Chinese people resident in Britain report strained friendships and a shift in attitudes Dr Zhou* had just arrived at Gatwick airport last week when a British couple physically recoiled as she entered a lift. “The woman looked at me, quickly turned to her husband and told him ‘they should wear their masks’,” she said. “They assumed I didn’t understand English, that I was ‘fresh off the boat’ and that I probably had coronavirus.” Humiliated, Zhou – a scientist who was travelling from London to Slovenia – stood in uncomfortable silence. “I give people the benefit of doubt because they’re scared, but why can’t they give me the benefit of doubt? Fear is no reason to be racist. Statistically, as a British citizen who hasn’t been to China in two years, I have the same risk level as a white person.” Continue reading...