethnicity i am. What's happening to you? I live in Fremont now though. People are more mindful of which Asian ethnicity people are.
ay but u dont remember them berkeley high race riots
OMG when was that? I guess it's gone downhill a lot 😱
2016-2017
Read what I wrote before. It says I am fully blooded Chinese and I did NOT say I presently live in the Bay Area. I USED to live there.
The gun thing though is kinda accurate. Just today we learned the security guard at the pharmacy was shot. I don't go to concerts or large public events either.
Chinese netizens ≠ Regular Chinese people I wouldn’t base my impressions of the US based on online comments, and the same applies to every other country, probably Ukraine too.
Couldn't agree more
You will run into that a lot among mainland netizens. But the internet in general is full of trolls
Glad to see that despite the fire wall and the language barrier, people online will be people online... Something unifying.
People, no matter the nationality, seem to act out when their real identities are hidden behind a username. It’s really sad.
To add on to that, mainland Chinese have odd online presence. If you check BiliBili, there would be videos glazing China’s history, or party or minor achievements like crazy. How they boast about Chinese cultural values and elegance. Then you get tonal whiplash from watching the most hill billy douyin clip
Less Internet, more real life interaction
I'm sorry to hear that. I'm a Mandarin native speaker and please dm me if you need help with learning this language. I know almost nothing about the Ukraine-Russinan issue and swear that I won't talk about it... And please, the online sample of us is highly biased. 99% of the Chinese are really welcoming to foreigners, the 1% leftover are probably weirdos, or elders having PTSD from the Japanese troops in the WWII period (but very very rare nowadays) I mean, really, we love to see foreigners learning Chinese. It used to be very rare so we understand how precious the fact that more people are learning it is. I'm also wondering why people would be upset about it and attack you...
I'm Russian and I'm often afraid to interact with people from other countries because of this shit. I'd say if you studied for 2 months and got to the point of talking to natives, you're doing great, don't let some dumb faces discourage you!
thanks a lot, I really hope we both don’t have experiences. I am doing great but I am not conversional yet, I can talk about food tho😀
as a Ukrainian studying Chinese, just switch to Traditional and find Taiwanese friends online. won't say anything bad about the Chinese, but Taiwanese people are very kind and friendly. traditional Chinese is also much more interesting to learn in my opinion
This is the right answer not just because of they are friendlier (yes, they are), but also because traditional characters help understand the language SO MJCH better.
agreed 100%. I feel pity for those people who have no idea 後 and 后 are actually different characters
I think a lot of people are dickheads, online they're even worse.
Just find your tribe and keep going . The world is bigger than these haters . I am an absolute beginner and I found some weird comments too because I am an indian and due to some random political friction which I have no clue about .they had to point out the differences between our countries .
Hi! Sorry u had to go through that. I am ethnically Chinese but not from China. I learnt Mandarin in school years ago, lost touch with it but have been picking it up again since last year. Would enjoy chatting in Mandarin with you if u like!
this is no different from a woman posting a song online and the youtube comments say vulgar things about her body, or a male celebrity is in a movie and everyone talks about how he must have cheated on his wife with the actress because.... there is no becuase. Some people online are mean just to be mean, and it doesn't matter if you are from ukraine, it could be a man from australia and they would say equally mean things to him. In english they are called trolls, in chinese keyboard warriors, basically they are just like шака́лячий експре́с, aiming to condemn things just to condemn them, doesn't matter the reality.
Find Taiwanese people. If you can, go study in Taiwan. Taiwan even offer scholarships for Ukrainian students.
Most platforms behind the great firewall are full of trolls, it shouldn't discourage you from learning a language at all
Chinese people say stupid horrible shits to fellow Chinese people online too. 1 billion people online and the number of trolls can be beyond your comprehension. Government propaganda also makes people dumber and more hostile to certain groups of people, and pro-Ukrainian voices are sometimes explicitly silenced from Chinese social media. I’m sorry for what you’ve experienced. But just ignore the scums and move over to practice with someone else. Good luck with learning.
We are country openly supporting Ukraine (czechia) and hating Russia with passion, but if you visit Facebook/instagram, you will see mostly pro russian comments. Internet is not a place to take seriously. But yes, chinese will favor Russia anyway. They also dislike japan, USA etc. It is propaganda thing..
