Practicing My Spanish & Chinese in Mexico’s Biggest Chinatown

Meet your teacher! Join your first Babbel Live lesson today. Get up to 50% OFF ➡️ Here: go.babbel.com/us-live50-youtu... This week we hopped the border into Mexico to experience Mexicali, a border town that contains the biggest Chinatown in all of Mexico. Chinese laborers originally came here in the 19th century to work on irrigation projects and their descendants stayed on in Mexico, and today the Chinese Mexican residents here speak perfect Spanish and quite often Chinese as well. The city is famous for its Chinese food and has more Chinese restaurants per capita than anywhere else in Mexico, and you’ll see plenty of Chinese shops and supermarkets as well. It’s also famous for its tunnels, which were originally built by the Chinese community to live underground to escape the heat but came to be used during Prohibition to support gambling and speakeasy operations.
Had an amazing time with my friends @SeaboltSpeaks and @SpanishWithNate. here, and thanks to Kitchen No. 760 ( / @kitchenno.7607 ) for being such an incredible local guide and showing us all the great spots!
LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE WITH MY METHOD!
✉️ Join my newsletter and discover how I pick up new languages quickly
(and learn how you can do the same):
👉🏼 www.streetsmartlanguages.com/...
📚 Check out my Street-Smart Language courses:
👉🏼 www.streetsmartlanguages.com
Subscribe to my channel: / @xiaomanyc
Follow me on Instagram: / xiaomanyc
Follow me on Facebook: / xiaomanyc
If you guys like the music in my videos, you can check out all the AMAZING music Epidemic Sound has at my affiliate link here: share.epidemicsound.com/xiaomanyc

[@33amra33]

The way that waitress was switching from Chinese to Spanish without hesitation was awesome.

[@JoseRodriguez-tx2gl]

Most Mexicans in the South west part of the United States switch from English to Spanish with no hesitation. Plus we write it and read it no problem.

[@33amra33]

@@JoseRodriguez-tx2gl I'm not saying she is the only one that switches from one language to another. I'm bilingual myself. Just the way she did it, with no hesitation, at work, was cool.

[@aydencz1239]

@@JoseRodriguez-tx2gl English and Spanish are at least similar in some respects, but Chinese is completely different

[@James_Edward59]

@@JoseRodriguez-tx2gl Spanglish is beyond common in CA but switching from Spanish to Mandarin seems much more difficult.

[@s1gmundfr3ud]

@@33amra33 : Again, Mexican Americans switch from English to Spanish and vice versa with no hesitation. .

[@ryangoh6074]

A Chinese asking an American to speak Spanish. What a time we live in

[@soymejicanoyque]

Hahaha yeah in a beautiful world!

[@KanBig]

Since the 1800s

[@evang6703]

More like a Mexican asking him to speak Spanish en Mexico, nothing new

[@zer08927]

¿Qué? 😝

[@jd1ify]

@@evang6703 This! haha shes not chinese shes mexican! people are funny

[@davidgutierrez1729]

As a member of the Hispanic community, seeing an ethnic Chinese person speaking perfect Spanish with a Mexican accent makes me so happy. Sharing cultures creates these wonderful amalgamations of people and even creates new (albeit smaller) subcultures all over the world.

[@kayzzzzzzzzz]

same omg it was so fascinating to see too!

[@albertoaguilar9773]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/roXLfHRtetp7eqc An argentine chinese man, speaking perfect argentine spanish

[@johnsmith4650]

Man this shit puts the biggest smile on my face bro fr

[@sumwonkool]

Absolutely right. That’s what’s wonderful about the u.s and Mexico. Cultures from all over the world come here

[@joaquinflores3547]

you never been to Mexicali? its pretty normal there

[@AtomikFajita]

It's rare when me and my wife argue. But when we do I argue in spanish and she argues in japanese. At the end we laugh because how hilarious it is.

[@cristianmarquez6009]

Me imagino que diga: “Que diría este wey” en japonés

[@rivergreen1727]

My aunt moved from the US to France when she was young, and makes a point to speak to her kids in English as much as possible to maintain their proficiency. If they're around English-speaking family they'll usually respond in English, but if they're arguing with her they respond to her English with French.

