When people imagine ideal tourists, the polite and respectful ones, massive hoards of Chinese tourists are definitely not what comes to mind. There is a pervasive yet unspoken stereotype surrounding Chinese tourists that regards them as rude, culture-disrespecting, and pushy. Chinese tourists are painted as people who know nothing about the refined practices of Western culture. This stereotype is quite true in some scenarios, as many stereotypes are, but what transpired this past month in Stockholm — a complete mockery and derision of Chinese tourists and Chinese people in general — completely crossed the line.
Earlier this month, a Chinese family arrived earlier than planned at the Generator Hostel in Stockholm. The hostel staff refused to allow a man, Zeng, and his elderly parents to wait out the night in their lobby until check-in opened, even when Zeng said that his parents were ill. The hostel staff contacted the Swedish police, who dragged his family out of the hostel and dropped them off at a graveyard in southern Stockholm.
The blame is not to be placed solely on the family or the police. At first, the Chinese family was in the wrong by refusing to leave private property. They were trespassing, which gave the police authority to force them outside. However, by using unnecessary aggression and dropping the family off at a graveyard in the middle of the night with no food, directions, or means of returning to the city center, the police absolutely violated the boundaries of their authority.
Several days later, “Svenska Nyheter,” a Swedish weekly comedy show known for mocking current events and news stories, aired a racist comedy skit about the event. The host of the show, Jesper Ronndahl, began, “Swedes hate racism — as long as we’re not talking about the Chinese and the Russians, of course,” and continued, “No politically correct campaign in the world can eliminate the Swedes’ hatred for the Russians. And that is probably because most of Russia is in Asia. They are almost Chinese.” The show also included a mock information session telling Chinese tourists: “We do not poop outside historic buildings… and if you see someone who’s out walking a dog, it’s not because they just bought lunch.” “Svenska Nyheter” later uploaded a video of the skit onto Youku, a Chinese video service.
Ronndahl’s disrespectful actions elevated this incident into an international dispute. Calling the program “a gross insult to, and vicious attack on, China and the Chinese people,” ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Monday that China strongly condemned the show’s actions and demanded the station “take immediate measures to eliminate the extremely negative impact” of Ronndahl, Svenska Nyheter, and the Swedish embassy itself — and rightfully so. Ronndahl has refused to apologize, citing a lack of wrongful action and a meaningless attack upon him and his show. In a direct, racist attack against not only Chinese tourists but also Chinese people in general, Ronndahl has blatantly denigrated Chinese culture.
Stereotypes about Chinese tourists are not always false. Many Chinese tourists have certainly earned the reputation of being rude, inappropriate, and disrespectful when traveling abroad — but so have other tourists from around the world. This stereotype does not give anyone the right to attack and direct racist insults towards Chinese culture and the country as a whole.
As Chinese–Swedish relations continue to weaken, the stereotype of Chinese tourists, and Chinese people in general, has been at the forefront of international attention. So, although Chinese tourists are certainly not perfect, when someone takes this stereotype and turns it into an excuse for racism — as Jesper Ronndahl did — an appropriate response must be issued.
Jonathan Fu is a two-year Lower from Short Hills, N.J. Contact the author jfu21@andover.edu.
