Sunday 9 October 2011

Dimsum Review - A Relic of the Commonwealth Generation

Review of British Chinese website - Dimsum.co.uk

Dimsum was once considered the heart and soul of the British Chinese community, even participating in community activism with a British Born Chinese forum, however Dimsum has gradually fallen to the wayside reflecting a changing of the guard and a lack of homogeneity within the British Chinese community. 

The online British Chinese community can be summed up as follows...

Chinese (mostly mainlanders) that haven't assimilated use Chinese text websites: Netbirds, lkcn.net and ukchinese.com.

British Born Chinese use: BritishChineseOnline

Youngsters of the clubbing generation use : Neehao

So who uses Dimsum?

Web Statistics 

"Dimsum.co.uk is visited more frequently by females who are in the age range of 55-64, have no children and graduate educated"
Only one third of internet traffic is from the UK. Looking at the search traffic, the top searchers inadvertently found the website searching for dim sum food, not specifically Chinese topical issues. A sizeable chunk of its traffic comes from spam and harvesting.

 Although Dimsum boasts over 15,000 unique users every month, why is it that 20 out of the last 24 articles on its homepage stretching back two months have no comments on them? Over 30,000 unique users commenting on just 4 articles?

Its a matter of content. Despite Dimsum's homepage being a cornucopia of overflowing user based articles, there are no young  polyphloisboian voices to be heard here, the plug is pulled on the NeeHao promoted DJ's, this is maturer, classier, like a glass of Hennessy XO, this is not for the Asian nerd, Hello Kitty and TVB are not welcome either, rather classical music, modern theatre, art and fine cuisine are the order of the day.

Compare the articles on White Male Asian Female inter racial relationships on 8asians.com -(all very modern using quotes from Marie Claire etc).... with Dimsum articles written by passive middle aged Chinese women from the home counties (who are not going to rock the boat for fear of upsetting their White partners and the White community), you can already see where the website Dimsum is heading. If Dimsum is considered the heart and soul of the British Chinese community, then one has to conclude the UK is far behind the USA in terms of 'Asian' radicalism.

Advertisements or Articles?

The articles are on the whole professionally written, but bureaucratic, like a trade magazine, and of no real interest or concern to anyone except those who work in the trade industries. Dimsum's articles are thinly disguised advertisements for profit businesses or self-interest public Chinese associations/organisations and the networked British Chinese socialite cronies associated with them, it sums up the objective of the website - its promotional, if there is nothing to be gained either personally, financially etc, then no article will be written for publication.

There is an article on the website VisibleChinese, an of A-Z of British Chinese cronyism, the usual suspects are all listed, its self-promotion just like Dimsum itself. Mark Wu runs the website, he is also the interactive associate for Yellow Earth Theatre Company. Its the same people self-promoting themselves.

There are common themes with the backgrounds of the contributors who write the articles...

Wah Yin Rixon - FOB Chinese female Married to a Caucasian jazz player. She is also a trustee of.....can you guess?...The Yellow Earth Theatre Company!

Naomi Christie - FOB Chinese female, although you wouldn't think so judging by her name. She now lives in China, obviously either inter racially married, has interracial parents or adopted by white parents.

Sally Maier-Yip - FOB Chinese female - recently relocated from Singapore with her inter racial White partner to UK, clearly in no position to write about British Chinese issues.

Olhos Degato - FOB Chinese male Mainland migrant, has an Black inter racial partner.

Paul Courtney Hyu - Mixed race Eurasian

Jenny Hao -FOB Chinese female - socialite mainlander on a student visa studying medicine at Goldsmiths. How British is she?

Merlene Emerson - FOB Chinese female immigrant with a White husband
Philip Ling- BBC male with a white interracial partner.

Anna Chen - Mixed race Eurasian

 The only observable regular contributor with a Chinese partner is Susan S. Cheung, who migrated to the USA and is no longer part of the British Chinese community, yet still contributes articles on a British Chinese website.

Given their background and their pro-assimilation, pro-inter racial marriage agenda, pro-migration agenda, it is questionable whether they even believe in the concept of being ethnic Chinese, the website completely neglects BBC's, it does not cater for BBC's at all. In what way are these contributors fit to represent British Chinese community? Unless of course 'British Chinese' has now become a euphemism for inter racial breeding and the dissolution of one's ethnicity. 

