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Chinese Woman

I was born in Hong Kong but raised in the UK from the age of five. I first realised that I was different when I was five and living in the UK and another boy around the same age pulled his eyes apart and made fun of my Chinese eyes.

There have been a number of times in Dundee, when I have been strolling about the town, where I have actually been threatened. As I was walking, a group of Dundonians in a car shouted 'Chinky' as they passed. I think I was about ten then and was really afraid and ran home.

I feel that Scottish people are generally ignorant. The term 'Chinky' is used in the norm for takeways, they see no offence or that it is not racist. There is nothing you can do to combat racism. What can you do when someone across the street shouts racist abuse at you? Can you contact the police and report that as a crime? Of course not.

The first step is by acknowledging that education of racism is taught at school from a very young age.

My first racist experience was at the age of five. How is it that a five year old can be racist? My only answer is that they learn from the parents, society and uneducated people.

It does anger me that although I am Chinese, I speak perfect English with a Scottish accent, yet when people see my face they assume that I do not understand or speak bad English.

One of those Christian leaflet people actually asked me if I spoke English before giving me a leaflet, and another said that my English was really good. Why can’t it be good? Because my face is not white? Come on...

This society needs to be educated about what makes a human being a human being. The facial features? The mother tongue? The colour of their skin? I hope that one day people come to realise that there is no inferior race or superior race.

The truth is, neither exists.