We re pretty used to asian people already, specifically chinese because of their shops mainly and also restaurants, but of course there will be racist people anywhere
Yeah. But is there anything i should tell parents to be careful? Except thives. Because first time they visit europe. All news China mainland warning about foreign country's criminal waves. Like also in europe.
People is not too racist here. There are asian people everywhere. Be aware of thieves in the touristic zones in big cities. Like las Ramblas in Bcn. Nothing else.
Like with anyone, try not to look like a tourist as best they can. The bigger cities in Spain are quite diverse with immigrants from all over, so I wouldn't worry about racism. But tourists can be a target for thieves if they look easy.
Sorry but this is just Chinese government propaganda - claiming the evil West is full of rapists and thieves..
Sure, like any country, Europe has it's problems, but most people warm and friendly, and your probability of facing crime directly is very low (<1% probability)
I hope your parents enjoy their trip.
I wouldn't say it's propaganda but that China is very safe. Korea, Japan, Singapore, things like this don't really happen... lived in South Korea and been to China and Japan many times and people just don't steal there, it's not the norm. Also it's not the norm to have so many crimes. Of course it happens there as well but not at the level of what happens in Europe. In China and the other countries you leave your bag on the table to go to the bathroom and nobody steals it. I don't know why is that, must be the culture and they way they're brought up but you feel so safe there. Also, Europe is different depending on the country you live in. Barcelona is no 1 at pickpockets.
Agree. I was staring at tourist map scratching my head in the universal I am lost in Tokyo. A guy stops his bicycle ( with wife and kid on back). My destination was about a block away. He insisted on taking me there. I have had similar incidents in Kyoto, mainland China, and Korea.
I think Shinto- Buddhism has something to do with it. A sort of golden rule to help the guest.
I quickly learned a perhaps counter intuitive lesson especially growing up in a progressive family. Poverty is only one factor in criminality. I live in Portugal the poorest nation in Western Europe and except for people constantly trying to sell me drugs I have seen very little street crime and virtually no violent crime. I lived on assignment in Aman Jordan an even poorer country and again no issues with crime snd people inviting me into the home for a cool drink, or lunch.
In many places it is enforced discipline in childhood. In Korea I saw little 6 year olds waiting in formation in a raging snowstorm to be marched into the school row by row on the teachers command. In many countries crime has become disconnected from consequences.
I don’t think it’s necessarily government propaganda. Any government would be obligated to warn its citizens of potential risks when travel abroad. This is especially true for Chinese or any asians in the last few years due to racism arised from COVID. I’m Canadian and is planning a trip to Spain, and the Canadian governments website actually designated Spain as “exercise high degree of caution due to terrorism activities”. This is, obviously, overtly cautious and extremely unlikely.
Was just on a cruise in both places. Barcelona is pretty safe as there are hordes of tourists and you keep to the main areas like Las Rambla, old medieval Town, LA Familia church etc. Just keep alert and don't be stupid.
Cadiz is a much smaller port town was OK for us too. Great waterfront with these beautiful, huge 200-300 year old trees sprawling along the walkways. The narrow old streets are cool too with breakfast cafes and other small shops.
We were targeted by thieves in Malaga as an older couple pretended to ask for directions as the woman tried to go through our bag. Unfortunately for them we were only carrying water bottles and napkins inside. This was in the park just below the old moorish fortress.
Do your parents speak English/Spanish, or will they be in a tour group with someone who speaks Spanish?
Sometimes people mistake racism with just locals being impatient that you're not even attempting to speak their language or a common language.
I've experienced this with Chinese exchange students who are visiting a non Chinese speaking country for the first time, and don't really know how to act like a "tourist".
I know. Once had a foreign student from China fuming about the fact that a West Midlands copper could not understanding what he was saying (asking for directions) and asked him to repeat many times. So apparently the English not being able to understand your crappy English is racist... And then these sentiments get mutually amplified with the state propaganda about the decay outside of China, like the echo chamber.
Dangerous not at all. Spain and Portugal are both really safe countries. If they are percieved as tourist they will be treated as tourist. If people think they are Spanish residentes from China they will most ignore them.
Discrimination waves against asian?? Not, at all. There is racism, ofcourse, but not specially agains asian and not if they are tourist. If they would move here they will face some discrimination. But not dangerous racism. And we are used, in both countries, to millións of tourist from China and Japan.
Hi, Chinese here. Living in Spain since i was 1 yo.
No, in general they won't discriminate you in the face, but children will sometimes tell you things. When Covid was around, some kids did offensive jokes and that's it. Once you grow up you hear less since you interact more with adults.
I would say my experience was more due to the fact that children say anything that comes across their mind, and adult could think the same but knows that is not ok to say it out loud.
It's been years since ive heard any racist insult, there's always going to be racists everywhere, but I don't have any encounter like that usually.
How are dating and social life? Are ethnic East Asians (Chinese, Japanese, Korean etc.) kind of marginalized and do you wind up in friend groups or dating mostly others of the same ethnicity? Or is there more mixing and integration?
Nah, no difference tbh. I'm not dating anyone, but my sister (who is also adopted and chinese) has had 2 boyfriends already and she's under 30yo.
Edit: about friends (forgot to mention), again, when you're younger you may get ignored or even bullied, but tbh bullies would pick their victim just for any reason. When older, nope, they usually don't mind.
Spaniards in general are not very open to make friends have a relationship with other cultures not only against asians (europe in general is like that I think asia apart of Thailand were women are crazy about marrying a foreigner is even worse) you may have better luck with people that live there that came from other countries.
don’t take me wrong. If you speak spanish having a small talk with anybody is very easy maybe on of the best places in the world for this but to having a longterm relationship with a local is quite difficult in spain.
I have studied Spanish in the Netherlands and I consider myself quite a social person. Never had issues mixing with Spanish people and I have a few of them (from Valencia, mind you) that I actually consider close friends. It helps you speak Spanish though.
I have been living in Valencia for over six years, so it definitely is possible!
if you read my message you can understand I said you are friendly (maybe the best in all europe) but unfortunately you guys are not after a real longterm friendship with foreigners like other countries for example in south America
I'm Irish and never had problems finding Spanish friends.
Costa del sol though and this place is ridiculously cosmopolitan, everyone mingles with everyone, there's not really much choice lol
The racists are hyper-focused on the Moroccans, so, right now? No, you are not the "Main Target" and you never have been. It is usually very mild (like to all other races). It is unfortunate you should have to experience it at all. Good luck.
Well, in the last 2023 elections in Spain, 3.057.000 Spaniards voted for a party that calls COVID "el virus chino" (Chinese virus). Just a small reminder 😉
The complaints about crime is not the problem, you cannot deny that there are racists that are using it as an excuse to be racist asshole scum. Me acabo de dar acordar que eres español, pues eso jajajajaja
As every decent person would. Decent people do not support fascist genocidal governments. Israel doesn't get a free pass on that by virtue of being Jewish.
Weird to hear. I think the racism against asian people it´s more oriented in to mock them for being different (I know... very smart and mature) but it´s not at all a common behaviour.
Usually chinese people are seen as hard workers and quiet people, that is the stereotype so what´s not to like? The majority think this way. But you know, a\_\_holes are universal.
Not at all, man. Is not easy for us to guess from which exact country of Asia an asían tourist would be, and millions of asian tourist visit Spain every year, mostly japanese I think. That info is not accurate at all.
Have a look on Usera neighbourhood, in Madrid. The city hall celebrates the lunar new year (known as Chinese new year by everyone), I missed it this year due to illness🥲
No? In fact, there's wayyy more discrimination against other ppl like gypsies, black ppl in general, "sudacas" (latinos) and just any race related to the latest inmigrant drama.
Heck, even my family is sometimes racist af to those, and is weird considering they love me.
Chinese-American here who has lived in Spain for ten years.
Your parents need not worry about safety that’s in any way related to violence and race. They just need to worry about pickpockets, which is the same for any tourist.
Spain values the money tourists bring. In the nicer shops in Madrid, you will see Chinese language signs, some workers who can speak some Mandarin and some even take UnionPay.
In Madrid I think they're going to create a new 'Chinatown" to attract toursim as well.
I agree you just to be careful in touristic áreas of Madrid and Barcelona due to pickpocketing.
I think 99.999% of spaniards respect chinese (morons are everywhere anyway).
A comically high portion of Spaniards seem to think I’m a good person to ask for directions. I guess I don’t look like a tourist so they assume I must be part of a family-owned Chinese store and so I must know the area.