What is peculiar about the site are the articles relating to traditional Chinese culture such as 'Feng Shui,' 'Chinese herbal medicine,' 'traditional Chinese musical ensemble,' these are the types of interests these older 'si-lai' fogyish FOBBY women participate in, yet they completely neglect the most important thing that makes them Chinese and their future generation Chinese - 1) marriage to a Chinese male and 2) having Chinese children. Its bizarre these Chinese women take such an big interest in very traditional Chinese subjects when they're married to White men, but it seems to be common theme on Dimsum. Turtle mothers logic Click Here

Featured Articles - Social Class Bias

Have you heard the story about the Singaporean student studying medicine at Cambridge who was hit by a bus, her white boyfriend committed suicide a few days later? http://www.dimsum.co.uk/features/tragic-deaths-of-two-youths.html Why this story? Is it because she’s a FOB studying medicine at Cambridge and has a white boyfriend (these 4 subjects seem to form the theme of the website, 1-female 2-oxbridge 3-FOB 4-white inter racial partner), therefore her life is of greater interest than a Chinese who works in the Takeaway?

Series of pointless articles about Taiwan that unsurprisingly failed to attract any readers comments, written by 'Rixon' whose husband incidently is Oxbridge Alumni, the latest article is on Yinsey Wang - 'a Cambridge' law student.'

Do we see a connected theme here? It's a tripartite network of FOB's, White's and Eurasian's largely of a certain social class acting to exclude BBC's unless they're a lapdog, of the right social class, Christian or attended the right university. Its quite simple, when FOBs marry whites, they produce Eurasian children, BBCs do not figure in the equation and are therefore excluded.

Undoubtedly, Dimsum bypasses the BBC and takeaway and restaurant demographic, unless its a corporate or a Michellin Star restaurant. There is an article on the Michellin Star Hibiscus restaurant, and what has that got to do with British Chinese culture?  Absolutely nothing. The Hibiscus is not even a Chinese restaurant. Dimsum's review's are a representation of the types of bourgeois Asian women and their White partners who eat at upmarket restaurants.

Extreme Bias

Here is an opinion on Ai WeiWei's imprisonment by Dr. Katie Hill (yes, She's White and married to Ai Wei Wei's artistic friend Cai Yuan), just how objective is she going to be? Well....


If I ever saw a piece of writing that was so westcentric, so one-sided, so blatantly promoting anti-Chinese Communist government propaganda, this would be close to it.
'We applaud William Hague, the French and German governments and the EU representative in China, for their efforts to speak up publicly on behalf of Ai and other prisoners, such as the Nobel Peace Prize recipient Liu Xiaobo.'
Kudos for boot-licking the western governments. Is she a Con-Dem voter by any chance? Oh look there's the obligatory reference to Liu Xiaobo.
'We also applaud David Cameron’s statement regarding the importance of human rights on his visit to China last year, which is a significant step in the right direction.'
Yes, that's correct, David Cameron the regime change orchestrator, the white knight saviour of the both the Arab and Oriental worlds.
"As an immediate priority we urge Western and other governments to exert strong pressure on China to treat its citizens with the respect that they deserve, as a matter of basic justice and humanity."
That's right, in China, there is no justice, no legal system in place, no legal framework, it is a feral uncivilised country with no humanity, just ask Morrissey.
"China's credibility in the world is at stake if it does not significantly improve its human rights record."
There's that repetitive westcentric view again that China cannot progress to be an global economic or political power unless it moves to western democracy and does what the west wants.

On the book reading list on one of the forums, there is a recommendation to read Amy Tan! If you aren't familiar with Amy Tan, she was described as a race traitor by some sections of Chinese American society.

One of the major criticisms of the British Chinese community is the lack of  leadership from its communities leaders, with these types of ineffective sycophantic Uncle Tam's literally running the Dimsum's content and running British Chinese society, pandering to White people to improve their own social, political and economic status in the eyes of White people, is it any wonder? Today, Dimsum has become the tumbleweed of websites, what remains is a meaningless, neglected, outdated billboard (that nobody reads) plastered with self-interest advertisements thinly disguised as articles representing the interests of a tripartite social class (that has long had its day and achieved very little for the British Chinese community), as such the virtual billboard deserves to be covered in virtual graffiti. Dimsum? More like DingLeiGorFai.

