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She might have been Filipina. Her family seemed very approachable. We also smiled at each other. I know she was American, but she spoke in her family's native language. I also know there is a large population of Filipinos in California.
Its interesting how many ethnicities there are in East and Southeast Asia.
Probably Filipina than. The families generally are very approachable. I believe Filipinos have one of the highest rates of marrying outside their race as well. The parents are very supportive of interracial marriages and having mixed children.
Whereas generally, most other Asian ethnicities, the parents want their daughters to marry within their own race. Generally.
Only saying that because while California has every Asian on earth in it's state, I believe that Filipinas numbers are very, very, high.
Additionally, if you ruled out they weren't speaking Korean/Japanese/Chinese...than I'm imagining that any other tonal language you might here, might be confused with Chinese.
The wider-eyes apart, is a very Malay/Filipina thing as well. The lighter-skin is generally a very northeast asian thing, but there are also many Chinese-Malay, Chinese-ThChinese-Indonesian too. But, if they are Chinese ethnicity of southeast asian, they look kinda chinese usually.
Filipinas have both light-skinned and dark-skinned, and not always with that chinese-look of the white-skinned Filipinas. So, there is another checkmark for Filipina.
Also, the fact that her relatives were around 5'4"...that is quite typical of many Filipinas as well.
Just PURE speculation though....only speculation. Simply by deduction based on what you gave. But, could be any Asian really.
The Chinese diaspora outside of a few western countries rarely ever marry outside their race. The only exception I see is the Chinese diaspora inter-marrying whites in America.
The Chinese diaspora marry other descendants of Chinese immigrants in other countries (eg Chinese Americans, Chinese-Australian, Chinese Singaporean) more often than marrying a native with the exception of the phenomenon of Chinese diaspora in western countries and their inter marriage to whites or they inter-marry Korean/Japanese Americans.
I know many Chinese people whose ancestors migrated to Malaysia and Indonesia 50-100 years and today control 70-90% of the economies in these Southeast Asian countries though they're the minority in Southeast Asia (only 3-10% Chinese in Indonesia and Thailand, and 30% for Malaysia) except in Singapore where they're the majority race like whites in America - 75% (Singapore is a Chinese run country and the only majority Chinese country in the world outside of greater China). The Multi cultural facade is a tourism department publicity strategy, not real life.
None of the Chinese Malaysians and Chinese Indonesians I know married non-Chinese except one who married a white American she met after she moved to Singapore (her family made their fortunes in Indonesia and she was educated in America for much of her life though born in Jakarta).
That IS the reason for your observation: if they're Chinese in ethnicity they look Chinese. Because they are Chinese and in most cases, 100% unmixed. It stems from a Chinese chauvinism that's inherent in the culture against dark skinned races.
I have never seen a Filipino who looks Chinese. Filipinos look very distinct from Chinese.
Large eyes and yet still a very unmistakable clearly Chinese look with very light skin, 100% Chinese face, are very highly common among Han Chinese from the south, especially the Han Chinese in Hong Kong and Singapore. http://www.dianying.com/en/person/ZhongXintong like this Han Chinese girl from Hong Kong Gillian Chung. And this Han Chinese Singaporean. http://artismandarin.blogspot.sg/201...tress.html?m=1
Filipinos have the same look as Indonesians and Malays. Hmongs, Thais and Viets look alike.
There are many Filipino Americans and Chinese Americans in the US (Chinese Americans are the largest Asian ethnic group in the US). Both groups look like two clearly different races.
The biggest two White Americans can't tell apart are Chinese American and Korean American girls. These two look the most identical.
Last edited by sadgirl80; 09-29-2013 at 05:20 PM..
In Malaysia if one marries a Malay they have to become Muslim, since being Malay means being a Muslim. A Malay who renounces Islam is no longer considered a Malay by the state. Intermarriage between Chinese and Indians in Malaysia and Singapore is not uncommon. I don't know if you consider Chinese Thai the 'Chinese diaspora' but of course they are the most well integrated and have intermarried a lot.
The other place where they have is the Philippines, which is why many Filipinos look Chinese. In fact most of the wealthier ones do look at least somewhat Chinese.
Hmong look more like S. Chinese or even N. Chinese or Koreans than Thais. They look different to Viets too. Yeah Chinese and Koreans can look the same, more Northern Chinese though.
In Malaysia if one marries a Malay they have to become Muslim, since being Malay means being a Muslim. A Malay who renounces Islam is no longer considered a Malay by the state. Intermarriage between Chinese and Indians in Malaysia and Singapore is not uncommon. I don't know if you consider Chinese Thai the 'Chinese diaspora' but of course they are the most well integrated and have intermarried a lot.
The other place where they have is the Philippines, which is why many Filipinos look Chinese. In fact most of the wealthier ones do look at least somewhat Chinese.
Hmong look more like S. Chinese or even N. Chinese or Koreans than Thais. They look different to Viets too. Yeah Chinese and Koreans can look the same, more Northern Chinese though.
Leaving Islam for Malays in Malaysia is chargeable by legislation.
The Chinese in Thailand are much more integrated than the Chinese in Malaysia and Indonesia, that I agree. But I can easily spot an ethnic Chinese of Thai nationality from a Thai when I vacation in Thailand. Anyway if you go outside Bangkok you are generally guaranteed that all the locals you see, none are ethnic Chinese.
