... and a pic from last year's subway party indicating that people actually do go through with it:

We'll keep updating this blog with any new events we spot as the week goes on. Here's a not-so-traditional alternative:

Saturday October 27

北京's Halloween Subway Party
Meet at 8:30pm at Dongzhimen Subway station, boarding at 9pm and heading north towards Yonghegong.

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No. Sorry Mr Ding. You were born in China to Chinese parents, you are Chinese with US citizenship.

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When did I say anyone is not American?

...I might have been reading that bit. Then I also read this bit:

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I have lived for more years in China than I have in my home country, I am still Laowai, I will always be laowai, my skin is still white and people still stare at me every day.

...and saw that you were trying to extrapolate your experience based on skin color to George's identification as culturally American, albeit ethnically Chinese:

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why are overseas (born or raised) Chinese so quick to separate themselves from their people and identify as a "foreigner"? That, to me, is racist.

The problem is that these are two different things. George may be quite proud of being ethnically Chinese. That does not make him less American (if he so identifies that way). It also does not make him or any OTHER ABC/CBC who identifies as American/Canadian racist. A number of my ABC/CBC friends build their own groups around the shared experience of being part of the larger Chinese diaspora but not of China. You've also ignored the fact that ethnically Chinese aren't all alike. Which part of China are these people supposed to identify with? The north? south? Hong Kong or Taiwan? China is not a cultural monolith, shockingly.

In short, the way that you wrote this makes the argument that anyone with parents, grandparents, or hell, great grandparents from China (where's your cut off?) should identify with local Chinese. The implication is that cultural ties should be stronger with China than, say, their country of birth or upbringing because "they are Chinese with US citizenship" even if the LATTER was a choice and the former merely incidental. That might just make an immigrant even more American, as that person chose America over having no choice but to be birthed there.

Now that Halloween's but a week away, 38 parties have been posted to our events section so far ... check out your choices here http://www.thebeijinger.com/search/apachesolr_search/halloween+type%3Aevent

I don't often do this, but I would just like to say that that meringue was more than "lovely." It was ever-so-gently crisp on the outside, with an ethereally soft, gooey inside laced with ribbons of dark chocolate. It was pretty much fantabulous. I regretted every moment that I had walked past that shop without stuffing one in my face. Just thought it'd be a shame to not let people know that.

bump.

When did I say anyone is not American? I said not a foreigner to China. If you are born here and your parents are Chinese why be so quick to distance yourself from your home country? Why go about calling yourself a "laowai" in the country where you and your parents and your grandparents were born?

I was not making anything up. George Ding is a Chinese man (Chinese being an enthicity) with US citizenship. How is that in any way xenophobic? It's xenophobic when the overseas born Chinese I know go around shitting on "mainlanders" and making sure everyone knows that they are NOT one of them. It's weird to me, why not be proud to be Chinese? Represent.

How long do I have to live here before I can call myself Chinese? Or do I have to forget how to speak English first? Because I know Chinese people who have lived overseas for much less time than I have been here who call themselves Australian or Canadian.

It makes me sad for my Chinese friends who were born and raised here and who are smart and proud to be Chinese, who have the mindset to self-educate and become worldly and informed without ever having been abroad when my ABC/CBC friends talk shit about China and Chinese people. That is xenophobic.

You can still have the best education in town even without leaving the country. Learning just don't take place in school. It happen everywhere.

Whoa, Bottle-o. Disagree strongly. My father was born to two Chinese parents in China but immigrated young, doesn't speak a lick of Chinese, and considers himself American (I do believe he'd be insulted if you called him anything BUT American).

But even IF he immigrated older and spoken Chinese fluently, how does that make him less American? How is George any less American?

I know this wasn't likely your intention, but you come off seriously xenophobic in your post.