Reviewed by BBCZeitgeist

28 comments:

  1. SOOOOOOOO TRUE!!! Also it has a stupid name for its website too! You would think that site is about Dim Sum! That site is nothing compared to the British Born Chinese site.

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  2. britishChineseonline is not that much better, its nothing more than a glorified chatroom full of rather too many unsavoury cliquey immature people killing time, its not a serious site at all, it has no articles and completely lacks credibility, Dimsum has credibility, britishchinseonline has no credibility, which is why I don't use it, nor do any other BBC's that I know.

    If britishchineseonline catered for my interests I wouldn't need to blog in the first place.

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  3. i agree, there is a dimsum message board which can be used to air your criticisms, but i beginning to wonder if its just sneaky promo for wong sic theatre cronies chat. this website has more edge, more potential new start. So so so glad there is someone else who think dim dimsum is so lame and out of touch with BBCs.

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  4. Good expoSe on the personel, Dim sum's got a few good articles but mostly it is just bizarre adverts that rake in the money i guess. It lost its way a while ago, for that reason i can't relate most of the stuff said as a BBC in UK. It is also extremely weak about race and identity issues which for advertising and self-interest kellie-fairs contributors want to avoid.

    BBCZ type blogs is more of the future, i don't agree with everything said, just as anyone would disagree with my views, but there are INTERESTING and RELEVANT cutting views and BBC opinions being expressed.

    BBCz yau nell, like to buy you a beer and have a some BBC banter that only BBCs understand.

    Thanks

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  5. Dim Sum has made its mark in standing up for the Chinese community during the foot and mouth outbreak so I'll give them credit for that. It seems like the creators doesn't care about the content and is seriously suffering from spam attack, which they have not bothered to sort out. Although I enjoyed a articles by some writers on there but in overall the website have gone down hill in the past years. Not only the content serves no interests to BBC the quality can sometimes be subpar.

    I remember there used to be a webzine called Squat which was targeted at young British Chinese and it was pretty good. But unfortunately it turned into a typical entertainment site that focuses too much on Hong Kong celebs. It came to the point where they ran out of content to write about on the BBC community. Or it may also be to do with the fact they were not run by real media agencies or have paid writers, the contributions are mostly made by volunteers which are not always committed.

    I share the same sentiment as you about those particular type of FOBs who wrote those articles but I wouldn't waste too much time on bashing them. In the end it's up to us BBCs to set things straight by creating our own content.

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  6. have you seen Dimsum's latest article on 47 Ronin by Alfred Lee

    http://www.dimsum.co.uk/culture/47-ronin.html

    it sums up the glorification of the tripartite network of fobs, whites and eurasians.

    "Keanu, 46, mixed race - Chinese, Hawaiian, Portuguese and British and lived in Australia as a child and was brought up in Canada. He is not married, but has often been seen in the company of glamorous actress and model China Chow, daughter of actor and London and New York blue-ribbon restaurant owner Mr (Michael) Chow and the late, brilliant designer Tina Chow. China's aunt is Tsai Chin, one of the Western world's most talented and famous Chinese actresses, who appeared in the London stage production of The World of Suzie Wong, plus many box-office film successes."

    Rather than he questioning the use of mixed race actors in martial arts roles or its impact on the genre, Alfred Lee simply spend his time glorifying Eurasian Keanu Reeves.

    He also glorifies actress Tsai Chin (who had a white husband in real life), in the London stage production of The World of Suzie Wong!!!

    --------Yes that piece of shite about a Chinese prostitute falling for a white knight - one of the worst portrayals of Chinese in media history. Need I say more?

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  7. @ 11 October 2011 18:19, Are you buying the rounds then?! I'm in Asia now, but I'll be hanging out with happybritishchinese for a drink or two in London when I get back, come join us, send me an email sometime.

    @Ronin, Dimsum also made its mark on the Dover Lorry case with the dead illegal immigrants, but isn't this the very least they could do? After all, both the Dover Lorry case and the Foot and Mouth cases are FOB issues. Dover illegal immigrants are FOBs -literally (or should one say FOL), the foot n mouth crisis affected Chinese restaurants...which are all pretty much owned, run and managed by FOB's. Do we think they would take the same active role or interest in a case involving BBC's? Answer: No...and yet BBC's are required to support FOB issues like the death of simon San?