Chinese and Indian mixes do happen but are not common. In Singapore only 2.4% of its population is mixed race (includes Chinese-Indian, Chinese-white).
I see many many Filipinos in the US and when I visit Singapore. They look VERY different from a Chinese look. Filipinos do not look East Asian AT ALL, even the men look completely different from East Asian men.
The wealthier Filipinos you see in Manila are probably Chinese mixed in ethnicity.
The ethnic Chinese were forced to adopt Indonesian and Thai names in Indonesia and Thailand despite claiming to be secular countries but ironically Malaysia a self declared Islamic country lets its sizable Chinese population use their Chinese names (perhaps because of the sizability of the population at 30%)
Last edited by sadgirl80; 09-29-2013 at 06:01 PM..
Uhhh Chinese and Indian marriages only 0.7% of marriages in Singapore. I don't expect it to be different in Malaysia since the Chinese population is quite big at 30%, though not as big as in Singapore.
Anyway if you go outside Bangkok you are generally guaranteed that all the locals you see, none are ethnic Chinese.
I would agree that there's a higher concentration of ethnic Chinese to be found in BKK, but to "guarantee" that outside of BKK none of the locals are ethnic Chinese is not correct. My son-in-law's father (deceased) in Ayutthaya was ethnic Chinese although his mother is Thai. I have a number of friends in Chiang Mai who are half-Thai but raised ethnic Chinese although they do everything ethnic Thais do and consider themselves to be Thai, which they are. It's just that part of their family happen to be Chinese.
In the province of Saraburi, at Hin Kong in the district of Nong Khae, there's a Chinese temple, and in the village of Huai Khamin there's a place that carves and engraves headstones for Chinese burials, and I think about midway between Nong Khae and the city of Saraburi there's a Chinese cemetary. About 14% of Thailand's population are considered to be ethnic Chinese although they're Thai nationals. The 2nd link is a photo of Hin Kong (also called Huai Khamin). We have a house in this village near Wat Huai Khamin. Thai Chinese - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
With the high number of Chinese who mixed with Thais in Thailand, I'd agree there would be many all over but I do maintain most pure Chinese of Thai nationality are in Bangkok. That's at least my experience whenever I go to Thailand.
Sorry I stand corrected on my exaggeration on "none" found outside Bangkok.
Leaving Islam for Malays in Malaysia is chargeable by legislation.
The Chinese in Thailand are much more integrated than the Chinese in Malaysia and Indonesia, that I agree. But I can easily spot an ethnic Chinese of Thai nationality from a Thai when I vacation in Thailand. Anyway if you go outside Bangkok you are generally guaranteed that all the locals you see, none are ethnic Chinese.
Chinese and Indian mixes do happen but are not common. In Singapore only 2.4% of its population is mixed race (includes Chinese-Indian, Chinese-white).
I see many many Filipinos in the US and when I visit Singapore. They look VERY different from a Chinese look. Filipinos do not look East Asian AT ALL, even the men look completely different from East Asian men.
The wealthier Filipinos you see in Manila are probably Chinese mixed in ethnicity.
The ethnic Chinese were forced to adopt Indonesian and Thai names in Indonesia and Thailand despite claiming to be secular countries but ironically Malaysia a self declared Islamic country lets its sizable Chinese population use their Chinese names (perhaps because of the sizability of the population at 30%)
Well, a lot of them are mixed...would you identify the current prime minister as Chinese? I think she and her brother look pretty Chinese. Most people in Bangkok have Chinese ancestry. Also Phuket and a few other places outside Bangkok.
Yes they're not that uncommon...I think it's largely because they're still culturally quite different, and Indians are conservative.
A lot of the Filipinos I've met here look Chinese, some don't, but quite a few do. Maybe they're the wealthier ones. Like Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos look pretty Chinese.
It's not ironic because those countries were more about assimilation (especially Thailand), whereas the Malays and Chinese have always been pretty separate and some Malays want Malaysia for the Malays. Also few Chinese have converted to Islam in Malaysia.
Uhhh Chinese and Indian marriages only 0.7% of marriages in Singapore. I don't expect it to be different in Malaysia since the Chinese population is quite big at 30%, though not as big as in Singapore.
I would agree that there's a higher concentration of ethnic Chinese to be found in BKK, but to "guarantee" that outside of BKK none of the locals are ethnic Chinese is not correct. My son-in-law's father (deceased) in Ayutthaya was ethnic Chinese although his mother is Thai. I have a number of friends in Chiang Mai who are half-Thai but raised ethnic Chinese although they do everything ethnic Thais do and consider themselves to be Thai, which they are. It's just that part of their family happen to be Chinese.
In the province of Saraburi, at Hin Kong in the district of Nong Khae, there's a Chinese temple, and in the village of Huai Khamin there's a place that carves and engraves headstones for Chinese burials, and I think about midway between Nong Khae and the city of Saraburi there's a Chinese cemetary. About 14% of Thailand's population are considered to be ethnic Chinese although they're Thai nationals. The 2nd link is a photo of Hin Kong (also called Huai Khamin). We have a house in this village near Wat Huai Khamin. Thai Chinese - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I would argue that the 'ethnic Chinese' in Thailand are really ethnic Thais, since they only speak Thai, mostly practise Theravada Buddhism, have Thai names.etc. It's a different situation in Malaysia where many still speak Chinese and practice Chinese culture.
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