[@changeyouryoutubechannelna1434]

Man’s living my dream

[@vminhope3040]

you both understand each other or no?

[@jiga1655]

I've never in my life seen a Chinese man with Mexican swag and actually speaks Spanish lmao, he'd be the most epic friend in anyone's and everyone's circle

[@svenmc9748]

A see a lot of similarities between innate Mexican swag and Chinese/Japanese swag- I think that's why as a culture we get along very well for the most part. The sense of humor is very similar.

[@danielhernandez-vo9zc]

Have you ever been out of that states? Thats very common in latin America lol

[@selenagomezacapella]

You mean a MEXICAN man with Mexican swag and actually speak Spanish? Why is it confusing that a Mexican speaks Spanish?

[@iwrotethis4712]

He is Mexican

[@mambojazz1]

@@fkUTube449 Yea the problem is we DO know what he means by a "Chinese guy with Mexican swag that speaks Spanish"🤣! Excluding the few people that immigrated from China they are all 100% Mexican!

[@evermar1]

Mexican and Chinese food, that's a buffet in heaven.

[@lewhitey2544]

And hell in the bathroom

[@3thalluing339]

@@lewhitey2544 Mexican food makes me take 4 different bathroom trips while Chinese it’s 2-3. would be 6-7 in total…. I can sense the discomfort from this video

[@RadDadisRad]

Exactly what I was thinking

[@RadDadisRad]

@@3thalluing339 you’re gonna have to multiply the 2 together, adding them isn’t sufficient enough.

[@Alexander-vo4gv]

@@lewhitey2544 lmao I'm crying

[@Gheuns3251]

Seeing Chinese people with hella Mexican rhythm really makes me smile. You see thru their warmth , and friendly interaction how much they have adopted the culture. They are Mexican 🇲🇽 🇨🇳 by heart ✊🏽

[@y4go650]

They are Mexican by nationality my friend, Mexico is a multiethnic country with people from all over the world, not as much as the US or Canada, but still, being Mexican is not about a “race” or ethnicity but a nationality, same with every other Latin American nation

[@y4go650]

@@ilovecats7626 they are more mexican than you, because they actually live in Mexico, Mexico is a nation of immigrants

[@sirfizz6518]

Ari: My wife is from Beijing Shop keep: Are you looking for another? Ari: *cuts camera*

[@tdb4763]

They made sweet love after that. She wanted a smart baby

[@alancosta4760]

Hahahahahha

[@yesfinallygot1]

That dude was funny haha! He definitely seemed like a Beijing dude who's adopted the local Mexican cultural mannerisms.

[@bebari]

Im from mexicali and i cried at the end when he says that he’s happy a place like here exists when everyone in the world seems to hate each other. I love my mexicalito 💕

[@pep590]

Only certain governments hate each other. He was incorrect. The citizens don't hate anyone. All through the cold war, the Russian citizens didn't hate us.

[@madslaps9279]

What u taste like penny’s?

[@vivianabanuelos3803]

I love Mexicali ❤️ makes me sad to see all the violence that has transpired recently.

[@hussefalfonsoabizaidherrer515]

eahhh

[@LuisXRivas]

greetings beba

[@brandenpalomino9609]

The way some of the chinese people switched their accent from hispanic to chinese was really cool. It was really interesting to hear them do it, a lot were even better than my spanish accent and i’m latino.

[@pak3ton]

Jajaja si el wey sonaba puro mexicano :v

[@butterflyluvr9967]

Hispanic isn’t a language??

[@GarnetsWeb]

@@butterflyluvr9967 He said accent 🙂

[@AE0N777]

@@butterflyluvr9967 shut up

[@TheMancity07]

Neta wey haha

[@Matt-ww9wv]

I love that the Chinese woman qualified her belief that she prefers living in Mexico over America due to having more freedom. Lovely answer but I wish she explained more.

[@chilesuicmez]

its just a surreal thing of mexico, and the lifestyle of latino, hispanic, and 3rd world/in develpment country. a magical place, for good AND bad. one quick example, here weed is still illegal tho decriminalized, you can easily buy all tiers of weed, at a decent price, BUT the black market is huge and in the top position, it can get pretty dark even working with the police, so freedom of anything, tho a magical place most of times for the better.

