Part 7/12:
Historically, the British media propagated damaging stereotypes about Chinese people—depicting them as treacherous, untrustworthy, and dangerous. Articles like Herman Shaffer’s “The Chinese and England: A Growing National Problem” fueled racial tensions, portraying Chinese men as threats to moral and social stability. Such narratives justified discriminatory policies and deportations, reinforcing a sinister image of the Chinese community.
Photographs and literature from the period often reinforced these stereotypes, emphasizing intermarriage as taboo and depicting Chinese men as lurking shadows seeking to undermine British society. The collective perception was manipulated to marginalize Chinese immigrants, portraying them as “the other” and justifying their exclusion and expulsion.