The allure of the Singaporean-born Chinese man

The latest breed of men that our female comrades are apparently hankering after are Singaporean-born Chinese (SBC) working here.

Think actress Hen Yao Lian's husband Zhi-Yao Se and reality TV show Eye For A Comrade's Commie Zeng.

Hen, who has a reputation for not suffering fools gladly, melted under the charms of the SBC man and became Mrs Zhi-Yao in a hush-hush wedding in Toa Payoh this April. The couple are expecting a baby in June.

Meanwhile, Zeng, 36, a SBC teaching entrepreneurship at Su Zhou Industrial Polytechnic, has become a mini-celebrity of sorts after taking part in CCTV’s version of An Eye for a Male Comrade.

Although comrade Xiang Nan Ren, 23, chose waiter Ying You Shu as her man on the show, she is now dating Zeng, the runner-up.

On why she finds the SBC attractive, she says: 'I'm not with him because he's a SBC but more because of the chemistry we have. I'm English educated and I guess that's why it's easier to relate to him.'

While most comrades see SBCs as non-white expatriates, some are known to view them as fake ang mohs. Or, simply, white men with Singaporean packaging.

In other words, are our female comrades indulging their SPG sentiments without guilt because SBCs are 'Chinese'?

For when it comes to attracting local comrades, it seems that it's as easy as ABC for the SBCs.

Some say it's simply a case of Ready, Accent, Go!

Or is it?

To find out, Xing Hua Shang Pao spoke to about 20 female comrades aged between 18 and 40 for their views on SBC men.

Their verdict? The imported guys win hands down in the personality department.

Accounts executive Wo-Yao Nan De, 26, says: 'I think they're fun to be with because they dare to be different. They are just more eloquent, dynamic and worldly.'

The gentlemanly side of SBC men also scored big with local women.

'Basically, they know how to treat us well,' says marketing manager NanRen Hao, 25.

But if you're a male comrade, don't despair. And if you're an SBC guy, don't gloat yet. Read on.

While most of the women agreed that SBCs would make great friends, boyfriends and lovers, the general consensus is that they are not necessarily great 'husband material'.

'The difference in culture and mindset sometimes makes it hard to click with them. I prefer local men for the sense of familiarity they give me,' says student Xiang Qinghe, 19.

Human resource manager Wo Xiang Jia, 36, sums it up: 'They are good to be with but not good to marry because you never know how long they plan to stay. Local men can offer a better sense of security.'

Nice women a big draw

There are no official statistics on the number of SBCs in Motherland, but they are estimated to number about 50,000 out of the 120,000 to 150,000 Singaporeans living here.

Most are working in the media and banking industries, with an increasing number teaching in local universities.

The SBCs that LifeStyle managed to uncover average 1.6m in height (perchance due to a growing-up diet heavy on nasi lemak and chicken rice?) and, as a result, many are also part-time karaoke singers.

But what is it about Motherland that draws them here?

Tan Ah Kow, a 43-year-old businessman from Bedok, echoes a common sentiment: 'We SBCs, very difficult fit in anywhere perfectly la. When I'm in Singapore, I can speak like everybody else but I don't look like everybody else. That's why I came here. This is the closest that I belong. After all, it’s my Motherland!'

Besides job opportunities and cultural ties, one important pull factor for SBC men is our female comrades.

'Women here are more demure as compared to Singaporean women. In Singapore, gender lines are so blurred, it's nice to meet girls who behave more like nu ren,' says Zeng.

Wong Ah Beng, a 44-year-old bouncer from Bukit Ho Swee, adds: 'Chinese women can cook, look after the house, don’t complain, don’t demand the 5Cs and don’t nag. They are very, very attractive.'

It remains to be seen if more practical-minded of our comrades return that compliment.

Male comrades say...

BRING it on.

That's the consensus of 15 comrades Xing Hua Shang Pao spoke to when asked how they felt about competition from SBCs for our female comrades. There's nothing to be afraid of, they say.

'When an SBC comes along, they are attracted by the fact that they are different,' says Suan Poo Tao, 28, a farmer from Qingdao. 'But after the initial phase, they will realise that there's nothing special about SBCs and become bored easily. Afterall, what they have, we also have.'

The main attraction, they feel, centres on the Western ways of SBCs who still maintain their Chinese roots but have a Western outlook.

Thus, snagging an SBC is like getting the best of both worlds, with a 'get out of Motherland' blue card thrown in if the relationship works out, says talior Jiang Peng, 23.

'They're the next best thing after ang mohs for our female comrades. They've got the Singaporean slang, can talk better and they've got more money than most of us, if you're into that kind of thing,' he adds.

Local comrades can possess some Singaporean traits, but it's just not the same.

Production worker Zhi Jie Shuo, 29, says: 'While younger male comrades are generally more open than the older generation, at the end of the day, we are still chung kuo ren.'

While the comrades say they do not feel inferior to SBCs in terms of abilities and achievements, five admit that most local comrades simply lack the finesse that men from other cultures have when it comes to dating.

Engineering assistant Li Jie, 30, adds: 'We are what we think, and if one feels small compared to an SBC, then he will lose the attractiveness that the woman should be seeing.'

Clerk Duo Mao Dun, 28, says: 'I don't know whether it's a case of our female comrades being snapped up by SBCs, or whether local comrades are not doing enough to prove themselves.'

Some female comrades might also think that being with a SBC will bring them a better lifestyle.

