“The Chinese people Singaporeans don't like, we don't like too.”

Xixi had just arrived at the interview with her boyfriend Teddy and said this to me before she had even sat down. Hailing from Shanghai and Anhui respectively, Xixi and Teddy were both in their early thirties and made a handsome couple. They were both tall and well-dressed: She was decked in a red flowery dress while he was in pants and a T-shirt, matched with a large trendy-looking watch. It had been difficult to secure an interview with XiXi and Teddy. As professionals in the IT industry, they travelled frequently overseas for work and pleasure. They had in fact just spent a couple of weeks in Germany and then Sydney.

Xixi's comment caught me off-guard. I had previously informed Xixi and Teddy that the interview would be about their experiences as migrants in Singapore and their interaction with locals; no stereotypes were hinted at or mentioned. Xixi seemed aware of the stereotypes of Chinese migrants in Singapore and was quick to state her stance: she is not like them. Importantly, it was also an act to identify with Singaporeans. By stating that they did not like the “Chinese people”whom she later described as people who “spit, talk loudly on their mobile phones and litter”, she wanted it known that she was more like Singaporeans, who according to her, are more civilized.

Over the course of my research in Singapore, I talked to Chinese professionals like Xixi and found some similar sentiments.