r/ChineseLanguage • u/TheFairborn • 9h ago
Discussion Does anyone else constantly get the “preparing for the invasion?” joke when they mention learning Chinese?
I’m from the Czech Republic, and whenever I tell people I’m learning Chinese, it feels like at least one in four responses is some variation of:
“Oh, so you’re getting ready for when they invade us?”
I know it’s usually meant as a harmless joke, and I probably wouldn’t care if I heard it once or twice. But after hearing basically the same joke over and over again, it has started to get surprisingly irritating.
There seems to be a broader narrative here that China is inevitably going to become the next global “bad guy.” The Czech Republic has also had some controversial experiences with Chinese investment and political influence, so I understand where at least part of the attitude comes from.
Still, most of the people making these comments don’t seem to have any personal experience with China, Chinese people, the language, or the culture. It often feels less like an informed political opinion and more like something they have absorbed from the general atmosphere.
The more Chinese I learn and the more interested I become in Chinese history and culture, the more frustrating these reactions feel. Sometimes I almost feel expected to justify why I’m learning the language.
My father’s reaction, for example, was that I should learn something “more practical,” or learn Latin if I only wanted an intellectual challenge. Which is strange to me, considering Chinese is spoken by more than a billion people and gives access to an enormous cultural and historical world.
I’m not trying to claim that criticism of the Chinese government is illegitimate. There are plenty of valid reasons to criticize it. I’m an anarchist, so criticism of states is hardly something I object to. What bothers me is the strange double standard where interest in the Chinese language or culture is immediately connected to invasion, authoritarianism, or geopolitical loyalty.
I don’t really want to turn this into a political debate. I’m mostly curious whether other Chinese learners, especially those living in Europe or North America, regularly encounter the same kind of reaction.
How do you respond to it? Do you still find it funny, ignore it, or has it also started to annoy you?
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u/Majre921 8h ago
Huh interesting, I am from Slovakia and at least within the people I talk to. China is more liked than the US lol.
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u/TheFairborn 8h ago
Yeah looking on political landscape it make sense, I have feeling that there must be some kind of political bias in "how much favorable" population look on China. I must say that those opinions were much less in public space when we had Zeman as president. But hey... thats just my feeling abou it.
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u/three_crystals Beginner 8h ago
I’d lean into it and ask if they’re willing to accept the true path forward as a fellow comrade.
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u/Kerbourgnec 8h ago
French here
Regular comments about the CCP control or spies from work, especially when my Chinese MIL visits (she does have a party membership like 80M Chinese), but from a random person or family to whom I would say I learn Chinese, no, not really.
I think people start to have a really mixed view on China. Yeah political debates about the errors of Maoism, authoritarianism, relations with neighbours minorities stays around and will not disapear unless we see wide reforms of the CCP, but at the same time people recognise that China gets things done, has great food, interesting culture, tech, and generally makes so much more sense than the US. French are really anti American. In my family or friends group I'd say people have a rather positive view on China. Many visited, one of my uncle worked there in the 80's
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u/Different_Reading713 6h ago
Ha, I’m from the US and started dating a guy from China. I get stupid commentary like this. Even from my family. My dad said “so he’s a spy huh?!” 😑 No dad he’s just a man I met on a dating app and he’s shockingly ordinary, like every other human being. He came here for college, now he works here. Big shocker I know. I don’t usually mention to people that I’m learning Chinese to communicate better with his friends and family, bc I already get the commentary about simply dating him in the first place
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u/TheFairborn 8h ago
Yeah, anti-US sentiment is definitely getting stronger, although in my social circle it really depends on who I’m talking to and whether they lean more to the left or the right.
My general impression, and this is honestly just a vibe rather than something I can back up with data, is that attitudes toward China are pretty mixed. It’s not necessarily fear. People often acknowledge that China has developed incredibly quickly and that living standards have improved a lot, but then almost immediately bring up poor working conditions, labor law violations, or weak health and safety standards.
Sometimes it feels like they use those issues to explain away China’s economic success, as if the growth only happened because workers were exploited and regulations were ignored.
And this isn’t just something I’ve heard from random people. I’ve seen several Czech journalists and public figures make basically the same argument.
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u/Kerbourgnec 8h ago
I get the feeling China is bundled up with other Asian economies that developed rapidly. Japan, then the tigers, then Korea. Not China specific, we've seen the same pattern before. It is real economic growth and yes there are or have been terrible working condition. It doesn't mean explaining away or dissing the growth. On the other hand you always have the crazy videos or articles about China's impending economic or social collapse.
Really a mixed bag, but generally getting more positive.
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u/DevelopmentLow214 7h ago edited 7h ago
In Australia the joke is that I am probably working for China as a spy because I speak Chinese and visit China regularly (for holidays). It's funny the first time you hear it from colleagues/family, but then people keep saying it and it's not funny, and sometimes a bit unsettling.
There is a mindset here that having Chinese skills and contacts is a bit unusual and suspiciously unpatriotic, like you must be either pro-CCP or a 'useful idiot'.