[@juanmontoya6622]

Depends on what is quantified as "Freedom." Some people don't like the rule of law, orderly fashion, and societal norms. To them, Latin America is more appropriate since they can bribe, bully, sideswipe others without consequences. Many behaviors considered abhorrent in the U.S. are normal occurrences in Latin America.

[@quinotube]

​@@juanmontoya6622 Mexico, as far as I can tell, is the only other country (aside from the US) founded on the principles of human freedom and dignity; for instance there's a constitutionally protected right to free speech, freedom of the press, right to bear arms, etc. The government is supposed to be completely subservient to the people. That's all baked right into how the country was created by its founders. Of course there are problems, and corruption exists as with any other place, but the underlying assumptions people have about their relationship with government is different and all based on liberty. In a lot of ways, the US and Mexico have more in common with each other than any other country I'm aware of. I wonder if people coming from a communist country like China, where people serve the government instead of the other way around, this type of freedom is more appreciated. Anyway, I'm curious to hear more about how this tradition of liberty trickled down to something she perceived having lived in Mexico for only a few years, and from visits to the US. I know that, for one, the country remains one of the most open during the endless pandemic -- simply because forcing you to do stuff (wear masks, take injections) is not something the government can do to you. It's all optional. I wonder if she's referring to that.

[@juanmontoya6622]

@@quinotube Indeed Mexico could have been a great country. However, bureaucracy, corruption, and an unwritten caste system move the needle to the other direction. You are right though that an immigrant from a Communist country would love Mexico not just for the great food, great weather, and hospitable people.

[@quinotube]

@@juanmontoya6622 My point is that Mexico provides more freedom than just about any other place on the planet, so the country works as intended -- at least in that sense. There's less freedom in places with more money, but they're not better off, and that's becoming more obvious in the last two years. It seems to me that that in Mexico (and the US) they have to at least *pretend* to operate in an open, democratic way, way puts *some* limits in how openly they can let corruption fester. In other places (just about anywhere else) they don't pretend: they arrest people in Australia for having the wrong opinions on Facebook or they're threatening to arrest you in England for "embarrassing the government" by reporting on government corruption there. The corruption in China, appears staggering and worse than what's maybe ever been seen in Mexico. Since the people exist to serve the government, they can issue edicts (and line their pockets) and no one can complain. For instance, I was reading about the problems with what the Chinese call tofu-dreg construction projects -- building and highways collapsing a few years after being built due to shoddy materials and workmanship. The main problem seems to be the corruption within the government and the semi-private companies doing the work; a large percentage of the construction budget ends up lining government official's pockets, so to finish the project they swap out rebar for bamboo or lay down half the asphalt the engineer called for, etc. As I write this, I think maybe you're right, maybe I'm using the wrong word. Maybe what I should say is that there's corruption in Mexico (like with most other places) but there's tyranny almost everywhere else, and tyranny is worse.

[@AzumaRikimaru]

My parent's are from mexicali but they passed away when i was 8 in a car accident. I'm super white washed but my adopted parent's tried to show me mexican and chinese heritage but i don't know either of the languages. Now that im in 30s, I hope I can learn both spanish and mando/canto. 2022 going to be a fun year! :)

[@furiousredeem1207]

Thats not what white washing is. If you have white adoptive parents then you grew up with a different culture is all. You can be of a different ethnicity or race and have a completely different culture.

[@user-on7hg3cy1k]

@@furiousredeem1207 yea i agree, hes not white washed just grew up in white culture lol

[@fnbuy]

I go to Mexicali very often and everyone there is super nice. It is a big city, it mighty not be the crown jewel of Mexico, but I highly suggest you go visit. You will be surprised of the culture there.

[@thaliamapes8990]

@@fnbuyhonestly haven’t been there in 9 years but i can’t wait to go back

[@bluehedgehog123]

Good luck

[@samohl6862]

I'm crying, this man will carry on Laoshu's legacy!

[@1mati21]

Yessss, oh man I really miss watching his videos every week

[@pdub2762]

Ikr. I hope so

[@nolandderlugner1351]

yeah no no one will

[@szewei85]

Yes. The new gen of Laoshu. We need more cultural bridge influencer like him.

