Breaking all moulds? Racialized romance between white/yang women and Chinese men

Abstract

Following increased international migration to China, the number of relationships between foreign women and Chinese men has risen. This article studies how ‘white women’ are racialized in the Chinese context through analysing the meaning of the term yang. Based on an analysis of online content about these relationships in English and Chinese, this article demonstrates that different racial frameworks interact when the meaning of race is negotiated in romantic relationships that are not only racialized, but also international and multilingual. Finally, it shows how racial narratives are sometimes reproduced through white/yang women’s accounts aimed at negating negative stereotypes about their husbands.