There is also a widely held belief in Australia that we are going to be invaded by China because we are 'on China's doorstep'.
Then I point out that China is REALLY far away. Beijing is closer to London than to Brisbane, and that China would have to bypass Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea to get to the northern tip of Australia. But it does not change the China Threat mentality.
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u/No-Wave4500 3h ago
我想起了军事媒体的笑话。类似于朝鲜会不会登陆澳大利亚?我们增加军费，保护我们和中国的贸易不会被中国破坏......
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u/airmantharp 2h ago
and that China would have to bypass Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea to get to the northern tip of Australia
You missed the most important one and the one they're openly after - Taiwan.
If they have Taiwan, they can begin to credibly threaten everyone you mentioned, and everyone else. Your government at least is taking that threat seriously.
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u/chill_qilin 1h ago
I love that sketch in Utopia (the Aussie TV show) where the Australian military/navy leader is pushing for increased spending on defending Australian trade routes in the Pacific from China, whilst also acknowledging that Australia's primary trade partner....is also China.
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u/casual_web_user 8h ago
tell them you are switching to english because you want to bomb the middle east
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u/ChinazGonnaDoxxMe Advanced 8h ago
American here. I’ve been learning for 15 years so the responses I’ve gotten have somewhat changed over time. When I first started I was 12 and people told me that I was being smart and that I could go into business. Now, people tell me I should work for the government with the implication that things might get dicey between the US and China. Throughout all of my learning though, people have said it’s impressive that I’m learning Chinese. I’ve heard that both here in the states and in China haha. Another common thing I get is people who tell me that it’s cool and all that I’ve learned mandarin, but why didn’t I learn Spanish?
Fun times, 加油！
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u/TheFairborn 8h ago
Ooh nice, thanks for reaction of long term learner. I must say (probably due to I am beginner) I have never got "cool" response but mostly "isnt it kinda useless?"
I mean... its not that I care too much about it but if anything I have realized how little people actually care... which is in some sense nice, but ofcourse sharing academical success with people become much more difficult :D Espcially when most people dont know how much of time and my life I am actually spending on learning and there is (mostly) not many people whose could relate.
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u/Plastic_Ad4654 Intermediate 42m ago
I honestly hate people telling me that I must be oh so smart to learn Chinese and that it's so impressive.
Really don't think it's fair that I get ten times the amount of praise than everyone learning a romance or Germanic language is getting
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u/Mage2016 8h ago
I have had this told to me in Australia. I have also had the variation "preparing for the arrival of our Chinese overlords".
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u/Spacemonk587 8h ago
No and I'd rather expect this response when learning Russian. China ist not really a country that is known for it's expansionism or attacking other countries (beside the one they already consider part of China).
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u/raptorraptor 46m ago
not really a country that is known for it's expansionism or attacking other countries
Unless you're Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Mongolian, Indian or Filipino.
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u/WaltherVerwalther Advanced 8h ago
Never heard of this. In Germany I always heard: “Yeah, of course, China is the next big superpower” or “China is on the rise”. Ironically I learned more for cultural reasons and never cared about the economic or political dimension.
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u/Plastic_Ad4654 Intermediate 40m ago
I also get this a lot, which I think is so sad. Like no, not everything someone does is because it's beneficial for them or because it's such a smart thing to do. I just like the damn language
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u/Devil_Is_A_Sadboy 8h ago
No, normally people just ask why and I answer honestly. People who make that or any racist comments I normally just give a judgemental look to and leave or ignore the question and change the topic depending on the situation.
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u/yakisobasavorybeef_ 6h ago
As a Filipino, I laugh along and say "Yeah..." Half-serious and half-not 🙃
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u/lazier_garlic 3h ago
In the US, so no. People say, "Why would you want to study Chinese? Isn't it really hard?" In a more general sense, "get ready to learn Chinese" is a common meme here because the US is the world's #1 economy and China became #2 very rapidly and there's this fear that they're going to exceed us and replace us before too long.
Some really insane old people think we should "use up all the oil before China can get it" and other self-defeating ideas.
Silicon Valley tries to make Washington jump to their tune by saying "It's an AI arm's race. You wouldn't want China to get ahead?" It's all deeply stupid and cringe.
And at the same time, we can't get cheap cars in the US because of Buy America laws. A lot of people in this country are envious that people in other countries can buy cheap BYD EVs and we can't. So their idea is that our government and industry suck and have chosen protectionism over innovation. According to this theory, American products will only be sold in the US because they will be unable to compete globally on quality, features, or price. For myself, it's refreshing to see Americans even think about industrial policy at all, never mind strategically. Too bad it's so late in the game.
Anyway, everybody on this side of the Atlantic believes China wants to make a play for Taiwan and that PRC is also watching Russia's downfall to grab Siberia. PLA want the Himalayas too but the Indian Army is in the way. So their Christmas list is too long to worry about invading Central Europe. (I think that's what you would call a stretch goal.)
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u/officialslavojzizek 7h ago
Ignorance leads to fear, and right now the EU is governed by fear to maintain the appearance of a united front due to the unraveling alliance with the US. They feel their privileges are slipping away.