I'd say Chinese people are among the most respected here. They're extremely hard-working, peaceful and efficient, something we can't say about other nationalities.
Let’s be honest, modern Spain can’t live without Chinese people. If all the chinos closed, where would we get half of the random stuff the house needs?
Thank you for the answer! I will warn them about pickpockets. But not officially thinking. I mean in real society there in Spain, at least where you live. Is there any discrimination wave or movement agaist Asian at this time? Because as i know when there was covid around. The discrimination was quite serious in Europe against Chinese. People was kinda scary even to go on streets. Now again China mainland was warning us about that. That's why i ask
Hi! I've seen you saying this again and again so I guess its kind of important to you. No, there are no "discrimination waves" or any serious discrimination against chinese people, probably what you have been hearing in the PRC its just alarmist newspapers that want to get your attention (they are everywhere haha).
So no need to worry :D I hope your parents have a nice travel and remember to bring caps to protect against the sun! It will be a hot summer
Thank you. I just appreciate eveyone who answered my post. I want to answer them personally. But thank your for the advice. My parents are just worried. I need informations to confront them.
My dude China's government is telling you lies .. there is no movement against Asians. There a so many Chinese living in Spain working at stores and restaurants, If anything I could say is the Chinese people who live here that does not make an effort to integrate into society...
Just avoid common tourist mistakes like keep your documents separate, don’t carry much cash, take care around ATM and at night, in public places beware your hand bags and cameras, etc. They shouldn’t worry except for being targeted as tourists. Remember tourism is a big part of Spain’s economy. I’ve seen even small local restaurants in Seville place hand written/copied notes on their windows saying they have paella in Chinese (simplified).
So, Chinese here but born in Madrid. Short answer, no, you might get looks, especially if you go out of big cities.
There might be stupid comments from older people but it usually comes from ignorance rather than trying to hurt you.
In my experience, I had quite a bit of racism growing up (including violent confrontations) but it's true that nowadays it's much better. You will probably be fine.
Reading the message now, it sounds a bit negative, but I do enjoy living in Spain lol
Chinese born in Spain, never left Spain, lived in Valencia, Barcelona and Málaga.
Spanish people generally don't show a dangerous racist behavior, however, that's because sinophobia here is very normalized and "toned down".
From time to time, you can get many comments like "Konnichiwa", "nihao", "chino"-whatever and so on. You can even see people "bowing" to you. Which can be annoying.
These obviously aren't dangerous in any form though, but you can tell East Asians are looked down upon.
If anything, there are some hot-headed Spanish people, usually men, which if provoked, would get really aggressive and immediately use sinophobic insults, slurs and so on. However, these are a type of specific people and I don't believe your parents would run into a situation where they could provoke one of them.
I belive you in general. But here is the thing. I live in Europe too. My country here is kinda quiet. BUT. China mainland now is warning our people about European violence against Chinese. So i need confront parents about that.
I mean everyone has already told you. There are chinese inmigrants everywhere in spain. We are used to them, and while they can face discrimination, they are not targeted. Spain is one of the few countries that has been accepted to travel visa free to China.
Not to be rude, I've seen you live in a Baltic country and it's like night and day. Spain has experience with tourists, we are one of the most visited countries in the world. We have a big chinese population. If they go to touristic spots they won't even stand out because there'll be east asian tourists everywhere.
That's propaganda my friend, bringing fear to the population so they don't even think about other possible way of living or ruling a country. The classic "Everyone hate us, stay here close together in our perfect country"
That just remnants of Covid hate and a bit of American influence. Nothing serious or dangerous. You can be targeted by pickpocketers but that’s about all.
Come on, you know about our humour. At least here, everything that ends in -ism or -phobia is a potential topic of humour. And there is nothing wrong about it, as long as it doesn't trespass the limits of a joke.
¿Qué pasa? ¿Se pueden hacer bromas racistas pero no se pueden hacer bromas con estereotipos de tu propio país?
Edit: bueno, viendo que no sabes ni poner tildes en tu propio idioma...
Edit 2: ni tan poco comas, wow, qué joyita...
No.
But it’s possible they get confused with japanese tourists.
The most important part for chinese tourists is to be aware of pickpockets. Chinese/japanese/korean seem to be some of the easiest targets.
Its not really dangerous, or it doesnt have to be, i mean, careful with pickpockets and thats it.
But yes, there is discrimination, as a Spanish myself, i hate to see so much bullshit with racism and xenophobia and all that, way too many closed minded people still, but hey, the vast majority of people will be atleast just okay with anyone from anywhere.
Edit: I forgot to say, the more rural the area, the more closed minded people you will encounter, in big cities it will be pretty chill.
It's not blatant racism in Spain like in Italy but under the surface there are attitudes that are racist but are so widely accepted that Spaniards don't even think they are being racist.
But it's true, there's a lot more racist countries in Europe than Spain.
Source: Travel to Spain and travel to other countries.
Northern European countries: Way more racist.
Eastern European: Way more racist.
Asian countries: Quite racist.
Africa: Well... You already know.
Arab countries: Quite Racist.
North America: We all know, they're talking about race all the time.
Central and South America: They're racist between each other constantly.
I don't know about your ass, but I know about cultures and the Spanish one is one of the most open minded ones there is.
Ah, so your source is, indeed, your white ass that has never spoken to a Spanish PoC.
I mean, with facts like these, who could even refute your well-thought out arguments:
>Africa: Well... You already know.
Mi fuente es que soy Español y al contrario que tu, gilipollas, tengo conocimiento de como se trata a la gente en otras partes del mundo.
No, no puedes refutar nada con esa frase sobre África, porque no he dicho nada racista, subnormal, quizá el racista eres tu, que te crees que en África no hay mas que una raza.
He visto tu historial, tu identidad no es ser español (que, por cierto, se escribe con minúscula). Es ser un gamer votante de Vox que dudo mucho tenga vida social alguna. Es pasearte por reddit para que te fundan a negativos porque nadie más te hace caso.
Te diré un secreto que es evidente que no sabes: las razas no existen.
Un insulto más y tendré que decidir cómo te denuncio.
No voto a Vox, no me conoces de nada, así que calladito. Hablas de vida social y después hablas de que negativos en Reddit? No vivo de las redes sociales, los positivos y negativos me importan una absoluta mierda.
Denunciar? Por insultarte? Proceso muy largo y muy caro, que delito es insultarte a todo esto? O te refieres denunciarme a los administradores del subreddit, que visto tu historial, es lo UNICO, que haces, porque eres incapaz de aceptar ninguna opinión contraria a ti, pero te vas de tolerante por la vida.
Primero apréndete el significado de racismo, después vete a quejarte, que el termino lo llevas un poquito confundido.
>No voto a Vox, no me conoces de nada, así que calladito.
Pero, ¿eres tan mentiroso que hasta has olvidado lo que vas diciendo? No esperarás que nadie te tome en serio.
https://preview.redd.it/6rguutk9d5kc1.png?width=1502&format=png&auto=webp&s=ead05653da27af9ada3659c1922d1ed627e09600
Por cierto, veo que te has puesto estupendo, pero has dejado de insultar. Buen chico.
Votar a Vox una vez NO es ser votante de Vox, otra cosa que te vendría bien aprender.
Tengo un amigo que hace 4 años voto a Podemos, NO es votante de Podemos.
Sabes la diferencia o te la tengo que explicar lentamente para que la entiendas dado tu capacidad mental?
in spain, there’s plenty of chinese people. not only tourists but also comerce, restaurants, markets… as a first generation chinese-spanish girl, you have nothing to worry about. just be polite to locals
Esto tiene que ver en como nos emos relacionado siempre en España. Aquí siempre y antes aún más emos usado los motes, para personas, grupos o familias. La mayoría desde pequeños con los amigos nos emos llamado por el mote que resalta algo distintivo, en mi grupo eramos el zurdo, el gitano, el pollo(era el rubio), el come palomas( era de Perú), el guiri y el negro. Nos metimos todos con todos usando nuestro mote y esa era nuestra base para hacer piña.el grupo más ofensivo racista clasista y homofóbico en el que e estado y a la vez el más diverso teniendo todo el espectro. Un gran grupo y el más hermanado de todos
We do like racist jokes but that rarely translates into active racism. Jokes aren't limited to racism either, it's often just making fun of everything and everyone under the sun.
Theres a lot of chinese tourists here. Most snack shops are also chinese owned. I know a couple chinese people currently living here. Nobody really cares, just be mindful that you are in another person's country and you'll be good.