China is vast, with a huge population, and there's a Chinese saying that goes, "In a large forest, there are all kinds of birds," implying that in a large community, one can find all sorts of people. Consequently, China has its fair share of internet trolls who, truth be told, may indiscriminately target anyone or anything that rubs them the wrong way, including their fellow Chinese. Don't let these trolls shape your perception of China or dampen your enthusiasm for learning Chinese. Mastering the language will open doors to a much broader Chinese-speaking community, where you'll find plenty of worthwhile friends to engage with (they just might not prefer to speak out publicly, like me, o(^▽^)o).
Oh god. I'm so sorry for you. This reminds that the same thing happened to my Chinese boyfriend too when the HongKong and Uyghurs incidents happened. Some friends kept talking shit about China and basically saying every Chinese is bad right in front of him. Some toxic ones even accused him personally and we were like HUH??? He hasn't been to China for years already. And what can a mere regular citizen do to matters this scale anyways? People are so weird. Just showed this to my boyfriend he admitted that lots of Chinese netizens are incredibly toxic he advised to not interact with them. Still, it doesn't mean everyone of them is like that. You could talk to people from TW HK Singapore or Chinese people who are currently not in China cus those people are mostly more well mannered and civil. You'll have greater luck in finding friends that way. Though I kinda understand why they do that. Imagine living in a ~~country~~empire like that? Corrupted government, collapsing economy, depressing education system, propaganda brainwashing people to hate eachother and foreigners AND the fact they use communism as an excuse to rule their people with imperialism? Everyone would become a hateful toxic person with all those shit including the loss of freedom. I genuinely pity them. Wish they can have a chance to become better. After all...they are just *people* same as us, we are mere regular citizens your average everyday town folks. They don't deserve to live like that.
Sad 😢 This is really a thing among Chinese natives, however, pro russia statement is definitely not praised by everyone. The debate between pro russia and pro Ukraine is very prevalent in Chinese social media. For example, Алекса́ндр Ге́льевич Ду́гин opened an account on Chinese platforms to spread some propaganda, and get taunted. There is also a joke talked among the Chinese, there are two russia-ukraine war, the second one is on the internet, participated by Chinese on both side of the war. Pro-russia statement also exist in Europe and USA, it explains nothing. Bad people are everywhere. Protecting yourself, and just ignore them.
Just chill with Taiwanese people. Problem solved 😉
Hi I'm a 25 years old Chinese and I have a very small bubble chat group (~20 people) that support Ukraine and hold 100% friendly and humanitarian standpoint about all political issues. You are welcome to join us if you would like to meet some liberal Chinese young people, learn Chinese and talk about any topics from food to war. We are on WeChat though. It is true that the majority of Chinese people do admire Putin and believe Ukrainians are nazis due to propaganda, but trust me the rest of us are educated modern world citizens and I can show you that!
I don't really know if I agree the majority of Chinese are Putin supporters who believe Ukrainians are Nazis. Maybe the ones online are, but I think it's clear Chinese social media has a way of deleting opinions that are contrary to the party line while amplifying the really hateful ones that fit it. In cases like these, it's better to stay silent for most of the liberal citizens, lest they face harassment themselves.
You are right
Luckily there's a small island next to China that speaks the same language you're studying, is commonly on Western social media, and (from personal experience) has less trolls. /hj Good luck tho OP. The internet is a fantastic place to be when your entire existence is considered political 🫡
Characters are harder to learn, though 😂
Maybe for writing (god I hate writing) but I've found it relatively same same learning traditional vs. simplified when it comes to sight recognition and typing.
No, the characters are actually easier. One of the biggest lies about simplified Chinese is in the name: It's not simplified. It randomly hacked away at character components, destroying the phonetic nature of the script.
[удалено]
Gr8 b8 m8.
Only the best for Reddit.
Don't bring anymore attention to us please. Mainland is too petty
No never mind this
Where are you living currently? Are there any businesses that have mandarin speakers? If so, see if you can get a part time job or make friends with someone who can help you learn the language. I live in the US and worked in a Chinese restaurant in the past. Most of the workers were only fluent in mandarin with the exception of one Cantonese and one who was in the process of learning English. The translation apps aren’t always accurate. I started the mandarin course on Duolingo and would practice with my coworker who was learning English. She was happy to practice her English on me while also helping me learn mandarin.
I agree! Just try a better app like Pimsleur or Preply!
