I speak Chinese at a fairly high level and I’ve been in this circle for a long time and I can tell you that almost every white guy with a thing for China has screws loose. They tend to be dimwitted, have poor values, and care mostly about personal gain.
I started learning Chinese years ago because I thought it would impress a girl I liked. Eventually when I went to China I was apprehensive. I was not comfortable. The sky was grey. Most of the people spoke like they were lobotomized. I felt like I was in a place that had something wrong with it, like if I had gone to North Korea. But I also saw signs of hope. I made good friends. Despite what I’ve seen, I love the country and I love the people. I pray every day for their freedom.
My language skills opened ALOT of doors and let me tell you that if you’re a white guy in China, the red carpet rolls out. Opportunities fall in your lap. People want to be your friend. Unfathomable numbers of girls like you. I mean they literally chase you. They DM you. Their mom chases you and says you should meet my daughter. I’m not joking.
My Chinese skills created opportunity everywhere. I posted one video of me speaking Chinese and had 100,000 followers almost instantly. And they were good kids. It’s not their fault they were born in China. I miss them. I used to chat with my fans in group chats. We’d joke around. Or I’d just vent.
But I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t exist as a figure on Chinese platforms under the condition that I acquiesce to the CCP by remaining silent.
So I gave it all up. I gave up my friends, my fans, my followers. I lost the love of my life. I lost money. All of those doors slammed shut. I became persona non grata. I can’t even tell you how much that hurt. I am not a child; I have experienced suffering. This is a once-in-a-lifetime shock. The Chinese government came after me, sent their MSS agents to threaten people I know and try to get in my head. It failed. They also come here to call me names and threaten to kill me and such.
I did it because I decided that telling the truth and resisting evil is more important than any of those things.
I’m not a perfect person. Sometimes I do things I regret. I have struggles. I’m not some saint or paragon of moral virtue. But I did find it in myself to do literally the hardest thing because it was also the right thing.
And 99% of foreigners who learn Chinese or are involved with China do not have that in them. They either acquiesce or worse—they cooperate.