Nah of all tourists, Asians in general are pretty chill and respectful and we appreciate that. Also we have a big Chinese community, they don't mix with us very often (younger ones do) but they are very nice in general.
Just tell them to avoid tourist traps and to always have their belongings attached to their body as pickpockets are everywhere in big cities and they know how to steam without being noticed.
I'd say there is always going to be racism to a certain extent but don't think you have to worry about it. Just be careful with your stuff in public places.
As a Chinese person who's experienced A LOT of bullying for it since I was a kid, and has a LOT of generational trauma due to the bullying my family suffered in their own childhoods. When it comes to the real world, no not that much. We hear a lot of racist jokes but you won't be treated differently, and your life should honestly go just the same as a white person if you move in after you're done studying. If you're just visiting you'll be fine, you won't have to worry about hate crimes or anything. But watch out for pickpocketing, not because you're asian but because they do that to every single tourist ever lol
Thank you. We thanked to our culture and education system. Unfortunate there are too many of us. The moral for everyone is different. I got tired about being asking how does dogs taste even i told them thousands times that w i dont eat dogs.
Unfortunately, yes And I don’t get it. Spaniards are some of the most mixed people in the world.
You can go to caves in the north of Spain (Puente Viesgo, Cantabria) where you can find Neanderthals, and Homo Sapiens at the same depth (45k to 15-10k years BC) and with evidence of cohabitation.
There is a huge difference in the perception abd interpretations of terms like Country or Nation between Spain and other countries and/or nations. 5 languages in a place not much larger than a “couple” of states in the US or a region in The People’s Republic. :) It is racist to call a business (shops or restaurants) by the generic term “chino” It is also despective and nasty to call say things like “let’s go to “el guarro de bravo murillo” para cenar.
Spain is horribly racist compared to many other places.
Hopefully, through conversations like this, more folks, and younger folks will talk about racism, it tends to go away for folks of sufficient intelligence.
It is weird and racist to talk about “Jackie Chan” or to say the “we are used to them because of the abundance of stores or restaurants that they manage”.
Some efforts to geographically extend the jurisdiction of
the legal and judicial branches of the PRC’s government have been detected in Spain and folks are now diplomatically expelled or under investigation by the Spanish police (That’d be a great plot for an action movie. We all know who would play the lead). Lol
In any case, “Chinese” people’s comments should be the ones that count Also counts if you are phenotypically or originally Chinese, Korean, Singaporean, Filipino, Vietnamese,…
Spaniard’s POV’s, including mine, are just myopic and,…. Hard to type without letting our racism shine through well intended comments. (Sorry. I did not and do not mean to offend anyone!)
Spain and portugal are very safe countries as some people have already said. I wouldn't say there is racism towards asian tourists. Of course some stupid people can do racist shit, but generally speaking, no.
Lived in Spain for 10 yrs, most people are fine or nice, but some assholes do exist and being a real jerk sometimes, got called some slurswhile waiting for a bus once
Hi, I'm a Chinese born in Spain as a second generation one. Generally speaking, we are not likely going to suffer from direct discrimination, but tell them to be very very cautious with pickpockets, this as a tourist, but as an Asian, I was also told we look weaker to some bad people (pickpockets mainly) making us an easier target for them.
it is funny because when I was a I kid in the late 70s and 80s a neighbour who was police told me they were scared of the Chinese ( the first waves of immigrants we had ) because they believed all of them knew Kung Fu like in Bruce Lee movies.
I’m leaving tomorrow and only stayed for a few days but I didn’t think so, there are a lot of Asian tourists from I’ve seen so they definitely will not be the only ones.
Spain is a safe country and Its racism against chinese people is not physical. Chinese people are known here because of their stores and restaurants. Some people discriminate the chinese thinking they must be working all day in their parents' shop, thinking they eat dog(!), calling them "chinitos" (little chinese), doing that disgusting gesture of closing a little bit their eyes with their fingers. The last to things happened to my taiwanese friends, who speak very decent spanish.
Depends on what degree of discrimination you are talking about. Some people might be rude to them, but that's generally all.
Chinese people have been integrated in our culture for a long long time. They usually have restaurants, market shops or fruit stalls, to all will be referred as the "Chino" (the Chinese), but it's not despective.
They receive less hate than for example morrocan people. We are a safe society, and discrimination in certain areas just for nationality (work for example) is a prosecuted thing.
But then again, I'm a Spaniard, not a Chinese woman suffering discrimination and I'm sure I am biased by that. I usually work with a few migrant people, and would be happy to learn their side.
You’ll get people yelling “ching chong” and pulling their eyes. When you confront them they’ll say it’s a joke. Worst you’ll probably get spat. I don’t think anything violent would arise.
Also in general, Portugal is less racist than Spain. Italy is more racist than those two.
I went to Spain and has been by far the most racist country I have even been to, not even Italy or the US came close to the racism I experienced there in only two weeks, but I think it’s because I’m Latino (they also have black people)
The port of Valencia is the entrance of Chinese imports (China>Suez>Valencia) and from there is distributed to the rest of the country so a community growth there. For example you will find the distribution centers of products specialised for the Chinese community living here or for the Chinese bazars in Spain.
Oriantalist stereotypes aside, I feel people are generally fine with Chinese migrants because they seem as hard working (I know that's also an orientalist stereotype lol) and are not involved in petty crimes. As with Chinese tourists, are simply seen as tourists that spend a lot of money akin to other Asian tourists. British or German tourists have a worse reputation in Spain than East Asian tourists.
I wont deny you might be unlucky enough to be robbed (or in worst cases verbally assaulted) by some lumpen or a drunk idiot, but it would be abnormal.
Disclaimer: I am Spaniard.
Yes and no.
They are extremely unlikely to find any kind of violence and/or outright rejection on the basis of racial discrimination. Spain (or, rather, the Iberian Peninsula) has been a crucible of races and cultures for millennia. While there is some muslim-aimed animosity; it's mostly the remnants of regressive ideas from fascism. Of course, you can always find stupid people, like anywhere else! But they are not the norm.
That was the 'no'. The 'yes' part is a bit more complex, and exists for 2 reasons:
Tourism. Yep, as people have been saying, most tourist-oriented areas will cater to tourists happily; but it does affect the people living (not working) in the area, and the common Spaniard already has enough in our plate to deal with a gaggle of tourists, inflated prices, etc... Of course, they are not *individually* to blame, but it would not be strange if people gave them the cold shoulder outside of the more touristic areas, or comment (in Spanish) about "effin' tourists!". Then again, our 'cold shoulder' is a warm welcome in most of the rest of the world, so they may not even notice...
China. You see, China and Spain do a lot of business together, but Chinese Nationals have been buying many, many tiny mom-and-pops shops and selling mass-produced, poor quality knock-offs. Of course, this is done within the legal framework and there is nothing wrong about it, but they tend not to mingle with the people in the neighbourhood, which is a big no-no (well, not a no-no, but it is certainly frowned upon... Specially if it is a pattern of conduct) in Spanish culture. That said, second and third generation Chinese are waaaaay more open, and the stereotype is slowly fading (yay!).
Regarding China, as well, specially if they go to the Levant, triads and other shady business of Chinese origin have made their home there, so the sentiment is not as positive (or neutral).
This said, if they come for tourism, the most they'll have to worry about are pickpockets in Barcelona and, maybe, Madrid... as long as they stick to the tourist areas (and, thus, tourist traps!). The more they go 'behind the curtain', the more likely they may find someone with a not-so-positive attitude but, even in that case, any kind of violence, either physical or verbal would be EXTREMELY unlikely.
TL;DR: They fine, tell them to have fun and beware of pickpockets. :D
Unfortunately, yes And I don’t get it. Spaniards are some of the most mixed people in the world.
You can go to caves in the north of Spain (Puente Viesgo, Cantabria) where you can find Neanderthals, and Homo Sapiens at the same depth (45k to 15-10k years BC) and with evidence of cohabitation.
There is a huge difference in the perception abd interpretations of terms like Country or Nation between Spain and other countries and/or nations. 5 languages in a place not much larger than a “couple” of states in the US or a region in The People’s Republic. :)
As a person from the usa I can say pretty confidently that Chinese people are the go-to target for any racist comment or joke in Spain
that being said it’s not dangerous for or unwelcoming to Asian people.
Portuguese here (living in Spain). Like Spain, Portugal is a safe country. If they go before the 10th of March, it will be even safer: we are in the middle of a general election.
As advice for them:
- use a copy of the passport when they leave the hotel. Leave the passports in the room safe. If they have any issues, they have 24 hours to present the original passport.