[@6xxer772]

I recommended a while ago to laoshu to come here, he gave a heart to my comment, when i saw this video i got a little bit sad

[@131313MOCS]

It’s so weird seeing a Chinese descent person automatically switch to Spanish as a default language even though they’re being talked to in Mandarin or Cantonese. I’ve never wanted to go to Mexicali but now I do just to visit this area.

[@omarayala6399]

in summer not , come in "winter"

[@cristhianzerimar]

Yeah, don't go in the summer. In October they have Las Fiestas del Sol which is like a fair/festival. That might be a good time to come.

[@AnnmusPnda]

I mean, isn’t that seen all the time here in the US except instead of Spanish it’s English ?

[@julioluna4278]

@@AnnmusPnda well in California it's both English and Spanish, majority.

[@gusb4309]

@Tyson Fury I don't think OP meant weird in a bad way. It's just location wise not everyone is exposed to that on the daily. It's almost culture shock lol I mean I work in construction building residential homes and many contractors come and look at me and as soon as I begin to speak fluent English they're shocked and start talking more to me. So saying how one looks like does matter is silly since the U.S. loves to stereotype everyone but white folks.

[@NoahLeicster1]

Love Mexico from China🇨🇳💚❤️🇲🇽 Ama a méxico, de China🇨🇳💚❤️🇲🇽

[@fitz8923]

"Hopped the border into Mexico" 😂 as a Mexican, that was really funny

[@vminhope3040]

😂something you dont hear too often

[@SpanishWithNate.]

It was an awesome trip, thanks for inviting me XiaoMa! Tu español ha mejorado mucho y tu chino se escucha perfecto. ¡Saludos pa' toda la raza! 🇲🇽🙌🇺🇸

[@droidomz]

Hey man your Spanish accent is great I totally forgot you were a white guy when camera was not on you and you were speaking. I checked out your video on this place as well cool to see another perspective and more footage

[@darthrevan4251]

@@droidomz lol there’s white people in Mexico

[@mylesc99]

@Flatley Boehm Thank you

[@droidomz]

@@darthrevan4251 This guy self describes himself as a gringo on his channel. My family is from Mexico and my wife. Normally it's people with more family genetics from Spain who look white. So not sure what the point of your comment is.

[@oscarnavarro5279]

The best spanish male accent i've ever heard Nate 😎🤙

[@hopsar8799]

It's crazy how you can go to a different country and speak 3 languages with locals.

[@voongnz]

This is my strategy so far. Knowing English and cantonese, and learning the other top 2 most spoken languages in Spanish and mandarin. It's a good portion of world population, also helps that they are SVO languages too.

[@juanmeneseslimon8590]

They left out the haitian population.

[@playstation4lyfe263]

Right? Meanwhile, here in America if you speak any language other than English, more chances than not you going to get that one idiot saying "speak English, this is America" or my favorite one "speak American".

[@PassionPno]

Ever heard of Malaysia, we speak 5-8 languages here. Pretty normal.

[@angelapaloma8973]

Mexico doesn’t have an official language but Spanish is the most spoken language there’s around 63 languages in Mexico most of them are indigenous languages

[@so_woke_so_broke73]

As a Cantonese/Mandarín speaker currently living in Mexico learning Spanish, this video really validated why I love learning languages. These types of interactions are priceless and make life much more interesting because there's so many interesting people with multiple identities out there with unique backgrounds and stories.

[@kombijr]

Not only do people find it genuinely amusing when you try to speak their language but it’s also a great conversation starter. I love learning about other peoples culture.

[@judoka209]

A few years ago I went back to Mexicali to visit family. I let them pick a place for dinner and they said Chinese food. I scoffed. But oh boy was I blown away. Might literally be the best Chinse food I've ever had and the restaurant staff spoke better Spanish than most people in the city. It's wild.

[@jimmyfabian5743]

As a first gen Mexican American, This really sheds light on the different groups of people in our community. I visited Guadalajara and saw a Chinese restaurant and that’s the first time I’ve ever seen a Chinese person FROM China in Mexico and totally integrated to Mexican life and adopted cultural mannerisms . It blew my mind.

[@eduardelric]

You'll be surprised by the Germans and Italian communities in Mexico and Koreans in Monterey NL and Mexico city.