    BBCs creating our own content is undoubtedly what we should and must do. Send me an email if you're interested in contributing an article sometime.

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  8. I think we should care about those issues in some extent, just there's so much we can do due to some differences in culture and interests. So I wouldn't count on their support for BBC issues either.

    Cool, I'll email you if I can if I can think of something to write about.

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  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  10. As opposed to continually anonymously trolling the 'comments section' of blogs that don't conform your own pathetically myopic opinions?

    FYI, no comments have been removed from this article, although one can make exception with your comments if you like?

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  11. @anon 17oct/0910 can you define what you mean by "racist" or are you trying to stir things up? Is it possible to a make clear argument and debate the issue without the s..t stirring

    @BBCZ be careful don't take the bait, a good way to tame mad dogs is to throw some yorkie bars LOL

    anyway good site, good blog
    heykumseen :)

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  12. Haha! 17/0910 is a UK troll and has been trolling this blog for months, perhaps milkybars are more appropriate for that little baby troll!

    I try to give them a chance to discuss the issues, but they never do, they only come here to troll for a personal 1-to-1 fight.

    If you don't like the content, then...
    1) create your own blog
    2) go to another website that suits your tastes
    3) submit your own article on a subject that you like.

    But troll and I'll just remove comments. So back to zero tolerance again...

    Read terms and conditions:

    http://bbczeitgeist.blogspot.com/p/general-rules-for-posting-comments.html

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  13. I think where Dimsum have failed it that it never discusses the issues critically or in any serious depth. It never questions the premises in which the articles are written and accepts the waffle and promotion in which it is selling. Even the “political” articles aren’t really a discussion about politics and the Chinese living today in the UK, it is not interested in BBC voices, cares enough to want to know. Unless off course it brings in the “right” PR or funding ... that’s enough don’t want to slate them off too much, or it look too bad on me.

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  14. Great more activist comments...BBCz your blog has potential bro the members are arising! ( just add ID!) I wouldnt write that final article...just yet

    Re: the topic. Yeah you pretty much said it all. Im actually suspicious that dimsum is being 'sponsored' by some imperialist elite scum council funding. And the reason i say this is that the majority articles just seem out of touch with reality. I mean theres 'arent the Chinese exotic' and then theres...ridiculousness.

    I swear this ball-less blog was the prototype for all orientalist sites...including the asian american ones..

    step 1: write exotic articles about china
    step 2: put hapas in the spotlight
    step 3: rinse and repeat

    Its almost as if they have a robot programmed to create exotic articles on hapa, tasty oriental dishes and ...brainwash us unsuspecting bbcers.

    DIE evil exotic orientalist dragon queen robots. DIE

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  15. @happybritishchinese can u remain critical without being aggressive, its more effective and credible that way. Follow the house rules??!!

    also srry not familiar with the lingo what does "hapas" mean?

    ....I can also go on slating Dimsum aswell, and if i was a competitor i probrably do some digging and investigating myself. I reckon (NOT proven) there is something odd about it, in that it ignores the very things what most chinese people in the UK want to talk about (race issues good and bad), in particular "BBCs" ond the "FOB" goodguys living in the UK which i think form the heart of the editorial team? or not... a bit shady? I dunno...what is their actual agenda?

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  16. @anonymous.
    A HAPA is a person who is half white half another race . and in the case of BBCS typically and unjustifiably we have hapas representing us in the UK ( half white half chinese), research this blog if you have no idea.

    Re: your question' what is their actual agenda? well yes it is shady, and to hazard a guess, it say, ( and inline with the divide and conquer tactics that have been used against east asian people in the west since day one) its promoting us british chinese as either half white ( promotion of interbreeding to dilute chinese race) or as FOBS ( cant speak english therefore maintaining the stereotype that we are perpetual foreigners).

    Finally bro, sis , whoever you are..Yes i should follow the house rules for not swearing, I guess i feel passionate about the fact that for years now the number one website that represented us BBCS is a complete imperialist tool to maintain HAPA representation and make us invisible

    in the meantime, can you show some passion about our community and get a google id and start being recognized on here? its just a plea for some kind of solidarity because as far as i can see commenting anonymously and running off just means that you are only half committal to contributing to this blog. Sorry to sound so militant, but thats how strongly i feel about it, and i have the feeling you may be a regular, so please contribute regularly with an ID..itll build our community, and we have to start somewhere.