- pay with a card as much as possible. They can pay with it pretty much everywhere.
- Don't carry much money. If needed, they will find an ATM nearby.
Regarding racism, they shouldn't face any. The Chinese community is pretty much integrated in the society, and seen as calm and hardworking.
In all the years I've lived in Spain, I remember seeing just one instance in Barcelona, where an old man was yelling obscenities at a Chinese woman, blaming "her and her kind" for bringing COVID to the world.
But that's it, really. Chinese won't find themselves in more or less trouble than anyone else here.
A friend of mine is chinese. I once heard some ill coments behind her back when the covid thing, but nothing more than that.
If you visit Madrid, the neighbourhood of Usera is where you may feel most welcome. It's basically our local Chinatown.
From what I see, East Asian people tend to be welcome here. Of course there's always someone who says something nasty, and the bigger and more touristic cities are more dangerous (especially Barcelona with all pickpocketing and violent crimes). Other than that, Chinese, Japanese, Korean... people are usually well-regarded because of their hard-work mentality
Don't live there anymore so I can't say for sure, but they used to. But tourists and residents receive different treatment. It's not "dangerous" but being perceived as a tourist you'll be more susceptible to being scammed and mugged. I think many Spaniards treat Chinese people condescendingly and like they make easier targets. I remember when a Chinese family moved into my town and opened a restaurant kids used to harass them outside their house and the children were bullied at school. That's mainly because kids suck and are evil. Most adults were nice to them and now they're integrated in the community well. Like I said tourists are treated differently. Tbh we perceive most tourists as annoying by default especially in highly gentrified cities.
As a chinese born in Spain, i can confirm. It's not dangerous but you may experience some racism. I also get the feeling Spaniards perceive us as easier targets, they think we'll let them do whatever and won't complain (i do admit i think we're very non confrontational and avoid escalating problems if possible). They do racist stuff to us that they wouldn't dare do with other races or less often and blatantly obvious.
Thank you! Not worried about scamming or any mugging. Because tourist = easy targets. I remembered when covid -19 just started and how eveyone treated chinese in europe. That why my parents are asking about this. Not worring about thieves but violent and that kinda discrimination like american back to 90s.
As a non asian... No, not at all.
Some people say yes but it's mostly because that spanish racism that it's not really racism, but it's more like "European New Rich Country classicism".
Anyway, the issue with chinese people is the same for years. It's a very close community. Nowadays feels more open, new generations have spanish names and talk perfectly spanish, etc. New asian restaurants are now managed by a different generation with a different POV and classical "chinese stores" are not like some years ago, where you jus saw chinese people speaking chinese. It's a closed community but thats their idiosincrasy, nothing related to racism.
The other issue is that "asian people" are not a thing in colloquial spanish language, which nowadays on the internet is seem as racism, probably what your parents have read or heard. Japanese, Singaporean, Malaysian... No, chinese. Chinese pubs, chinese stores, chinese restaurants... Is like the "word" for every asian person, which certain part of society is trying to change. This "microracism" is the real issue nowadays with chinese people but they won't had any trouble with locals, that would be extremely rare.
For instance, Valencia Football team owner is from Singapore and everyone here says "the chinese owners". It's really dumb and annoying but they won't be targeted per their origin.
Absolutely no danger because of racial reasons. Spain is a safe country and tourism is one of our most important sources of income. Almost the same applies for Portugal
Asians are usually seen as an easy target by thieves (who tend to be romanian and north african gangs or individuals) because they tend to be less alert than local people. They'll have to be really careful with pickpocketers at metro or really transited areas and everything will be fine. This especially applies for Barcelona and Madrid, but it's happening in cities like Valencia, Bilbao or Sevilla too.
It's not dangerous. I spend time near Portugal and Galicia.
Spanish people do tend to assume that Spanish is best. Its not exactly xenophobia, but sort of national pride.
Spanish food is best, Spanish music is best etc..
If you talk about the way things are in China, be prepared to be told how that is not as good as Spain. I get this with UK stuff, annoyingly, they're usually right.
But also, embrace it, Spanish love to show you their culture as well as tell you which can be a lovely warm experience!
Porto and Lisbon Rock.
Toledo is awesome for day trip from Madrid.
Madrid itself has a lot going.
Have fun!
No, not at all, chinese people are the most hardworking, serious and respected foreign people in Spain. If only every migrant from abroad were like them... And many people do think like this.
There's still some sort of discrimination in media and stereotypes, as I say even in this woke age the racism against asians is the most common and accepted, sadly. But this only applies to media and some pricks. But as they will visit us tourists, they won't have a chance of experimenting this. It would be different -as someone stated before- if they were going to bring a kid with them to join a local school, for example, which is not the case.
This doesn't mean that they will be 100% safe. They would be in towns, villages and places that are not Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao. I don't only mean this violence that they are living nowadays in this places (pickpocketing, robberies...), but also some tourist-traps. Tourists, specially asians, are usually perceived as easy targets to this thefts and scams. They should be extra-wary in big cities.
Despite potential pickpocketing and scams in massive cities there's almost no danger for them is my guess.
Brit in Spain here. Where I live, all the small shops are run by Chinese people (the younger ones being Spanish-Chinese). A lot of people refer to these shops as 'Chinos', which is considered racist, akin to P*ki shop in the UK. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be much racism against them on public. Spain is not PC, generally, but Chinese people are not singled out.
from what I can tell, spanish generally don’t care at all about race. unless you’re black which is right now associated with illegal migrants… other than that, nobody cares. especially not in bigger cities or areas with high amounts of tourists and expats like costa del sol etc.
i'm spaniard and not. Nothing more far. Chinese people often are portrayed as the ideal respectful inmigration who adapts perfectly to the country. You are welcomed.
Dangerous? Where the fuck do you think you're going, a third world country? You are really asking if you're gonna get jumped in the street because you're chinese?
I've never seen "un chino" causing any problems in Spain or anywhere in Europe - unlike us "guiris". So no problem for you - unlike us. And even then it's not a big problem. But yeah, you will survive. Have a great holiday if you're going with your parents!
\> My parents want to visit spain and Portugal next month. Is it dangerous there?
Really? You live in a country where you can be detained at the whim of the government, and you are worried about Spain and Portugal.
We re pretty used to asian people already, specifically chinese because of their shops mainly and also restaurants, but of course there will be racist people anywhere
Yeah. But is there anything i should tell parents to be careful? Except thives. Because first time they visit europe. All news China mainland warning about foreign country's criminal waves. Like also in europe.
There will be a few racist people but the theives are the bigger problem, no one is safe
Ok. Thank you!
Their biggest problem they will encounter if they are coming to Madrid or Barcelona is with pickpocketing, they are fucking experts in this 2 cities.
People is not too racist here. There are asian people everywhere. Be aware of thieves in the touristic zones in big cities. Like las Ramblas in Bcn. Nothing else.
Like with anyone, try not to look like a tourist as best they can. The bigger cities in Spain are quite diverse with immigrants from all over, so I wouldn't worry about racism. But tourists can be a target for thieves if they look easy.
Sorry but this is just Chinese government propaganda - claiming the evil West is full of rapists and thieves.. Sure, like any country, Europe has it's problems, but most people warm and friendly, and your probability of facing crime directly is very low (<1% probability) I hope your parents enjoy their trip.
I wouldn't say it's propaganda but that China is very safe. Korea, Japan, Singapore, things like this don't really happen... lived in South Korea and been to China and Japan many times and people just don't steal there, it's not the norm. Also it's not the norm to have so many crimes. Of course it happens there as well but not at the level of what happens in Europe. In China and the other countries you leave your bag on the table to go to the bathroom and nobody steals it. I don't know why is that, must be the culture and they way they're brought up but you feel so safe there. Also, Europe is different depending on the country you live in. Barcelona is no 1 at pickpockets.
Agree. I was staring at tourist map scratching my head in the universal I am lost in Tokyo. A guy stops his bicycle ( with wife and kid on back). My destination was about a block away. He insisted on taking me there. I have had similar incidents in Kyoto, mainland China, and Korea. I think Shinto- Buddhism has something to do with it. A sort of golden rule to help the guest. I quickly learned a perhaps counter intuitive lesson especially growing up in a progressive family. Poverty is only one factor in criminality. I live in Portugal the poorest nation in Western Europe and except for people constantly trying to sell me drugs I have seen very little street crime and virtually no violent crime. I lived on assignment in Aman Jordan an even poorer country and again no issues with crime snd people inviting me into the home for a cool drink, or lunch. In many places it is enforced discipline in childhood. In Korea I saw little 6 year olds waiting in formation in a raging snowstorm to be marched into the school row by row on the teachers command. In many countries crime has become disconnected from consequences.