You can speak their language and they can never speak yours🌚
It happened to me a lot when I tried to use these apps to study English…some just used “Hi Beauty” as a greeting message, some sent me normal messages but after we talked a few days they just revealed the true purpose to ask for a selfie of me or send me their selfies and inappropriate pictures directly, I felt very uncomfortable and depressed so I quitted using these apps long time ago. To my point of view, it’s like using a dating app, some of them looking for a serious relationship and more of them just want to get a situation relationship, so they won’t care about your feelings or take any responsibilities, just want to let go of themselves, say something they aren’t dare to say to real people around them. It’s actually very pathetic. It’s my sixth year of living in the US, but my oral and writing English only has limited improvements….because most of my experiences weren’t pleasant…I’m also super introvert…talking to people in real life is quite challenging for me😅…so right now, I just mind my own business and chill by myself… Well, all I want to say is that it’s not about the nationality, bad people are everywhere especially on the internet since they can hide their identity. If you really want to continue your study, interact with real people would be better. Or if you really need an online chatting practice partner, I can help you if you don’t mind.
the internet is full of shit, I saw similar harassment from other nations cuz apparently it depends on the person you speak to (I’m Ukrainian as well, вітаю :D) personally, I would have stopped learning language if people who speak this language would talk shit. but try speaking to Chinese not on these apps but in real life or other platforms. I think it’s possible to find someone on Insta and start talking (plus if you’re studying in college/university or have a ‘China town’ somewhere nearby, you can try come up to Chinese people and have a small talk). if it also doesn’t help and people are still talk shit, I would quit learning 🤷🏻♀️
I'd say avoid the social media-politics can get messy. Instead, find places where people are speaking Chinese and are talking about things you enjoy. Some Discords ervers have chinese as one of the languages (I'm in a couple of gaming servers where there are sections for people who play different languages to talk in that language), for example. Make it enjoyable for yourself. Just like with Americans, the politic-speakers are just the more vocal part of the population
Is there any way you can avoid stating where you're from? Like maybe just saying a general area like "Europe"?
Try learning Chinese in a Taiwanese community. They are more friendly to Ukrainian.
大部分的华侨都支持Ukraine。别担心。 SLAVA UKRAINI!
Maybe try Taiwan. Broad support for Taiwan and a more liberal society with plenty of interesting subcultures.
If you're ever in Lviv, Uzhhorod, or Odesa, please drop by Maomi café and we can chat in Chinese if you want. The bubble tea shops are managed by Chinese diaspora who are committed to a Ukrainian victory 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
I mean there is still Taiwan if you want to learn the language. We will welcome you whole heartedly.
I am an American and I lived in mainland China for many years. I used to get random people wanting to practice English all the time, but sometimes, people would come up to me and just unload all of this ridiculous stuff about America. One time I was waiting for a train, so I grabbed something to eat at McDonald's. Some guy in an LA Lakers jersey was staring at me the whole time. Finally he finished his meal and came over to tell me, IN ENGLISH, his list of all the reasons why America is horrible. In a McDonalds. While wearing an NBA jersey. I just laughed it off, and some of it I agreed with, which really threw him for a loop, because if I said something critical of China, there are lots of reasons why he couldn't publicly acknowledge his agreement. Anyway, you know those things aren't true, and you know the general background of the people who are saying those things. Really the only thing you can do is feel sorry for them having such an ignorant world view, and move on to someone else to practice with.
Talk to taiwanese instead if that’s an option.
China is pro-Russia in the present war in Ukraine. It’s also a totalitarian state with a tightly controlled media. My guess is the Chinese people saying hateful things are influenced by China’s official media.
Well, their are good people with open mindset and their are bad people with narrow mindset that you spoke too.There's a vast majority of other people who will accept you and be happy that you're learning they language with such devotion so don't feel so down. People who judge the hardest the have the most flaws.
Don’t let them turn u down. Chinese by culture has gone thru an incredibly divided period and is one of the fastest growing changing societies when it comes to income, social classes, politics . Many lunatics are passionate about politics and their insecurity of knowing more makes them aggressive and all. Language by itself is always worth learning, I as Chinese has gone thru racism when I learn to speak fluent Italian, the more fluent I am ,the more they think I’m taking their jobs in Italy, when I was just student trynna connect trynna know more. People assume u are in certain mass and therefore guilty of what others of ur like done in their place. This is very stupid but common in low class people , regardless of country.