[@chibiromano5631]

I grew up in LA, but I stepped into a Korean Discount mall in Tepito , and I asked the price for some figurines in English ' How much for these... ??' . I was shocked when the Korean lady in Chilango Spanish accent ' Que me dices , o si, estos de Cuathemoc estan a 80 por 2 ' . It was like an alternate dimmension, where my mother in law spoke like my mom. Then one time at UNAM, after a party, me and some freinds went to a Mcdonalds for Breakfast . I made an order and in a quick second thought I was in the US , and the guy taking the order was this super White German looking dude , looked like he could have been from Iowa or South Dakota. I made an order in English " I just need a Orange Juice ," and accidently gave him $3 US Dollars. he was like traumitized , me being this dark skinned Mexican speaking perfect English, he was like " Qu.. Quuu... Quue?" " Son 35 Pesos Senor, no se que me dictes". Oh snap, wrong currency, wrong country, wrong language; wrong guerro.

[@alfredoalejandromartinezji4539]

Si entiendes español ve el canal de extranjeros por el mundo y tu cabeza va a volar

[@alfredoalejandromartinezji4539]

@@chibiromano5631 ve un canal qué sé llama extranjeros por el mundo aquí en youtube

[@sexyyxes3101]

@@chibiromano5631 if you come to Singapore you will see Indian people with mixture of Chinese, Malaysian and Indian accent. It’s very strange cause they sound the same as Chinese Singaporean and Malaysians

[@keishamendoza8815]

"I hopped the border into Mexico" same dude, just the other way around

[@trexbait895]

-Calls Boarder Patrol*

[@ericmabley2120]

Caballito, el extranjero ilegal Estadunidense en Mexico :-D

[@shreddder999]

Yup, just drive across the bridge from New York.

[@usagiprincess4387]

@@trexbait895 snitch lol

[@bryanv.3630]

LMAO same man

[@gilbertomoran9553]

I grew up between the imperial valley and Mexicali. It brings me great joy to come across this video! Mexicali, has its magic. A shared culture between Mexico/China/US, that has existed for over a century. Mexicali celebrates Chinese New Year annually and to date, La Chinesca, Mexicalis Chinatown, is being revitalized! There are new bars, restaurants and clubs going in. If you are into odd, off the beaten path adventures, I highly recommend Mexicali! Muchísimas gracias Xiaoma por compartir este bello ejemplo de la cultura china que existe en Mexicali.

[@stanthevan3984]

bro it makes me so happy when people mention Cambodia because it’s such a small country and nobody seem to ever know it, i’m Cambodian/British myself so I got excited and proud when they mentioned it lmao

[@danielhernandez-vo9zc]

what? No way I heard Cambodian got big pipi

[@stanthevan3984]

@@danielhernandez-vo9zc you heard right my friend

[@julioluna4278]

So many here in Long Beach.... Up in Northern California....lots of Cambodians.

[@sager3388]

I got Cambodian Mexicans in my family...but they look nothing Mexican lol They look pure Cambodian. We also got Hmong and Laos in our family too

[@toboe4998]

I'm from Belgium and just went on a vacation to Cambodia it was very lovely and I think it should be more popular in the world

[@janellek21]

This video reminds me of an experience I had in L.A. a while ago. We went to a Vietnamese restaurant in a shitty neighbourhood in the Valley, and at the next table were a large family of 2 grandparents, dad, mom and 4 kids who looked Vietnamese but were all speaking Hebrew. I asked the dad how they came to speak Hebrew, and he told me that his parents (who were also at the table) were rescued by an Israeli merchant marine ship when they were fleeing Vietnam after the war ended and their boat broke down in the middle of the ocean. The crew knew that if they sent them back to Vietnam they'd be thrown in jail, so the ship took them back to Israel, they settled there and converted to Judaism, had 3 kids and have a happy life in Israel. They were in L.A. visiting their son and his family.

[@wineh9227]

That is some fascinating story. You don't see many people learning Hebrew and even less converting to Judaism, specially Asians. It is great to see Xiaoma interacting with Cantonese people there, Jewish and Chinese people are known to speak very different languages due to their History as merchants.

[@janellek21]

@@wineh9227 Apparently Israel has a decent size Vietnamese community. The Israeli government took in a few thousand Vietnamese refugees fleeing after the war ended in the 1970s.

