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I Am Not a Tourist: What It Means to Be British Chinese

by Daisy J. Hung

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British Chinese identity, belonging, and public perception

$23.89 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

British Chinese identity, belonging, and public perception

Daisy J. Hung examines the gap between citizenship and social recognition through the experiences of British Chinese people in the UK. Drawing on encounters in which she is treated as foreign despite being a UK citizen, Hung connects everyday assumptions to wider historical, social, and political conditions. The book challenges reductive ideas about Chinese identity—including stereotypes around achievement, obedience, parenting, and leadership—and addresses racism and inequality affecting British Chinese communities, particularly in the context of anti-Asian hostility associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. It frames identity not as a fixed label but as something shaped by culture, racialisation, and the ways others choose to see people.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in race, ethnicity, and belonging in contemporary Britain
  • Those seeking perspectives on British Chinese identity and anti-Asian racism
  • Readers of social and cultural commentary grounded in lived experience

Themes

British Chinese identityRacism and inequalityBelonging and citizenshipStereotypes and representationAnti-Asian racism

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

What does it mean to live in a society that doesn't truly see you?

Although a UK citizen, Oxford-based diversity practitioner, writer and artist Daisy J. Hung is regularly mistaken for a tourist, asked where she's really from or greeted with Ni hao on the assumption she speaks Mandarin. These experiences serve as a reminder that, no matter how she moves through the world, she is often seen as an outsider.

I Am Not a Tourist asks what it means to be British Chinese today and live at the intersection of cultures, examining social, historical and political factors that have got us here. Fighting narrow and dehumanising stereotypes, of Chinese people excelling at school, or being devoid of original thought or leadership, or having authoritarian parents, Daisy encourages readers to interrogate their assumptions and interpretations of 'Chinese' identity.

In the wake of the upsurge of anti-Asian racism, triggered by the racialisation of the COVID-19 pandemic as the 'China virus', 'China plague' and 'Kung flu', I Am Not a Tourist exposes the ongoing racism and inequalities that British Chinese communities face, and forms an urgent call for change.

Readers are in agreement that I Am Not a Tourist is an incredibly worthwhile read:

'An important new voice' DAVID YIP, actor

'This book sorely needed to be written, uncover[ing] startling and important truths.' YUAN YANG, MP and author

'A vital resource' PEYVAND SADEGHIAN, actor and writer

'If you're looking to expand your understanding of the community, this book is an essential addition to your reading list' LORD SONNY LEONG CBE

*Audiobook narrated by Katie Leung (Harry Potter)

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