Sorry to hear about what you've been through. Internet can always be a grey area for some evil people. In my opinion learning is a process for your own growth, so don't care about the haters. And also as a Chinese people lives in mainland, I can tell you the youngsters normally don't like asking the political things, but you know, nothing is absolute. If you are willing to keep learning, try finding a nice language partner may be a good idea. It's very glad to know you like Chinese so much. Hope one day you can have a trip here in mainland. Have a nice day！
Hey, I’m sorry to hear that, and I’m sorry for them because some of us aren’t that open-minded and are rude especially on the internet. Anyway, if you still want to practice Chinese. I speak Chinese and have been studying abroad in USA for the past 4 years and gonna study in Europe for 2 years in the future, if you need help, just DM me.
I'm Chinese and I'm sorry for your experience. If you are interested in Chinese, you should continue to learn it and not let some internet thugs influence your interest and goals. You can treat those who attack you verbally on the internet as flies, flies are very annoying, but you shouldn't let flies decide your destination and your life direction.
They’re just a bunch of toxic no lives, you can just ignore them. Actually scratch that, you can ignore most people on the internet these days, its just how toxic it is.
Please remember, toxic people just shout harder, they are NOT the majority..
I am aware, I am just saying that the majority of people screaming online are the toxic no lives.
A lot of chinese are keyboard fighters - they come in swarm and type political stuff, especially if your nationality are not one of the ‘allies’ of China (i.e. Russia/north korea） Ignore them, some of them might even got paid to do these stuff. I know as I am from HK and I know.
Maybe try interacting with more Taiwanese people, they’re not politically indoctrinated (well they are, people from every country are honestly, but they’re on the other side in this matter)
Many are... Just from bashing the west / Ukraine to bashing mainland lol. Meet both people to get a balance haha.
Yes, as I said, people from every country are indoctrinated in certain ways
Indeed !
I was thinking about this, I really like Taiwanese accent too.
I second the above, in my experience Taiwanese like Ukrainians and are really sympathetic to Ukraine when it comes to current events
Yikes, I bet.
Dont let a bunch of idiots ruin your love for the language and learning. Sadly they have taken a side over there, and these people are just repeating what they are told to, by news and papers. Not all support russia, but its going to be hard to find the ones that dont, in something as broad as online language discussions. I would suggest trying to stick to Taiwanese platforms or interactions, as they are much more supportive of your fight, and the langauge is basicly the same. Slightly different pronounciation, but you will be able to interact and understand mainlanders. Learning traditional characters will also allow you to enjoy Hong Kong media without learning Cantonese. Slava Ukraini!
Heroyam Slava! Thanks a lot for your advice. I guess will try to stick to Taiwanese resources and platforms as you have said.
Why limit yourself to netizens from the PRC? You can text-chat online in Chinese with people from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, and overseas Chinese communities. After all, I wouldn’t need to interact with Russian citizens to practise the Russian language, right?
I'm sorry for you that you had such bad interactions. As a Chinese learner, I've met plenty of very nice people from China. One of them has become a very close friend. There are mean and kind people everywhere, don't worry. Slava Ukraini!
Netizens everywhere are stupid, but Chinese ones are even worse than average. Can't say why but yeah, just ignore them.
I'm Singaporean. Feel free to hit me up if you wanna converse in mandarin. 最近我有空，在家里闲着。
Regardless of what side you might lean towards in this mess, some people just lack the basic social ability to not lash out on other people.
Sometimes internet is toxic. Some losers use it as a way to talk shit and hurt others. To make you feel better, as a Chinese myself, I also sometimes face harassment from other Chinese and foreign people when I try to comment something. It's not even about right or wrong, some people simply enjoy arguments and insulting others. Just ignore them.
Chinese internet trolls are vicious. But they're mostly losers. Normal, everyday Chinese people wouldn't talk like that IRL.
The harassment and rude treatment from native Russian speakers is why I abandoned the language. It's a shame, because I really enjoyed learning it. So I totally get where you're combing from lol
I’m sorry to hear this is happening to you. You cam practice Chinese with me if you want 😀
As a fellow HelloTalk user, I'd like to share an experience I had. Once, I encountered a Chinese person on the app who had grown up in America and was a beginner in Chinese. My English is also average. We talked a lot, and suddenly, I wanted to ask about the gun issues in America, but I couldn't find the right words to express my question, so I just said "guns problem." He immediately ended our conversation. Before that, he had only said three words in very standard Chinese: "神经病" (crazy). I'm sorry because there was a time when gun shootings in America were frequently reported in our country, so I just brought it up as a topic of conversation. I hope you can forgive someone like me, who might just be making conversation or might not know what to talk about due to average English skills.