[@wineh9227]

@@janellek21 There are a lot of Vietnamese in Germany too. I was working in Karlsruhe and my German colleagues would go to eat to a place and they called it the Chinese restaurant, although one of them had his doubts about it being Chinese. Certainly Chinese restaurants don't serve pho. There are a lot of Vietnamese brought to work to eastern Germany I think.

[@pep590]

@@wineh9227 You are correct.

[@asherbeal8357]

Wow! Amazing story 👏👏👏

[@haleyhand2341]

“In a time where everyone seems to hate each other, it makes me happy places like this exist.” Yes! The blending of cultures is so beautiful. ❤️

[@dickrichard5579]

Sometimes it is but not always

[@Neyobe]

I agree it’s really nice to see humans mix together and not fight ❤️

[@slickboxingidentityveritas1932]

Blend these nuts in your hand

[@troychavez]

EXACTLY

[@theultrawarrior7448]

Where are you from? Blessings

[@estellemelodimitchell8259]

I really enjoy watching Xiaoma switching between Chinese, Spanish and English and having fun speaking these languages to people

[@furzelp1115]

I am originally from Mexico but moved overseas 10 years ago. I go back every couple of years. The last time I went, I walked past a Chinese shop and was shocked to hear the salesperson singing salsa songs with all their being, like a true south eastern Mexican. I loved it.

[@vivianabanuelos3803]

The first restaurant is called “Wong’s Kitchen” and it’s not in Calexico. It’s in my small hometown called Holtville (15 miles north of Calexico) 🥰 super good Chinese food and super affordable too

[@hydrodonut]

My home town is holtville😩❤️ really miss that sense of community it had

[@vivianabanuelos3803]

@@hydrodonut a place where everyone knows your name 😂 a blessing and a curse

[@winterlite3243]

@@vivianabanuelos3803 it looks like a lot of ppl in your hometown have learned to live without prejudice! I’d like to visit Holtville someday…

[@PrecedingPie]

My nana used to live in Holtsville. Not that anyone asked lol

[@jesusorozco2026]

That man a mexicano first. Sounds like my tio sarafin

[@supwitit408]

She said there was more Freedom in Mexico than the U.S. , really shows a lot about the "land of the free and the home of the brave." this video is lowkey powerful.

[@carloscarlin114]

Most Americans who move to Mexico tend to say the same thing.

[@SeudXe]

Uh no America is still way better. Especially Texas.

[@blllllllllllllllllllrlrlrl7059]

@@carloscarlin114 most mexicans who move to america say the opposite.

[@Alex-ve6ey]

@@SeudXe funny how Texans always try so hard to tell other Texas is great. Meanwhile other states just assume everyone knows their state is great

[@Davidp9767]

@@Alex-ve6ey everything's bigger in Texas, including the ego

[@JustRightPinedo]

As someone who has tried to learn mandarin, grown up in the USA and whose family is from Baja California, this video made me happy! I'm definitely gonna roll through Mexicali next time i'm visiting grandma.

[@darkknight9090]

Watching this video made me feel better. I moved from the United States to the Czech republic with my wife and 2 boys because I promised my wife i would after I retired. It was a hard promise to keep but I did in the end. I have been struggling trying to learn this language as an adult and watch as my 2 boys are picking up the language in school so fast. At one point i gave up totally trying to learn the language. After watching Xiaoma's channel it made me realize how much fun he is having learning language by putting in the hard work to learn them. Just watching the respect he gets from others hearing him speak their language is crazy. Not to mention the life experiences and new friends he makes from the interactions cause of his ability to speak other people's language. I guess i will have to just grin and bare the pain of learning a new language, but I will take a different approach this time by trying to make it more fun.

[@TheCudlitz]

Hope it's working out for you mate

[@fakehandle666]

Hodně štěstí kámo

[@Jar0fMay0]

A trick to learning the language is to have your wife and kids speak only in Czech. It'll force you to learn it and you'll start mastering it in a couple of weeks. I did that with Spanish. In a month I was speaking pretty fluently. Learning to read and write was harder for me.

