Despite the fact that I spent a good deal of time growing up in Asia， I still had some preconceived notions about China before moving here。 I would like to blame Chinatowns， Mulan and the media for my terrible stereotypes。 In reality I can only blame myself for not having bothered to learn before now。 After a year of living in good， ol’ Beijing， I thought I would share with you my now debunked stereotypes。
尽管我曾在亚洲待过很长时间，但是在搬到中国之前，我仍然对这个国度有许多先入为主的观念。我认为这是唐人街、花木兰、以及让我产生这些可怕刻板印象的媒体们的错。但是事实上我只能够怪我自己，以前没有学习了解过中国。在老北京生活一年之后，我想我可以和你分享一下那些刻板印象的真实情况。
1。 Chinese people are only good at math and science
1、中国人只擅长数学和科学。
I am almost 100 percent sure that every movie/TV show ever made has had a nerd played by an Asian kid。 I’m also fairly certain that every foreign exchange student from Asia who went to my high school was a genius。 Everyone just knows Chinese kids are good at math and science。 I am aware that we are also taught that Chinese education does not allow for free thought and creative thinking。
我几乎百分之百地确定，每一部电影、电视剧里肯定有一个亚洲孩子扮演的书呆子角色。我也相当肯定每一个到我高中来的亚洲交换学生都是天才。所有人都知道中国孩子很擅长数学和科学。我意识到我们被灌输了这样一个印象--中国的教育不允许自由思想和创造性思维。
After working in the education system of Beijing for the past year， I can tell you it is not that black and white。 I have so many students who love art， theater and music。 One in particular， is always sketching and I love it。 I have students who hate math and science。 They and I bemoan their terrible math homework together。 Please don’t assume that just because they are Chinese they are all forced to be alike。 They are individuals。
在北京的教育系统里工作一年之后，我可以告诉你事实并不是那样的。我有很多喜欢艺术、戏剧和音乐的学生。特别是其中一个学术总是在素描，而我真的非常喜欢。我也有讨厌数学和科学的学生。他们和我一起吐槽他们可怕的数学作业。请不要只是因为他们的中国人，就认为他们失去了个性、被迫变成一样的人。他们都是具有不同性格的个体。
2。 Chinese restaurants cook cats and dogs
2、中国饭店里卖猫肉和狗肉。
I used to joke with my friends that when cats in our neighborhood started disappearing it meant the Chinese restaurant had fresh meat。 I know， I’m a terrible person。 I’m turning a new leaf though。 Chinese food is amazing。 I don’t care if it’s Americanized or the real deal – it’s just plain good。 And， for the record， I have personally never had cat or dog in China。
我曾经和我的朋友们开玩笑说，当小区里的猫开始消失的时候，就意味着中国餐馆里又有新鲜的肉了。我知道，我是一个很糟糕的人。可是现在我的看法改变了。中国的食物令人感到惊奇。我不在乎那是美国化的菜肴还是真正的中餐--反正都很好吃。而且，我在中国从来没有吃到过猫肉或狗肉。
3。 Chinese people look exactly the same
3、中国人长得都一样。
I recognize that， in the United States， people look incredibly different from one another。 We have different hair color， different eye color， different body types and different facial structure。 When we look at someone of Asian ethnicity we might immediately think， “Wow！ They all look so similar！”
在美国，我意识到人们长得都非常不一样。我们有不同的发色、眼睛颜色也不同、不同的体型和不同的面部轮廓。但是当我们看亚洲人的时候，我们可能会立即认为：“天啦，他们长得都一样！”
What I have learned， though， is that we， foreigners， are looking for the wrong differences。 Chinese people see different eye shapes， different hair styles and different shades of skin and hair color。 It isn’t that they look the same， it’s that you simply aren’t looking for the ways in which they differ。
但是我了解到的是，我们外国人寻找他们不同的地方找错了。中国人的眼睛形状不同，发型、肤色、发色也不同。并不是他们长得都一样，只是你没有找到他们看起来不一样的地方。
4。 Chinese women are subordinate to men
4、中国女性地位低于男性。
Ancient China often overshadows modern China in the world’s eyes。 We see a traditional culture seemingly trapped in a bygone era。 We remember stories of women binding their feet， arranged marriages and male-dominated homes。
在世界其他国家中人的眼里，古代中国的阴影总是笼罩着现代中国。我们认为传统文化似乎是被困在过去旧时代的糟粕。我们记得女人裹小脚、包办婚姻和男权家庭的故事。
I have learned that China is ever evolving。 Beijing is filled with men and women alike rushing to the subways to get to work。 It is possible that in the countryside women are still expected to be quiet and demur。 But this is far from true in bustling cities like Beijing。 Chinese women have entered the workforce with incredible competence and are continuing to take on many more important roles in society。
但是我了解到中国是在不断发展着的。北京挤满了抢着赶地铁上班的男人和女人。有可能在农村地区女性仍然被要求沉默、不能反抗。但是像北京这样繁华的城市却不是这样。中国女性已经进入了职场，她们拥有令人难以置信的能力，并将在社会中扮演许多越来越重要角色。
5。 Chinese people aren’t allowed to be Christians。
5、中国人不允许信基督教。
Christianity is a legal religion within China。 The Communist Party， which remains an atheist organization， presently allows five religions in China： Buddhism， Taoism， Islam， Protestantism， and Catholicism。 The idea that Chinese people are not allowed to be Christians is simply false。
基督教是中国法律允许的一种宗教信仰。共产党（这仍然是一个无神论组织）目前允许中国的五大宗教：佛教、道教、伊斯兰教、新教和天主教。中国人不允许信基督教的说法完全是错误的。
6。 Chinese people can’t drive
6、中国人不会开车。
When I visited China at 11 years of age， there was barely a car on the road。 They were filled with hundreds， if not thousands， of bicycles。 Some 12 years later， the streets of Beijing have definitely changed。 My husband， Leif， and I are some of the few bikers left on the road。
当我11岁来中国时，道路上几乎没有汽车。路上挤满了几百辆（如果没有上千辆的话）自行车。大约12年后，北京的街道已经完全改变了。我的丈夫利夫和我是道路上仅有的骑自行车的两个人。
责任编辑：李然