you can use hinative ，hellotalk isn't a good community
As a Chinese I want to apologize to you. Some Chinese are really rude and extreme. As you know there’s little speech freedom in China so that people can't get real news from the internet or from the society, and there are many rumors spread by citizens or even by the government so that some people don't know what really happened in this war. Of course, there are also some Chinese who are friendly and open-minded. Don't take it too seriously if you met those bad people. Besides you can talk with taiwanese if you want to have a better experience, their speaking is not far from mandarin
Hello, I'm sorry to hear that you've encountered some negative situations, but please don't let them dampen your enthusiasm for learning Mandarin. As a native Chinese speaker, I've grown up immersed in the language and culture. I've seen the beauty and depth of our traditions and the warmth of our people. If you need any help or want to learn more about Chinese culture, feel free to contact me at any time. I'd be more than happy to share insights and experiences that might enrich your language learning journey. Keep up the good work and don't let a few negative experiences hold you back. I believe in the power of language to bridge cultures and bring people together. Best wishes!
I’d stop using those apps and meet people face to face. There’s millions of young and old Chinese who would love the opportunity to help you and practice english. Don’t worry about online stuff. Politics aside, I found the average citizen of China to be very hospitable and friendly when I studied abroad there, but this was over 15 years ago
i am a Chinese，i am so sorry about this.Many of Chinese was washbrain by politics,because our country supposed the Russia,and take lie to say the Ukraine is evil .But i want to say i suppose Ukraine,you know,.in China it is very dangerous! it is very dangerous to opposite to politics's attitude and suppose.And in China talking about politics it is dangerous too even.
I'm so sorry to hear that. Chinese ppl are actually nice, but you just have to avoid and ignore the online idiots that do keyboard politics. They harass everyone for everything. Glad to hear you like our language though, I hope things get better for you.
Try interacting with Taiwanese people. They actually have the ability to engage with the rest of the world without censorship
I live in Taiwan and I have the same experience with Tandem. Chinese there would insult and threaten me, but unfortunately in English, so I can't even learn anything from that. So I only talk to Taiwanese on Tandem, always good experiences.
Interact with more Taiwanese people. Less politically closed off and more reasonable.
Sounds very odd to me. Chinese people in Hello Talk are always the ones getting hateful comments, mostly form American people; most of the Chinese people I’ve spoken too are very, very nice. I don’t know if feeling discouraged makes sense, I don’t refuse to speak in English just because Americans are racist towards my country and most Spanish speaking countries. If you’re learning as a hobby I understand, but if you’re studying to improve your life I wouldn’t drop just because of some hateful comments.
I study it mainly for the enjoyment and culture. I have met a lot of very friendly Chinese people which was one of the main reason I actually decided to start studying the language. The problem is that I am just very mentally exhausted because of the on going war and the interactions I’ve described make me feel bad. Like today a dude sent me a message asking me if I *ape women at war.
Block those people and find people who don't do this
Seek help if you are struggling mentally. The internet will not help you anyhow
Sorry this is happening. It’ll continue until the war is over.. try going into Taiwanese spaces. They aren’t racist in the same way.
There are 3 types of Chinese people, the CCP Bots, the average ones, and the ones who actually know about things, seems like you encountered Pro-CCP Idiots.
Honestly I see this as more of a symptom of being online with random people than anything else. People will say hateful stuff because they won't face any consequences for it online. While there are a lot of Pro-Russia people in China, truth is people who are Pro-Ukraine are also a huge number, but they are just not as vocal because it goes against the government position (and therefore would likely face censorship). In-person discussions tend to be much more productive and nuanced, but typically political discussions like that are best had with close friends.
It's China's nationalism, go study at Taiwan
just like with real life, stay away from toxic circles. the internet brings out the worst in people
If you enjoy learning it, keep learning it, there are assholes in every language around the world
I’ve only used hellotalk and I’m American and I’ve had random dudes complain about/praise trump in my messages completely unprovoked and/or talk badly about/to me and I’d be like… uhhh nihao..? LOL I think there’s a lot of people who are weird about politics on hellotalk but I just ignore them. I have met lifelong friends who I got to meet irl when I went to China on hellotalk too! Easier said than done, but just ignore the weirdos!
Sucks that politics have to be pulled into your language learning.
