ching chong

Ching Chong is an ethnic slur directed at people of Chinese nationality or ancestry. It is most frequently encountered in the United States and Australia. The origin of the phrase is not known with certainty. However, since syllables sounding like what an English speaker would pronounce as "ching" or "chong" are relatively common in Mandarin Chinese, the expression is likely an attempt to mock Chinese speech patterns. In 1917, a ragtime piano song entitled "Ching Chong" was co-written by Ted Baxter and Max Kortlander. Its lyrics are listed below:

Way out in old San Fran, there is a Chinaman

Who's known for miles around;

Wonderful place he keeps, down where he eats and sleeps,

Way underneath the ground!

Each night the festive chinks come there to wink and blink,

And dream away the hours.

They sing this funny song while they are borne along

On beds of poppy flow'rs:

"Ching, Chong, Oh Mister Ching Chong,

You are the king of Chinatown.

Ching Chong, I love your sing-song,

When you have turned the lights all down;

Ching Chong, just let me swing long,

Through the realms of Drowsy Land;

Dreaming while stars are beaming,

Oh Mister Ching Chong, sing-song man."

When you're in Frisco Town don't fail to drop around

And see this Ching Chong man.

Wonderful things you'll learn down where the torches burn,

He'll show you all he can.

Then when the time is ripe he'll fill your little pipe

And then a light he'll bring.

Gently you'll float away far out on Slumber Bay,

And softly you will sing:

"Ching Chong, Oh Mister Ching Chong,

You are the king of Chinatown.

Ching Chong, I love your sing-song,

When you have turned the lights all down;

Ching Chong, just let me swing long,

Through the realms of Drowsy Land;

Dreaming while stars are beaming,

Oh Mister Ching Chong, sing-song man."

Sometimes "ching chong" is combined with another anti-Chinese slur, that of "Chinaman;" the combination is often used in nursery-style rhymes, such as:

Ching Chong Chinaman sitting on a fence,

Trying to make a dollar out of fifteen cents.

Along came a choo-choo train,

Knocked him in the cuckoo-brain,

And that was the end of the fifteen cents.

In December 2002, the term gained international notoriety when National Basketball Association star Shaquille O'Neal directed it, apparently in jest, at fellow NBA star and Chinese immigrant Yao Ming, during an interview on Fox Sports Radio. O'Neal was quoted as saying, "You tell Yao Ming: 'Ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.'" Yao Ming took the high road with his response: "Chinese is a hard language to learn." After a public outcry, O'Neal apologized for making the comment, insisting that no prejudice or malice had been intended.

Ching Chong

See also