Social Experiment: Are Chinese REALLY shocked by White People Speaking Fluent Chinese?

This channel is expanding to Korean and China this year! I'll be staying in South Korea for the month of April doing an intensive language-immersion program while staying with a host family. I can't wait to share the experience with you.

when i was in japan i only spoke very minimal japanese but i remember one girl coming up to me at the mall to try and give me a napkin thing for a company and speaking rough english and i said that i was ok, but thanks in japanese and she lit up like a puppy, i felt really bad after she excitedly asked me if i spoke japanese and i had to tell her not really. So next time i go, i plan to be much better at it

I actually also like the not shocked reactions. You get great authentic regular conversations from them and I enjoy watching those as well!

I started to speak a little Mandarin to a Chinese lady in London, she was so pleased to hear an Englishman learn a little bit of her language. I think Chinese people will warm to you more, if you can speak a little Mandarin. She became more friendly and trusting with me when I spoke Chinese.

I'm White, I speak Chinese with a decent accent. On two occasions, I've had conversations with folks where they didn't realize we were speaking in Chinese, because they were preoccupied by something else. In one case, an old woman on the subway looked confused. I correctly guessed that she was Chinese, and asked her where she was trying to go. She told me, and I told her what stop she wanted. This conversation was entirely in Chinese, and she never seemed to register she was talking to a White guy in Chinese, because she was really concerned about what stop to get off. In another instance, two women were trying to figure out a pay barrier. I knew they spoke Chinese as I could hear them talking it. I explained to them how the barrier worked, and they thanked me -- again, never registering that I was speaking in Chinese. However their husbands, who were nearby, were cracking up.

I'm African American and I learned Spanish in High-school. It's been several years and I haven't practiced any of it since graduating: however I do remember a time at a football game I started singing a Spanish song for giggles, and a passing Spanish family stopped and asked me to keep singing. It was a really feeling to actually be encouraged to do so.

I can't tell you how happy I am you visited China town in NY and showed what it is really like to speak Chinese there. This is where the most "shocking Chinese speaking" videos are coming from. You are helping undo those misconceptions. NY is a very diverse place and they have heard and seen it all. They treated you like a regular customer with respect and courtesy. 💜 I hope your parents enjoyed the trip as well!💙

Chinese, Japanese and now going for Korean and Vietnamese... amazing love for language and no doubt a gift! Congrats!

I’m so glad that you are transparent on these videos and that if your looking for a wild reaction that it’s not going to be like that everywhere you go. Not a lot of you-tubers would give this “secret” away. ❤

I really enjoy seeing the "behind the scenes" aspect of making an entertaining and informative video. You do an awesome job! I feel as if most people will hold a reserve to thier reaction because they have been taught to remain respectful and silent. No matter how impressed they are with you.

I agree, the 'shock' isn't really there when I speak to Koreans. Being half Korean I don't really look Korean, and there isn't a 'shock', but more of a compliment on my Korean language skills. My daughter (1/4 Korean), looks more Korean than I do and doesn't get much of a reaction at all when she speaks Korean. Another great experience you shared with us 😊

the big reactions can be heartwarming but i really just love the subtitled conversations. even boring 'how much does this cost' conversations. basically i hate the language barrier and i love watching you kick its ass.

Ive met you in China back in 2012 and you are now killing it on youtube! Congrats on the channel and Im so glad you are still in Asia doing what you love

Thanks for making this video, it was very informative. I'm learning Chinese and am now somewhere between HSK1 and 2. The reactions I get when I try to speak Chinese range from confused looks, sometimes genuine incomprehension, and sometimes smiles and small compliments. The shocked, jaw-dropped looks have never happened (and I am an American of Indian descent). On another note, you're also completely right about how staged/edited the reaction videos are. "Xiaoma" makes these videos showing that he learned relatively obscure languages in 24 hours and then flabbergasts the ethnic people. The owner of a South Indian restaurant I visit told me about how he appreciated Xiaoma coming but that the video clip was completely misleading about how the conversation went and clearly made it look like he was much more fluent than he is.

Oriental Pearl - You inspire me so much to learn korean! Thank you!! Also - Its REALLY cool to see one of my favorite youtubers who are also Catholic! :D

I can’t believe it never occurred to me that most people aren’t shocked or phased..I just never really thought about it. I really appreciate you showing us the truth and making this video. I’m sure a lot of viewers probably realized this but not me LOL

Thank you for making this video and showing that not everyone is going to react in a flabbergasted manner upon hearing a foreigner speak their language but that is completely fine too. Language Reaction videos are often highly edited to make it seem like every native speaker is shocked but the reality is some carry on like nothing unusual happened.

I like the fact that you can smoothly integrate with their cultures, without being condescending or rude. Every culture is unique, and has value to be explored. Great vid!

Thanks for showing the other side of this. I honestly believed that everyone was just shocked. It's interesting to know you don't constantly get stopped and asked about it.

I loved this video! The conversations are definitely the best part. My husband speaks Mandarin from living in Taiwan for 3 years (30 years ago) and in our 28 years of marriage, I have seen MANY shocked reactions. My favorite is when the person keeps trying to speak to him in very broken English until they realize that he is a white guy that is actually speaking Mandarin. I started learning Japanese 2 years ago but came across your YouTube channel about one year ago and loved that you spoke both Chinese and Japanese. You helped me find Pimsleur which has helped tremendously to get me to actually practice speaking Japanese out loud. Now, my husband and I will be coming to Japan at the end of April and living in Kobe for 2 years. We are beyond excited! If you ever find yourself in the Kobe Chinatown, it would be so fun to meet up with you and have TWO people who can speak Chinese. :)