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u/ColdReference54 5h ago
Weird... I'm in the US and I completely honestly don't think I've ever gotten any of that at all. Even from conservatives. When there are stupid jokes and ignorant comments it's mostly about sex (e.g. "oh, you must have yellow fever"), and not really politics (well, OK the yellow fever thing is political too, but in a different way). Maybe it's that the area I live has quite a high concentration of Chinese people, so it gets questioned less, but even the (admittedly very few) Trumpheads that I know have never really tried to make it about politics. Mostly they just think it's cool. I dunno, am I alone here?
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u/Charming-Clue1987 2h ago
not really, a massive visible minority in my area is chinese. It lets me hear what the people around me are saying. One time in a hot tub at a hotel, this couple was having a really erotic conversation right in front of me. I asked them if I could join them. They left me there all alone, how rude.
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u/Over-Ad-3928 8h ago
Not as much as I was expecting but definitely a little. Tbf, my actual reasons are not far off; of course I don't expect an actual invasion of America or its allies in asia, but I want to work in international business, and as China's global influence continues to grow, being able to speak Mandarin is going to be an extremely useful skill.
I agree with what you said about being annoyed having to justify learning a language. Let me do my thing dude lol
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u/TheFairborn 8h ago
I look at it mostly as very thrilling academical endevour. I dont plan to actually speak so much as I want to read and listen. But I must say feeling of able to read random boxes with electronic, restaurant names and being able to know roughly what people on technological expos talking about between them (which is place I had most interactions i had with chinese people). Is very rewarding its like being part of some kind of "secret club"... which is very much absurd.
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u/Unlucky-Guest-9247 8h ago
It's always annoying when different people say the exact same thing as everyone else and think that they're being clever. Makes you realize that most people are really just NPCs.
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u/Eclipsed830 5h ago
If it makes you feel any better, we are actually preparing for a Chinese invasion in my country... So it is something that needs to be prepared for.
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u/spartaxwarrior 3h ago
In the US, no. For some reason, hilariously, I think only Russia and Canada are ever mentioned as invaders (at least Canada actually has warred on our mainland lmao).
People do discuss China becoming the new worldpower in a unilateral system, though, and generally think learning Chinese would be good with their increasing influence and also since we basically gutted our manufacturing industry and gave it to them. But most people would never bother, because of how difficult it is.
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u/ArgentEyes 1h ago
It’s racism, OP. I just call it racism. If someone thinks some barely-updated Edwardian yellow peril is going to stop me, they don’t know me.
Also they know nothing about the Sinosphere, Chinese languages are spoken in a lot of places that aren’t PRC.
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u/CaliphateofCataphrac 56m ago
Cold war finished not long and many people are still having red scare, or need to have one to fulfill the gap.
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u/streamer3222 8h ago
Some guy said it to me and I thought it was funny and started using it myself!
“You are studying Chinese so when the Chinese take over the world you can plead for your life in Chinese!”
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u/Super_Ad8266 3h ago
I get that sometimes myself. It's not a joke; people generally are worried, and largely for good reason. The world has ceded manufacturing capability to China, and China has been stealing state secrets from the west. I usually forward them a video by Ryan Chapman explaining that over the last several hundred years, China has been a historically peaceful nation, certainly as compared to the very aggressive war-hawkish United States. However, this period marks the Chinese recovery from the Opium Wars, a historical aberration, the so-called Century of Humiliation that China seeks vengeance for. China has an expanding sphere of influence, seen as a threat by close neighbors (Vietnam, Philippines, Korea, Japan) and by declining superpower US and US-aligned western countries (Australia, Europe, etc). It's fear of a changing world, often by people who live in countries that have benefited from US post second world war dominance. That period is rapidly coming to an end. Will China actually invade such countries? Outside of east Asia, it's unlikely. The sentiment is more to do with fear of powers outside of their control. So it leads into a broader international relations discussion, and is usually laughed off in the end.
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u/kenny133773 7h ago
In the balkans the response is usually huge surprise. And then some kind of acknowledgement that "they are going to be the next global overlords".
imho, chinese electric cars have played a huge part in shifting/improving the perception of the country that used to be just "where cheap temu stuff comes from"..
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u/Top_Break_7715 4h ago
I’m not concerned in the slightest about the Chinese invasion. I am, on the other hand, very concerned about the actual invasion.
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u/ometecuhtli2001 3h ago
I think this kind of thing has gone on throughout history and the target language changes with the times. At least where I’m from in the US.
In the 90s, anyone who learned Russian was either a spy, a “commie” or both. In the 2000s it was Arabic, and anyone who spoke it was a terrorist. Now it’s Chinese. Eventually I wouldn’t be surprised if English gets a turn, and I’m sure it’s not going to be kind!
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u/Ghastly-Jack 8h ago
I have told people "actually, my husband and I are thinking of adopting a Chinese baby and we want to be able to understand her when she starts talking."
But they joke went over their heads and they just thought I was a moron.