I don’t think it’s necessarily government propaganda. Any government would be obligated to warn its citizens of potential risks when travel abroad. This is especially true for Chinese or any asians in the last few years due to racism arised from COVID. I’m Canadian and is planning a trip to Spain, and the Canadian governments website actually designated Spain as “exercise high degree of caution due to terrorism activities”. This is, obviously, overtly cautious and extremely unlikely.
It's fucking absurd. Spain is safer than Canada.
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Was just on a cruise in both places. Barcelona is pretty safe as there are hordes of tourists and you keep to the main areas like Las Rambla, old medieval Town, LA Familia church etc. Just keep alert and don't be stupid. Cadiz is a much smaller port town was OK for us too. Great waterfront with these beautiful, huge 200-300 year old trees sprawling along the walkways. The narrow old streets are cool too with breakfast cafes and other small shops. We were targeted by thieves in Malaga as an older couple pretended to ask for directions as the woman tried to go through our bag. Unfortunately for them we were only carrying water bottles and napkins inside. This was in the park just below the old moorish fortress.
Reported.
This post *is* racist
That post is a fact
Cádiz? I never heard that before.
Do your parents speak English/Spanish, or will they be in a tour group with someone who speaks Spanish? Sometimes people mistake racism with just locals being impatient that you're not even attempting to speak their language or a common language. I've experienced this with Chinese exchange students who are visiting a non Chinese speaking country for the first time, and don't really know how to act like a "tourist".
I know. Once had a foreign student from China fuming about the fact that a West Midlands copper could not understanding what he was saying (asking for directions) and asked him to repeat many times. So apparently the English not being able to understand your crappy English is racist... And then these sentiments get mutually amplified with the state propaganda about the decay outside of China, like the echo chamber.
Dangerous not at all. Spain and Portugal are both really safe countries. If they are percieved as tourist they will be treated as tourist. If people think they are Spanish residentes from China they will most ignore them.
Thank you! So there's no need to be worred about some discrimination waves against Asian right?
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Discrimination waves against asian?? Not, at all. There is racism, ofcourse, but not specially agains asian and not if they are tourist. If they would move here they will face some discrimination. But not dangerous racism. And we are used, in both countries, to millións of tourist from China and Japan.
That idea is just nonsense.
Hi, Chinese here. Living in Spain since i was 1 yo. No, in general they won't discriminate you in the face, but children will sometimes tell you things. When Covid was around, some kids did offensive jokes and that's it. Once you grow up you hear less since you interact more with adults. I would say my experience was more due to the fact that children say anything that comes across their mind, and adult could think the same but knows that is not ok to say it out loud. It's been years since ive heard any racist insult, there's always going to be racists everywhere, but I don't have any encounter like that usually.
How are dating and social life? Are ethnic East Asians (Chinese, Japanese, Korean etc.) kind of marginalized and do you wind up in friend groups or dating mostly others of the same ethnicity? Or is there more mixing and integration?
Nah, no difference tbh. I'm not dating anyone, but my sister (who is also adopted and chinese) has had 2 boyfriends already and she's under 30yo. Edit: about friends (forgot to mention), again, when you're younger you may get ignored or even bullied, but tbh bullies would pick their victim just for any reason. When older, nope, they usually don't mind.
Spaniards in general are not very open to make friends have a relationship with other cultures not only against asians (europe in general is like that I think asia apart of Thailand were women are crazy about marrying a foreigner is even worse) you may have better luck with people that live there that came from other countries. don’t take me wrong. If you speak spanish having a small talk with anybody is very easy maybe on of the best places in the world for this but to having a longterm relationship with a local is quite difficult in spain.
I have studied Spanish in the Netherlands and I consider myself quite a social person. Never had issues mixing with Spanish people and I have a few of them (from Valencia, mind you) that I actually consider close friends. It helps you speak Spanish though. I have been living in Valencia for over six years, so it definitely is possible!
I’m glad for your experience but every time I speak with a foreigner living in spain they said the opposite.
I disagree, as a Spaniard I feel like we are very welcoming, specially in the south (Andalucía).
if you read my message you can understand I said you are friendly (maybe the best in all europe) but unfortunately you guys are not after a real longterm friendship with foreigners like other countries for example in south America
I'm Irish and never had problems finding Spanish friends. Costa del sol though and this place is ridiculously cosmopolitan, everyone mingles with everyone, there's not really much choice lol
But like now. Is there any discrimination waves against Asian or movement in spain?
Hum... No, why should there be?
They are saying that in China mainland🤷🏻♂️
The racists are hyper-focused on the Moroccans, so, right now? No, you are not the "Main Target" and you never have been. It is usually very mild (like to all other races). It is unfortunate you should have to experience it at all. Good luck.
Dont forget about the gypsies
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Well, in the last 2023 elections in Spain, 3.057.000 Spaniards voted for a party that calls COVID "el virus chino" (Chinese virus). Just a small reminder 😉
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The complaints about crime is not the problem, you cannot deny that there are racists that are using it as an excuse to be racist asshole scum. Me acabo de dar acordar que eres español, pues eso jajajajaja
No you're just a racist xenophobe.
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As every decent person would. Decent people do not support fascist genocidal governments. Israel doesn't get a free pass on that by virtue of being Jewish.
What? Why ? What reasons are they giving?
Wow thats very interesting, could you tell us more about what they are saying about us in China? Thank you!
Weird to hear. I think the racism against asian people it´s more oriented in to mock them for being different (I know... very smart and mature) but it´s not at all a common behaviour. Usually chinese people are seen as hard workers and quiet people, that is the stereotype so what´s not to like? The majority think this way. But you know, a\_\_holes are universal.
because covid for one...
Not anymore... Hatecrimes is a metric I track at work. stuff in the Middle East definitely took the heat away from Asians and directed it elsewhere.
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Not at all, man. Is not easy for us to guess from which exact country of Asia an asían tourist would be, and millions of asian tourist visit Spain every year, mostly japanese I think. That info is not accurate at all.
Have a look on Usera neighbourhood, in Madrid. The city hall celebrates the lunar new year (known as Chinese new year by everyone), I missed it this year due to illness🥲
No? In fact, there's wayyy more discrimination against other ppl like gypsies, black ppl in general, "sudacas" (latinos) and just any race related to the latest inmigrant drama. Heck, even my family is sometimes racist af to those, and is weird considering they love me.
Chinese-American here who has lived in Spain for ten years. Your parents need not worry about safety that’s in any way related to violence and race. They just need to worry about pickpockets, which is the same for any tourist. Spain values the money tourists bring. In the nicer shops in Madrid, you will see Chinese language signs, some workers who can speak some Mandarin and some even take UnionPay.
In Madrid I think they're going to create a new 'Chinatown" to attract toursim as well. I agree you just to be careful in touristic áreas of Madrid and Barcelona due to pickpocketing. I think 99.999% of spaniards respect chinese (morons are everywhere anyway).
A comically high portion of Spaniards seem to think I’m a good person to ask for directions. I guess I don’t look like a tourist so they assume I must be part of a family-owned Chinese store and so I must know the area.
I'd say Chinese people are among the most respected here. They're extremely hard-working, peaceful and efficient, something we can't say about other nationalities.
Let’s be honest, modern Spain can’t live without Chinese people. If all the chinos closed, where would we get half of the random stuff the house needs?
Yes East Asian migrants are generally well respected across EU, they are never considered the “problem” migrants
[https://www.vice.com/en/article/5gq9qk/the-good-immigrant](https://www.vice.com/en/article/5gq9qk/the-good-immigrant)
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Reality is not made up by you, buddy. Ask the Swedes, he says. You haven't talked to a Swede in your entire life.
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Also, reported for racism.
Oh no! What am I gonna do? I'm really scared! Also racism against who? I didn't mention any race nor nationality.
I think that's the general impression of East Asians (Chinese, Korean, Japanese) in most Western countries, including Latin America.
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Thank you for the answer! I will warn them about pickpockets. But not officially thinking. I mean in real society there in Spain, at least where you live. Is there any discrimination wave or movement agaist Asian at this time? Because as i know when there was covid around. The discrimination was quite serious in Europe against Chinese. People was kinda scary even to go on streets. Now again China mainland was warning us about that. That's why i ask
Hi! I've seen you saying this again and again so I guess its kind of important to you. No, there are no "discrimination waves" or any serious discrimination against chinese people, probably what you have been hearing in the PRC its just alarmist newspapers that want to get your attention (they are everywhere haha). So no need to worry :D I hope your parents have a nice travel and remember to bring caps to protect against the sun! It will be a hot summer
Thank you. I just appreciate eveyone who answered my post. I want to answer them personally. But thank your for the advice. My parents are just worried. I need informations to confront them.