[@julianasan7]

Oh my god I can’t believe you came to Mexicali!!!! I’ve been following your channel for so many years and I never would have thought you would eventually come to my hometown Mexicali!!!! Thank you for making this video and showing everyone how unique and diverse my town is! Saludos de Mexicali!!! 🇲🇽❤️

[@mightychris4800]

I’m barely watching this video and I live in Calexico and I also can’t believe he came to Mexicali

[@danielhernandez-vo9zc]

Saludos Amiga :)

[@Mutex_Lock]

for real, I used to live in Calexico & Mexicali like 15 years ago, it's crazy to see him there. I miss the chinese food there

[@AaronLeal]

@줄리 I'm from Mexicali and I know the biggest population of chinse in Mexico are here, but i firmly think since Chinese is part of Mexicali identity anyways all school should teach either mandarin or Cantonese along side with English. My compadre is Chinese but 3rd generation and he doesn't speak at all. We could be a tri-lingual Mexican city to be honest there is plenty of Chinese influence and Chinese to practice with. Just a thought.

[@carlosd1026]

Lo mismo digo y por suerte he ido a todos los restaurantes que mencionó en el video a ecepcion del ultimo. Never thought he would come all the way from New York.

[@gameordeath9464]

When you said “Beijing wife” he had to immediately thought “my man” 🤣

[@charl898]

it never fails to tickle me that the chinese people he speaks to, who often speak not just 2 but 3 or more languages, are impressed by xiaoma’s skills. He for sure is a wildly impressive guy, especially with us being privy to how many languages and bits of languages he actually speaks, but they’re just as talented!!

[@MsDandrade1]

OHHHHH Im from Mexicali!!! It's so cool to see you came here last year !!! So cool you showed our cultural display (and a bit sad you visited when constructions were done on Av. Juarez T_T ) Hope you enjoyed the stay !!! And Again so cool you showed our history and culture since Chinese culture and cuisine is so intertwined with our mexican culture ♥♥

[@goodvibess31]

Ok, I never knew this existed. I've seen Chinese people talking perfect spanish in Spain

[@sneer0101]

Why wouldn't they talk Spanish if they live in Spain?

[@May-gr8bp]

@@sneer0101 exactly

[@fehmartinss]

@@sneer0101 he said about perfect spanish, which includes the accent where a lot of foreigners struggles to get the native accent

[@dd.mm.ll.]

@@sneer0101 well, there're many people who live in Spain, but don't speak Spanish (I met British and ex-USSR people). So living in a country doesn't necessarily mean that one speaks the language

[@kawaiiburguer9079]

Im a spanish native speaker from México and can tell you this chinese-mexican people talk with a perfect north accent (acento norteño)

[@fluffyking928]

My friend lives in Mexicali and if I remember well he said there is a large population of Chinese here in Mexicali that goes back generations because of the railroads being constructed all those years ago. Supposedly once the railroads were constructed, many of the immigrant workers who came to work on the railroads, now had now way to get back to their homeland and many found a home in Mexicali. My sisters family are all Mexican but have Asian Features and I believe that is because her husbands Family came from Mexicali.

[@LanaDelTaco1372]

they were also vital to the very first efforts to bring irrigation to Mexicali 👍🏼

[@Feltchy]

You totally illustrate how learning different languages can open so many doors. Brilliant

[@milehighbry8584]

Let's get real with our Hispanic neighbors. Make more videos like this because it is respectful to the culture! Greetings from USA.

[@darthrevan4251]

Si es el primer vídeo que veo en el que va a Mexico Translation: Yes, it’s the first time I see him go to Mexico

[@HawaiiDEEPS]

@@darthrevan4251 El ha estado un par de veces

[@chibiromano5631]

Most of us aren't Hispanic tho. We're Mexican or Americans(OG- North Americans). It's like calling somebody from Turkey Arab when they are Turkic. Remember that those Chinese and Cambodians are Mexicans too and have no hispanic heritage. Also 70% of the country is still Native America - according to the recent genetic testings ( Haplogroup Q- C2, B2,D1) and the country has a lot of ethnic diversity just as much as the United States.

[@milehighbry8584]

@@chibiromano5631 y’all wanna switch between Hispanic, Latino, LatinX . We support all Latin America and South America, North America people. The point is we’re supporting.