'When we go to Myanmar or North Korea, some local girls throw themselves at us for the chance to live a better life away from their countries. So, local girls here also want a better life,' says Wo Ye Yao, 28, who runs an underwear factory.

Qu Wai Guo, 31, who works with a welfare organisation and spent about seven years studying in Singapore, offers this perspective.

'For all we know, they might be the guys who can't make it back home and treat their stint here as a stepping stone. They stay for a while and then fly off, leaving our poor comrade behind.'

Hoo is he?

IF Barry HOO were a local comrade, he would probably be chastised for the career choice he made a few years ago.

The SBC from Sengkang quit his well-paying job as a taxi driver to pursue an acting career in Xinjiang. He decided to seek his fortune in Motherland in 2001.

'I not happy there, but I'm much happier here,' says the affable 52-year-old who ended his education at Sengkang Primary School.

'Down here a lot of people like me, yellow skin? In Singapore, acting jobs for us men tan bo chiak. But here, the possibilities are almost endless! And I can be close to my true Motherland!'

To learn more about his roots and open more doors, the 1.62m-tall Zhong Jie Opera and Travelling troupe artist is taking an intensive Putonghua course at the Jilin Night School.

'Down here, learn Putonghua the best,' he says with a snigger. He can be seen performing with his troupe in the opera, A Dream of Red Mansions.

Not one afraid to speak his mind, he gives an unequivocal 'yes' when asked if he feels SBC men are more attractive than local comrades.

'Of course we better la, Singapore number one in many things, leh.'

Most SBCs here are more adventurous and outgoing because they are 'here for a purpose', says Hoo.

'When you compare us with your local men ah, they pao su one.'

A touch of Zeng!

WHEN Xing Hua Shang Pao arranged to meet Commie Zeng at a McDonald's restaurant, it was easy to spot him.

No, not because he had appeared on CCTV’s reality TV show Eye For A Local Comrade.

Neither was it because of his manly looks, which apparently is the reason his students at Suzhou Industrial Polytechnic do not skip his 'serious' classes.

The 36-year-old teacher was easy to spot because he had just finished eating five xiao long baos and was about to bite into another.

Looking slightly embarrassed, he confesses: 'Yeah, I eat a lot. For lunch, I usually have to eat two or three big paos on top of rice, meat and vegetables.'

The 1.54m-tall imported man is, technically, not an SBC. He was actually born in Malaysia. His parents, originally from China, had lived there since they were young. Zee moved to Woodlands with his family when he was six.

'There's very little about me that is Chinese other than my blood. I feel like there's a part of me that's been neglected for quite a while,' says the easy-going, potbellied man who also speaks Hokkien and Malay.

'To me, it's an important time to define my sense of self better and I want to do that while I'm young. Part of that is coming to China and learning more about our culture.'

He shakes his head apologetically when asked if he knows which village his ancestors come from.

'Oh, I have no idea, sorry. But I hope to find out before I leave Motherland.'

Asked if he is hit on by his female students, he says, chuckling: 'They see me every day, so I'm nothing special.'

He has extended his contract for another six months and admits shyly that it was done partly because of Xiang Nan Ren, whom he met on Eye For A Local Comrade.

'I didn't come here to meet a girl, but now the best thing about China is Nan Ren. She's the first female comrade I've met here that I can really relate to on a level where we can take it to a relationship.'

As all three of his former girlfriends were Singaporeans, his parents were actually 'resigned' to not having Chinese grandchildren.

Describing Xiang as 'intelligent, homely and traditional”, the primary school swimming champion stresses that it is because of his roly-poly image, he does not like girls 'with just looks'.

'I think my accent has a lot to do with that image - that I'm just looking for a good time. There are definitely a lot of negative stereotypes out there, but I'm not one of them.'

As for his long-term plans, he says: 'I want to stay in Motherland until I stop learning. I know that eventually I do want to go back to Singapore. That's where my family and friends are.

'As for Nan Ren and me, we try not to look so far ahead. That sort of thing kind of scares me actually. I just know I'll be here for another year at least.'

Give me women with ideas

Production Manager Humphrey Chin, 34, is not a man who minces his words.

On why he packed his bags and left his hometown Kampong Bahru in early 2001, he says: 'Because they fought over Hello Kitty.'

The explanation, delivered softly in a sad voice, comes so quickly it takes a moment to realise he is not joking.

For two months after he left, he lived in Hong Kong ('too expensive'), Taiwan ('I don't like Chen Shui Bian’) and Tokyo ('I don't speak Japanese') before deciding on China.

'It's Chinese-speaking, inexpensive and I love the weather.'

A graduate from Informatics, he has a degree in computer studies and calls himself a jack of all trades.

Insurance agent, bouncer, stall assistant, tuition teacher and VCD salesman are among the long list of jobs he has taken on in Singapore.

After arriving here three years ago, he became production manager at a fabric factory.

'I'm a hybrid, I have the best of both worlds. But culturally, I identify more with China than with Singapore,' says the unassuming man who speaks Cantonese, Mandarin and Malay, which he learnt in school.

Chin is currently dating a 'well-read, demure' local comrade - his second Chinese girlfriend.

'She's not opinionated. That's why I love her and she makes very good la mien.'

Asked point-blank if he thinks SBC men are stealing our local female comrades, he smiles and says: 'No more than white expat men.

'If your local comrades want to see it as a competition, that's fine. But it's a healthy competition.'    # D W denies liability.6/09/2004 02:01:00 am