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  17. @^ = thanks for the ansa, i just looked at the dimsum website, do i need to say more?

    "Finally bro, sis , whoever you are..Yes i should follow the house rules for not swearing, I guess i feel passionate about the fact that for years now the number one website that represented us BBCS is a complete imperialist tool to maintain HAPA representation and make us invisible

    in the meantime, can you show some passion about our community and get a google id and start being recognized on here? its just a plea for some kind of solidarity because as far as i can see commenting anonymously and running off just means that you are only half committal to contributing to this blog. Sorry to sound so militant, but thats how strongly i feel about it, and i have the feeling you may be a regular, so please contribute regularly with an ID..itll build our community, and we have to start somewhere"

    IMO Trust not there yet, but getting there maybe :)

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  18. I don't trust Dimsum either, and they're been around for ages, it hasn't evolved or reacted to BBC issues and concerns... which is very weird.

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  19. ^ if you want to look at another reason why? Read this...

    http://www.dimsum.co.uk/forum/viewpoints/topic-3983.html#13886

    Mixed race Eurasians such as Paul Courtney Hyu have attempted to hijack the term "BBC British Born Chinese" to mean anyone who is 'born in the UK of Chinese descent' as opposed to anyone 'born in the UK of both Ethnic Chinese parents!' So Eurasians are BBC's! Well there you go then, we 'BBC's' have our representation in the form of mixed race Eurasians(hapa's!) - ironically rendering us 'BBC's' invisible.

    More indepth discussion here :

    http://bbczeitgeist.blogspot.com/2011/11/hapas-fobs-and-agenda-to-socially.html

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  20. @anonymous 26th nov 14:06. dimsum hasnt evolved or reacted because its a government propaganda tool, thats why. using hapas and fobs to maintain the illusion of peace whilst the same government uses its global media connections to demonize the shit out of china and create those exact problems that BBC's have issues and concerns with.

    more clues here:

    http://bbczeitgeist.blogspot.com/2011/04/wedding-william-kate-chinese-shame.html

    its a very insidious land we live in, but practically unless you want to speak out or question it, which we have been trained not to, its best just to go back to sleep, and pretend all is well as 99% of everyone else in the western world seems to do. lol

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  21. @^BBCZ...agreed
    I think its quite funny when he goes of on one, or one for the money two for the show LOL :D...he should form a mega Hapas acting group which is fine by me, and stop trying to pretend he is some sort of saviour of chinese representation, now that's what really MISSING.

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  22. The plain truth is that Dimsum lacks any kind of clear focus. Its wishy washy with articles that pass no kind of filter policy, that is any tom dick or harry is encouraged to write in and get published.

    The 'team' headed by the editor seam to be scared of tackling real issues, scared to rock the boat in any way, and populated by very poor writing and self-glorified pieces. As a community posterboard it even fails in that I would say. It pretty much is a redundant old doddering dinosaur. Relevant to the British Chinese Community? Hardly.

    Good review of the site btw, very succinct and nails the problem perfectly.

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    Replies
    1. haha @ redundant old doddering dinosaur.

      Remember dogs in prams? Well Dimsum's latest article is cats on film!

      Delete
  23. Totally agree with the above constructive criticism, Dimsum is so lame and never deals with the REAL issues that affect BBCs living in the UK as it claims. It feels like a business operation than for any sincere community interests. Their typical response to political, social issues, is its going to affect your health yap yap silly thai-thai c-li lo-yee-butt ansa, dil.

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  24. OMG!! I had no idea, it's beginning to make sense the strangeness of the write ups... where is the link, pics and info?
    I have NO problems with anyone who is gay etc just curious and into light gossip then and now.

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  25. http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/35245_10150221171595167_4810260_n.jpg

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  26. "Dimsum's review's are a representation of the types of bourgeois Asian women and their White partners who eat at upmarket restaurants."

    Haha spot on!

    Bit worried about the homophobic tone in your comments though BBCZ. I know your point is that gay BBCs aren't representative of all BBCs but do you really have to come across like that in order to make that point?

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