We also wasted time at a so-called grassland reserve. Instead, it was a disgusting place where a ton of vendors were making high-pressure sales pitches to buy horse riding “experiences.” Many of the horses were malnourished, and some were injured. All were forced to work. 

Not surprisingly, few people bought a horse riding package. In our group, only a mother and child did. In fact, my guide was so frustrated with us that he turned to me. It’s a sad day when you turn to the unemployed foreign tourist to help you make ends meet, but here we were. We wasted another hour waiting for the mother and child to return from their ride. It was the longest hour of my life. In that time, my guide tried to educate me. He said that I’m not Chinese American (as I’ve rightly referred to myself), and that I am, in fact, simply Chinese.

This brings up an interesting point. The Chinese language has a variety of words to describe “overseas Chinese.” The most general form roughly translates into “of Chinese heritage” (华人). Within this category, there is “born in China, but living abroad” (华侨). Since this is very relevant to me in describing my Chinese heritage, I’ve spent a great deal of time studying these distinctions. Occasionally, some locals like to argue with me. However, I simply let them know that they are wrong. As was the case here. 🥲