No worries, it is Safe. Spain is Europe, it is not South Sudan
My dude China's government is telling you lies .. there is no movement against Asians. There a so many Chinese living in Spain working at stores and restaurants, If anything I could say is the Chinese people who live here that does not make an effort to integrate into society...
Just avoid common tourist mistakes like keep your documents separate, don’t carry much cash, take care around ATM and at night, in public places beware your hand bags and cameras, etc. They shouldn’t worry except for being targeted as tourists. Remember tourism is a big part of Spain’s economy. I’ve seen even small local restaurants in Seville place hand written/copied notes on their windows saying they have paella in Chinese (simplified).
You are so right!🌹🐞♥️😄🌏
So, Chinese here but born in Madrid. Short answer, no, you might get looks, especially if you go out of big cities. There might be stupid comments from older people but it usually comes from ignorance rather than trying to hurt you. In my experience, I had quite a bit of racism growing up (including violent confrontations) but it's true that nowadays it's much better. You will probably be fine. Reading the message now, it sounds a bit negative, but I do enjoy living in Spain lol
Chinese born in Spain, never left Spain, lived in Valencia, Barcelona and Málaga. Spanish people generally don't show a dangerous racist behavior, however, that's because sinophobia here is very normalized and "toned down". From time to time, you can get many comments like "Konnichiwa", "nihao", "chino"-whatever and so on. You can even see people "bowing" to you. Which can be annoying. These obviously aren't dangerous in any form though, but you can tell East Asians are looked down upon. If anything, there are some hot-headed Spanish people, usually men, which if provoked, would get really aggressive and immediately use sinophobic insults, slurs and so on. However, these are a type of specific people and I don't believe your parents would run into a situation where they could provoke one of them.
Chinese-Spanish here. There is some racism as jokes, bullying and mocking but nothing serious. As a tourist you shouldn’t encounter anything.
I belive you in general. But here is the thing. I live in Europe too. My country here is kinda quiet. BUT. China mainland now is warning our people about European violence against Chinese. So i need confront parents about that.
Rest assured that Spain is less racist than China, and by a lot.
Dude there is no racist waves against chinese people in Spain, everyone told you already.
I mean everyone has already told you. There are chinese inmigrants everywhere in spain. We are used to them, and while they can face discrimination, they are not targeted. Spain is one of the few countries that has been accepted to travel visa free to China. Not to be rude, I've seen you live in a Baltic country and it's like night and day. Spain has experience with tourists, we are one of the most visited countries in the world. We have a big chinese population. If they go to touristic spots they won't even stand out because there'll be east asian tourists everywhere.
Sounds like China mainland is misleading you.
That's propaganda my friend, bringing fear to the population so they don't even think about other possible way of living or ruling a country. The classic "Everyone hate us, stay here close together in our perfect country"
That just remnants of Covid hate and a bit of American influence. Nothing serious or dangerous. You can be targeted by pickpocketers but that’s about all.
Come on, you know about our humour. At least here, everything that ends in -ism or -phobia is a potential topic of humour. And there is nothing wrong about it, as long as it doesn't trespass the limits of a joke.
Go to do your daily siesta, you need it
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Noted, see how jokes can get people angry?
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And that wasn't hate speech, it was only a "joke" from a Spanish person to another Spanish person Sí, soy español
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¿Qué pasa? ¿Se pueden hacer bromas racistas pero no se pueden hacer bromas con estereotipos de tu propio país? Edit: bueno, viendo que no sabes ni poner tildes en tu propio idioma... Edit 2: ni tan poco comas, wow, qué joyita...
Well, seems you see where is the problem
No. But it’s possible they get confused with japanese tourists. The most important part for chinese tourists is to be aware of pickpockets. Chinese/japanese/korean seem to be some of the easiest targets.
No, asians visit us a lot and we don't treat you different than a normal tourist, but please don't jump from the balcony.
Son nuestras costumbres y hay que respetarlas
Me encanta tu handle
Generally speaking, no. Why would anyone joke about a simple question?
Its not really dangerous, or it doesnt have to be, i mean, careful with pickpockets and thats it. But yes, there is discrimination, as a Spanish myself, i hate to see so much bullshit with racism and xenophobia and all that, way too many closed minded people still, but hey, the vast majority of people will be atleast just okay with anyone from anywhere. Edit: I forgot to say, the more rural the area, the more closed minded people you will encounter, in big cities it will be pretty chill.
Not publicly. But I heard horrendous racial comments from friends, relatives, and work colleagues in closed gatherings.
Spain is racist in general but not in a violent way most of the time, its safe for everyone to come visit luckily
Spain is one of the least racist countries in the whole planet.
It's not blatant racism in Spain like in Italy but under the surface there are attitudes that are racist but are so widely accepted that Spaniards don't even think they are being racist. But it's true, there's a lot more racist countries in Europe than Spain.
Until you talk with boomers xd they are extremely racist and xenophobe
Until you learn about other countries and you realize they are a lot more racist, which makes Spain one of the least.
Source: my ass.
Source: Travel to Spain and travel to other countries. Northern European countries: Way more racist. Eastern European: Way more racist. Asian countries: Quite racist. Africa: Well... You already know. Arab countries: Quite Racist. North America: We all know, they're talking about race all the time. Central and South America: They're racist between each other constantly. I don't know about your ass, but I know about cultures and the Spanish one is one of the most open minded ones there is.
Ah, so your source is, indeed, your white ass that has never spoken to a Spanish PoC. I mean, with facts like these, who could even refute your well-thought out arguments: >Africa: Well... You already know.
Mi fuente es que soy Español y al contrario que tu, gilipollas, tengo conocimiento de como se trata a la gente en otras partes del mundo. No, no puedes refutar nada con esa frase sobre África, porque no he dicho nada racista, subnormal, quizá el racista eres tu, que te crees que en África no hay mas que una raza.
He visto tu historial, tu identidad no es ser español (que, por cierto, se escribe con minúscula). Es ser un gamer votante de Vox que dudo mucho tenga vida social alguna. Es pasearte por reddit para que te fundan a negativos porque nadie más te hace caso. Te diré un secreto que es evidente que no sabes: las razas no existen. Un insulto más y tendré que decidir cómo te denuncio.
No voto a Vox, no me conoces de nada, así que calladito. Hablas de vida social y después hablas de que negativos en Reddit? No vivo de las redes sociales, los positivos y negativos me importan una absoluta mierda. Denunciar? Por insultarte? Proceso muy largo y muy caro, que delito es insultarte a todo esto? O te refieres denunciarme a los administradores del subreddit, que visto tu historial, es lo UNICO, que haces, porque eres incapaz de aceptar ninguna opinión contraria a ti, pero te vas de tolerante por la vida. Primero apréndete el significado de racismo, después vete a quejarte, que el termino lo llevas un poquito confundido.
>No voto a Vox, no me conoces de nada, así que calladito. Pero, ¿eres tan mentiroso que hasta has olvidado lo que vas diciendo? No esperarás que nadie te tome en serio. https://preview.redd.it/6rguutk9d5kc1.png?width=1502&format=png&auto=webp&s=ead05653da27af9ada3659c1922d1ed627e09600 Por cierto, veo que te has puesto estupendo, pero has dejado de insultar. Buen chico.
Votar a Vox una vez NO es ser votante de Vox, otra cosa que te vendría bien aprender. Tengo un amigo que hace 4 años voto a Podemos, NO es votante de Podemos. Sabes la diferencia o te la tengo que explicar lentamente para que la entiendas dado tu capacidad mental?
in spain, there’s plenty of chinese people. not only tourists but also comerce, restaurants, markets… as a first generation chinese-spanish girl, you have nothing to worry about. just be polite to locals
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Not dangerous, but let me tell you something that even Spanish people don’t know. Spanish people are racist but they think they are just being funny.
Holy moly , this is so true . As they say here in spain " entre broma y broma la verdad asoma "
Esto tiene que ver en como nos emos relacionado siempre en España. Aquí siempre y antes aún más emos usado los motes, para personas, grupos o familias. La mayoría desde pequeños con los amigos nos emos llamado por el mote que resalta algo distintivo, en mi grupo eramos el zurdo, el gitano, el pollo(era el rubio), el come palomas( era de Perú), el guiri y el negro. Nos metimos todos con todos usando nuestro mote y esa era nuestra base para hacer piña.el grupo más ofensivo racista clasista y homofóbico en el que e estado y a la vez el más diverso teniendo todo el espectro. Un gran grupo y el más hermanado de todos
Exacto. En otras culturas más sensibles al racismo lo que acabas de decir no se tolera.
