It's because we all look alike

I never thought I looked anything other than Chinese until I went abroad to China and Taiwan. Perhaps it is because non-Asians may find it difficult to distinguish the different ethnicities that there was never a question that I looked Chinese until now. However, even with my Asian friends, I never was told that I didn't look Chinese. I thought I'd be amongst my kind in China and Taiwan but it doesn't seem to be the case. I suppose in China, it is because my accent is Taiwanese so when I speak, they can tell I'm a foreigner. Also, as much as I tried to blend in with the locals, my clothes did flag me as a non-native. That and probably the huge backpack I lugged around. >_<

The first day in China, as we walked around Beijing to find our way to our hotel, the more daring of the Chinese people in the streets would call out in Mandarin, "Are you from Japan? From Korea?" It's either Japanese or Korean, though I was considered to be Korean most of the time. My Beijing friend says it's because of my pale skin, which I didn't think would be too unusual since many Chinese celebrities are super pale but I guess I'm wrong. I think the Chinese are less likely to guess Japanese because China and Japan don't have a very good relationship and it's quite common for Korean students to come to China to study Mandarin.

Meanwhile, in Taiwan, since Taiwan and Japan have a fairly good relationship and Japan occupied Taiwan for a bit, the natives are more inclined to guess I'm Japanese than Korean. Not that I care that much about what ethnicity people think I am, but it is rather amusing. I guess I'll always be a foreigner no matter what country I am in.