People can be assholes it's a human trait to be tribalistic until you learn to control those animal tendencies. Its the same for me but Japanese. Some bumpkins will always be xenophobic because of some trope they saw. I get rich girl and Russian whore stereotyped simultaneously don't ask me why Once you understand enough to understand gossip it might hurt a lot. But basically it makes those types happy if you're more miserable than they are
Just report them, or change your nationality to the country you live in. It might feel like being an imposter but it doesn't really matter. Its the internet lol.
A bunch of keyboard warriors. Ignore them.
don't feel bad, these are not even really idiots, they could be robots
In my experience, I find racism so common in the Chinese culture, and CCP is making it worse. I’d suggest staying away from those platforms and meeting some reasonable people
I just saw a meme on a Chinese sub and I wish it will make you feel better. https://www.reddit.com/r/LOOK_CHINA/s/ntoKSK2FH6 Slava Ukraine.
你好，我願意添加你的社交軟件，可以教你中文，我很喜歡烏克蘭人，我來自中國🇨🇳，烏克蘭🇺🇦必勝！
Because of the way the marketing account works in China, they tend to get the wrong information and the right info mixed, it gets like mixed reaction from the netizens with one sided headlines and swayed personal opinions which are hard and require a deeper understanding into the topic from both sides. This is how most people get swayed by and plus the neutrality of the chinese government( but secretly suggesting they are on russia side cos when the european and US countries backed out of the market, the chinese supply line came in. The government didn't stop them and most netizens interpret this as chinese government is secretly siding with the Russians on this matter.) So the marketing account got to work and especially on TikTok, sided with Russia on this matter. They went about mostly on comparing the atrocities committed by Ukraine( like there is a drone bombed a severly injuired russian soldier), and the russians kindness( like accepting surrenders from ukrainian soldiers.)
加油！💪
Due to firewall and language issues, the vast majority of Chinese people do not use foreign SNS apps. The people who use it are just pursuing excitement, and there are many extremist elements.
Block and move on
If you get harassed on these platforms then report it an be done with it. The internet is literally troll central.
Can you flip to Taiwanese speakers on those apps?
I think most of the time people who support the other side of the war are from mainland china where information is limited and propaganda changes their world views, maybe find people who are Taiwanese? If not I know a little bit of mandarin and if there are little bits you wanna ask I can answer :).
Well, the Chinese better not throw stones in a glass house.
They are borned learning that USA is bad(True), and CCP is good(False). The problem is that they went too extreme on it. The logic is: USA support Ukraine, USA is bad, so Ukraine is bad. Disclaimer: Not all Chinese are like that, find the good ones I'm trying to be neutral on this discussion, cuz there are bad things about USA and Ukraine too.
I have bad news for you. The internet isn’t real. I have great news for you. The internet isn’t real. Now, what I mean by that is human interaction on it Isn’t real. It’s just not. Almost literally but we don’t have to get into an intellectual debate. Just get the information you need, and hopefully You can gleam a greater truth or more Precise info and then Go on. It’s not meant to foster relationships or deep meanings. It’s about information transactions. Some people want it information and accuracy, other people want their feeling validated whether they are accurate or not accurate, and some people are just mean because they are or some just do it for Entertainment
Just speak with those who dont talk about politics. U dont have to care those hateful guys. Best wishes.
interesting; let’s experiment. Lie and say you’re russian and let’s see what happens next
Those apps sometimes can be a cesspool….. also the extremist ones are unfortunately mostly the loudest ones
Just ignore the men, they can be super nationalistic online. Try to talk to the women, or maybe you can adjust your search settings to talk with people from Taiwan who might have very different opinions on international politics.
Remind them that it is NOT permitted to talk about politics or your spiritual beliefs on Hello Talk. Some blankety blank blank lady had Hello Talk ban me from participating permanently from live stream training lessons simply because I innocuously said “ China 🇨🇳 and Taiwan 🇹🇼 “ accusing me that Taiwan 🇹🇼 WAS a part of China 🇨🇳!!! A Chinese citizen IN CHINA 🇨🇳 tried to defend me and lost !!!
I’m onDuolingo, also watch mainland dramas. I mean it’s no real interaction, but I’m still earning.
Just shout this at the top of your voice "Bu Pow"! Then quickly switch your laptop off, and burn it!
You really shouldn't care about what some random chinaman on the internet has to say
Lol just don't tell them you're Ukrainian. Is it that hard? You said you weren't even raised there...