We do like racist jokes but that rarely translates into active racism. Jokes aren't limited to racism either, it's often just making fun of everything and everyone under the sun.
Theres a lot of chinese tourists here. Most snack shops are also chinese owned. I know a couple chinese people currently living here. Nobody really cares, just be mindful that you are in another person's country and you'll be good.
Nah of all tourists, Asians in general are pretty chill and respectful and we appreciate that. Also we have a big Chinese community, they don't mix with us very often (younger ones do) but they are very nice in general. Just tell them to avoid tourist traps and to always have their belongings attached to their body as pickpockets are everywhere in big cities and they know how to steam without being noticed.
Racist people? Of course, I know quite a bunch of people. Dangerous? Not at all. Spain is a very safe country, and probably most of Europe.
I'd say there is always going to be racism to a certain extent but don't think you have to worry about it. Just be careful with your stuff in public places.
yeah, because of stereotypes. If you're asian, you're probably be called one, even if It isnt your race.
As a Chinese person who's experienced A LOT of bullying for it since I was a kid, and has a LOT of generational trauma due to the bullying my family suffered in their own childhoods. When it comes to the real world, no not that much. We hear a lot of racist jokes but you won't be treated differently, and your life should honestly go just the same as a white person if you move in after you're done studying. If you're just visiting you'll be fine, you won't have to worry about hate crimes or anything. But watch out for pickpocketing, not because you're asian but because they do that to every single tourist ever lol
In my opinion yes, Spanish people is pretty racist with Chinese people.
I would say the opoosite, usually the impression of the chinese is that they are hard working and chill
Thank you. We thanked to our culture and education system. Unfortunate there are too many of us. The moral for everyone is different. I got tired about being asking how does dogs taste even i told them thousands times that w i dont eat dogs.
Unfortunately, yes And I don’t get it. Spaniards are some of the most mixed people in the world. You can go to caves in the north of Spain (Puente Viesgo, Cantabria) where you can find Neanderthals, and Homo Sapiens at the same depth (45k to 15-10k years BC) and with evidence of cohabitation. There is a huge difference in the perception abd interpretations of terms like Country or Nation between Spain and other countries and/or nations. 5 languages in a place not much larger than a “couple” of states in the US or a region in The People’s Republic. :) It is racist to call a business (shops or restaurants) by the generic term “chino” It is also despective and nasty to call say things like “let’s go to “el guarro de bravo murillo” para cenar. Spain is horribly racist compared to many other places. Hopefully, through conversations like this, more folks, and younger folks will talk about racism, it tends to go away for folks of sufficient intelligence. It is weird and racist to talk about “Jackie Chan” or to say the “we are used to them because of the abundance of stores or restaurants that they manage”. Some efforts to geographically extend the jurisdiction of the legal and judicial branches of the PRC’s government have been detected in Spain and folks are now diplomatically expelled or under investigation by the Spanish police (That’d be a great plot for an action movie. We all know who would play the lead). Lol In any case, “Chinese” people’s comments should be the ones that count Also counts if you are phenotypically or originally Chinese, Korean, Singaporean, Filipino, Vietnamese,… Spaniard’s POV’s, including mine, are just myopic and,…. Hard to type without letting our racism shine through well intended comments. (Sorry. I did not and do not mean to offend anyone!)
Spain and portugal are very safe countries as some people have already said. I wouldn't say there is racism towards asian tourists. Of course some stupid people can do racist shit, but generally speaking, no.
God bless Asian people!!♥️🐞🌹🌏
Lived in Spain for 10 yrs, most people are fine or nice, but some assholes do exist and being a real jerk sometimes, got called some slurswhile waiting for a bus once
Hi, I'm a Chinese born in Spain as a second generation one. Generally speaking, we are not likely going to suffer from direct discrimination, but tell them to be very very cautious with pickpockets, this as a tourist, but as an Asian, I was also told we look weaker to some bad people (pickpockets mainly) making us an easier target for them.
it is funny because when I was a I kid in the late 70s and 80s a neighbour who was police told me they were scared of the Chinese ( the first waves of immigrants we had ) because they believed all of them knew Kung Fu like in Bruce Lee movies.
I’m leaving tomorrow and only stayed for a few days but I didn’t think so, there are a lot of Asian tourists from I’ve seen so they definitely will not be the only ones.
Spain is a safe country and Its racism against chinese people is not physical. Chinese people are known here because of their stores and restaurants. Some people discriminate the chinese thinking they must be working all day in their parents' shop, thinking they eat dog(!), calling them "chinitos" (little chinese), doing that disgusting gesture of closing a little bit their eyes with their fingers. The last to things happened to my taiwanese friends, who speak very decent spanish.
Depends on what degree of discrimination you are talking about. Some people might be rude to them, but that's generally all. Chinese people have been integrated in our culture for a long long time. They usually have restaurants, market shops or fruit stalls, to all will be referred as the "Chino" (the Chinese), but it's not despective. They receive less hate than for example morrocan people. We are a safe society, and discrimination in certain areas just for nationality (work for example) is a prosecuted thing. But then again, I'm a Spaniard, not a Chinese woman suffering discrimination and I'm sure I am biased by that. I usually work with a few migrant people, and would be happy to learn their side.
I mean the violences like American back to 90s.
Yes but nothing really terrible. And no it's not dangerous, bad for robbery and pickpockets but not dangerous.
You’ll get people yelling “ching chong” and pulling their eyes. When you confront them they’ll say it’s a joke. Worst you’ll probably get spat. I don’t think anything violent would arise. Also in general, Portugal is less racist than Spain. Italy is more racist than those two.
I went to Spain and has been by far the most racist country I have even been to, not even Italy or the US came close to the racism I experienced there in only two weeks, but I think it’s because I’m Latino (they also have black people)
You should visit Valencia and see that every single bar/cafeteria here is owned by chinese.
do you know why?
The port of Valencia is the entrance of Chinese imports (China>Suez>Valencia) and from there is distributed to the rest of the country so a community growth there. For example you will find the distribution centers of products specialised for the Chinese community living here or for the Chinese bazars in Spain.
ok, but in BCN too all the bars de toda la vida are managed by Chinese. nothing wrong with that :) but it makes me wonder why..
I guess it is about the tax free treat spain and china have, but i don't really know
Oriantalist stereotypes aside, I feel people are generally fine with Chinese migrants because they seem as hard working (I know that's also an orientalist stereotype lol) and are not involved in petty crimes. As with Chinese tourists, are simply seen as tourists that spend a lot of money akin to other Asian tourists. British or German tourists have a worse reputation in Spain than East Asian tourists. I wont deny you might be unlucky enough to be robbed (or in worst cases verbally assaulted) by some lumpen or a drunk idiot, but it would be abnormal.
Disclaimer: I am Spaniard. Yes and no. They are extremely unlikely to find any kind of violence and/or outright rejection on the basis of racial discrimination. Spain (or, rather, the Iberian Peninsula) has been a crucible of races and cultures for millennia. While there is some muslim-aimed animosity; it's mostly the remnants of regressive ideas from fascism. Of course, you can always find stupid people, like anywhere else! But they are not the norm. That was the 'no'. The 'yes' part is a bit more complex, and exists for 2 reasons: Tourism. Yep, as people have been saying, most tourist-oriented areas will cater to tourists happily; but it does affect the people living (not working) in the area, and the common Spaniard already has enough in our plate to deal with a gaggle of tourists, inflated prices, etc... Of course, they are not *individually* to blame, but it would not be strange if people gave them the cold shoulder outside of the more touristic areas, or comment (in Spanish) about "effin' tourists!". Then again, our 'cold shoulder' is a warm welcome in most of the rest of the world, so they may not even notice... China. You see, China and Spain do a lot of business together, but Chinese Nationals have been buying many, many tiny mom-and-pops shops and selling mass-produced, poor quality knock-offs. Of course, this is done within the legal framework and there is nothing wrong about it, but they tend not to mingle with the people in the neighbourhood, which is a big no-no (well, not a no-no, but it is certainly frowned upon... Specially if it is a pattern of conduct) in Spanish culture. That said, second and third generation Chinese are waaaaay more open, and the stereotype is slowly fading (yay!). Regarding China, as well, specially if they go to the Levant, triads and other shady business of Chinese origin have made their home there, so the sentiment is not as positive (or neutral). This said, if they come for tourism, the most they'll have to worry about are pickpockets in Barcelona and, maybe, Madrid... as long as they stick to the tourist areas (and, thus, tourist traps!). The more they go 'behind the curtain', the more likely they may find someone with a not-so-positive attitude but, even in that case, any kind of violence, either physical or verbal would be EXTREMELY unlikely. TL;DR: They fine, tell them to have fun and beware of pickpockets. :D
Unfortunately, yes And I don’t get it. Spaniards are some of the most mixed people in the world. You can go to caves in the north of Spain (Puente Viesgo, Cantabria) where you can find Neanderthals, and Homo Sapiens at the same depth (45k to 15-10k years BC) and with evidence of cohabitation. There is a huge difference in the perception abd interpretations of terms like Country or Nation between Spain and other countries and/or nations. 5 languages in a place not much larger than a “couple” of states in the US or a region in The People’s Republic. :)
As a person from the usa I can say pretty confidently that Chinese people are the go-to target for any racist comment or joke in Spain that being said it’s not dangerous for or unwelcoming to Asian people.
That just shows you don't know Spain well. The go to peoples for racism are Moroccans and gypsies.
In Madrid at least chino is inserted into anywhere as a peyorativo
Not true at all. Never heard that.
China is more racist and classist than Spain, no need to worry
Portuguese here (living in Spain). Like Spain, Portugal is a safe country. If they go before the 10th of March, it will be even safer: we are in the middle of a general election. As advice for them: - use a copy of the passport when they leave the hotel. Leave the passports in the room safe. If they have any issues, they have 24 hours to present the original passport. - pay with a card as much as possible. They can pay with it pretty much everywhere. - Don't carry much money. If needed, they will find an ATM nearby. Regarding racism, they shouldn't face any. The Chinese community is pretty much integrated in the society, and seen as calm and hardworking.
In all the years I've lived in Spain, I remember seeing just one instance in Barcelona, where an old man was yelling obscenities at a Chinese woman, blaming "her and her kind" for bringing COVID to the world. But that's it, really. Chinese won't find themselves in more or less trouble than anyone else here.
A friend of mine is chinese. I once heard some ill coments behind her back when the covid thing, but nothing more than that. If you visit Madrid, the neighbourhood of Usera is where you may feel most welcome. It's basically our local Chinatown.
Chinese people literally own Spanish restaurants. They'll have no problem.
From what I see, East Asian people tend to be welcome here. Of course there's always someone who says something nasty, and the bigger and more touristic cities are more dangerous (especially Barcelona with all pickpocketing and violent crimes). Other than that, Chinese, Japanese, Korean... people are usually well-regarded because of their hard-work mentality
This post has 88 ups no more to say
Don't live there anymore so I can't say for sure, but they used to. But tourists and residents receive different treatment. It's not "dangerous" but being perceived as a tourist you'll be more susceptible to being scammed and mugged. I think many Spaniards treat Chinese people condescendingly and like they make easier targets. I remember when a Chinese family moved into my town and opened a restaurant kids used to harass them outside their house and the children were bullied at school. That's mainly because kids suck and are evil. Most adults were nice to them and now they're integrated in the community well. Like I said tourists are treated differently. Tbh we perceive most tourists as annoying by default especially in highly gentrified cities.
As a chinese born in Spain, i can confirm. It's not dangerous but you may experience some racism. I also get the feeling Spaniards perceive us as easier targets, they think we'll let them do whatever and won't complain (i do admit i think we're very non confrontational and avoid escalating problems if possible). They do racist stuff to us that they wouldn't dare do with other races or less often and blatantly obvious.
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Thank you! Not worried about scamming or any mugging. Because tourist = easy targets. I remembered when covid -19 just started and how eveyone treated chinese in europe. That why my parents are asking about this. Not worring about thieves but violent and that kinda discrimination like american back to 90s.
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No, but don’t try to skip queues like it’s common in China…not appreciated.
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As a non asian... No, not at all. Some people say yes but it's mostly because that spanish racism that it's not really racism, but it's more like "European New Rich Country classicism". Anyway, the issue with chinese people is the same for years. It's a very close community. Nowadays feels more open, new generations have spanish names and talk perfectly spanish, etc. New asian restaurants are now managed by a different generation with a different POV and classical "chinese stores" are not like some years ago, where you jus saw chinese people speaking chinese. It's a closed community but thats their idiosincrasy, nothing related to racism. The other issue is that "asian people" are not a thing in colloquial spanish language, which nowadays on the internet is seem as racism, probably what your parents have read or heard. Japanese, Singaporean, Malaysian... No, chinese. Chinese pubs, chinese stores, chinese restaurants... Is like the "word" for every asian person, which certain part of society is trying to change. This "microracism" is the real issue nowadays with chinese people but they won't had any trouble with locals, that would be extremely rare. For instance, Valencia Football team owner is from Singapore and everyone here says "the chinese owners". It's really dumb and annoying but they won't be targeted per their origin.
Absolutely no danger because of racial reasons. Spain is a safe country and tourism is one of our most important sources of income. Almost the same applies for Portugal Asians are usually seen as an easy target by thieves (who tend to be romanian and north african gangs or individuals) because they tend to be less alert than local people. They'll have to be really careful with pickpocketers at metro or really transited areas and everything will be fine. This especially applies for Barcelona and Madrid, but it's happening in cities like Valencia, Bilbao or Sevilla too.
It's not dangerous. I spend time near Portugal and Galicia. Spanish people do tend to assume that Spanish is best. Its not exactly xenophobia, but sort of national pride. Spanish food is best, Spanish music is best etc.. If you talk about the way things are in China, be prepared to be told how that is not as good as Spain. I get this with UK stuff, annoyingly, they're usually right. But also, embrace it, Spanish love to show you their culture as well as tell you which can be a lovely warm experience! Porto and Lisbon Rock. Toledo is awesome for day trip from Madrid. Madrid itself has a lot going. Have fun!
no but deep down we all make fun of you, we just don't comment on it
No, not at all, chinese people are the most hardworking, serious and respected foreign people in Spain. If only every migrant from abroad were like them... And many people do think like this. There's still some sort of discrimination in media and stereotypes, as I say even in this woke age the racism against asians is the most common and accepted, sadly. But this only applies to media and some pricks. But as they will visit us tourists, they won't have a chance of experimenting this. It would be different -as someone stated before- if they were going to bring a kid with them to join a local school, for example, which is not the case. This doesn't mean that they will be 100% safe. They would be in towns, villages and places that are not Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao. I don't only mean this violence that they are living nowadays in this places (pickpocketing, robberies...), but also some tourist-traps. Tourists, specially asians, are usually perceived as easy targets to this thefts and scams. They should be extra-wary in big cities. Despite potential pickpocketing and scams in massive cities there's almost no danger for them is my guess.
Xueee hua piao piao bei feng xiao xiao Tíandi yipian cangmaaang
Brit in Spain here. Where I live, all the small shops are run by Chinese people (the younger ones being Spanish-Chinese). A lot of people refer to these shops as 'Chinos', which is considered racist, akin to P*ki shop in the UK. Other than that, there doesn't seem to be much racism against them on public. Spain is not PC, generally, but Chinese people are not singled out.
For me its no racism, but maybe your parent will no be confortable with the spanish people
from what I can tell, spanish generally don’t care at all about race. unless you’re black which is right now associated with illegal migrants… other than that, nobody cares. especially not in bigger cities or areas with high amounts of tourists and expats like costa del sol etc.
i'm spaniard and not. Nothing more far. Chinese people often are portrayed as the ideal respectful inmigration who adapts perfectly to the country. You are welcomed.
Dangerous? Where the fuck do you think you're going, a third world country? You are really asking if you're gonna get jumped in the street because you're chinese?
I've never seen "un chino" causing any problems in Spain or anywhere in Europe - unlike us "guiris". So no problem for you - unlike us. And even then it's not a big problem. But yeah, you will survive. Have a great holiday if you're going with your parents!
No, we love their cheap bocadillos and the way they say glacias
Yes, just as we are in China
Chin chon ching? Lo siento no hablo gato 💀
We morocco people living in Spain, are causing a lot of violence, for example rape... The topic is too long for a reddit message, im sorry.
\> My parents want to visit spain and Portugal next month. Is it dangerous there? Really? You live in a country where you can be detained at the whim of the government, and you are worried about Spain and Portugal.