[@HawaiiDEEPS]

@@chibiromano5631 There's no such thing as hispanic heritage. In the US hispanic refers to someone from a Spanish language backround, typically people from Latin America. Also, people from Turkey are Middle Eastern, so it's completely accurate to refer to a Turk that way. People don't want to always get into specifics, having to remember the specific country everyone hails from, and it's kind of irrelevant too because there's no big difference from a Turk and an Egyptian. Same thing with a Mexican and a Peruvian, no big difference, so in the US it's just hispanic. Regarding diversity, that is true. Most latinos are mixed, which is what makes it diverse, and what the US would be if there wasn't racial segregation and a social stigma against interracial marriages. We're getting there though, in coming decades most Americans will be mixed.

[@Redrangerfx4]

So cool how the Chinese speak in Spanish . I'm full Korean my dad worked with a Mexican chef at his restaurant in cali for over 30 yrs and he speaks fluent Spanish as well. So uncommon in the u.s but awesome to see. 😀

[@pablo-oq8is]

In Latín America we have a very big east Asian community especially Japanese but recently many Chinese are also coming Latin America is a melting pot of many races the thing is most who immigrate to the U.S are mostly native American or indigenous because for some reason they tend to be the poorest group in Mexico and south America.. that's why most people asume most Latino are dark natives ofcouse no problem with this but is far from reality...

[@renatoreyes6583]

@@pablo-oq8iscan confirm I am 100% mixtec my family is Native American of Oaxaca Mexico

[@asianfish26]

Wow! That was so cool to hear of someone who knew Teochew! I grew up speaking Teochew because my mom is from Cambodia. My dad is from Vietnam but most of his side of the family resides in Chaozhou in Guangdong, China where the dialect is mostly spoken. I don't know anyone who speak the dialect besides family so it's really cool to see that it's spoken even in Mexico! Maybe anew dialect of Chinese to pick up? It's quite different from Cantonese and Mandarin hopefully it doesn't prove too hard to learn for you!

[@BAVARIAN2004]

Mexico is so diverse and the entire thing happened years before. English people (From Cornwall) came to México in earliest 1860s to work in mines, they introduced so much Christian culture, gastronomy and Football, even in Real del Monte is the “English cemetery”. German mennonite people came to base their civilization in Chihuaha. Many Italians, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Lebanese and Arabic people came after. And is well know that here in México 80 % of the population are half Blood from Spanish people when the Spanish conquest took place in 1521.

[@Dexteritye]

The language switch in the conversation between Xiaoma and the grocery store lady was crazy lol. Spanish -> Mandarin -> Cantonese -> Spanish. That's so cool.

[@morunz]

OMGGGGG you have finally discovered my hometown, Xiaoma!!! My family roots are currently in Mexicali and it warms my heart that you are helping shed some light on places like this. Thanks to your channel I have been practicing Mandarin for about five years now. Gānbēi! 🍻

[@Cause4Alarm]

I remember going as a little kid to Mexicali to visit my uncle who just bought a new track home and was shocked to see all his neighbors were Chinese Mexicans I was very young five or six and the funny thing was I didn't speak Spanish and hearing Chinese talking perfect Spanish or English those are good times back then it's nice to see again! Chinese Mexicans are very humble people I remember too a different from the ones you meet today in the states I do appreciate that.

[@NFSCalex]

Hola Xiaomanyc! I have been watching your channel for a long time and just now found out that you visited my hometown of Mexicali and Calexico, I am so proud! A lot of us Mexicalenses (or Cachanillas as we call ourselves after the native plant that grows here) have direct Chinese heritage and don't know it because of persecution in the late 1800s and early 1900s. After the masacre in Torreón, many descendants of Chinese immigrants changed their last names to reflect their mother's last name or "Mexicanized" their last names. For example, my great grandpa was a Chan and married an Islas, and now my grandma took on the last name Islas instead of Chan. We're still a big family that are proud of our heritage and I'm happy that we can display that with pride once again. Thank you for making our town famous and bringing awareness!

[@PureAddictivity]

This is so fun to see, being Filipino from California, seeing Asian and Mexican culture coexist together through language

[@alexflores9582]

I grew up in Seattle and have had nothing but Filipina girlfriends growing up as a kid 😂🤷 Mexico and Philippines were conquered by the Spanish and we share so many cultural things together ☺️

[@eddie-roo]

Specially if you are in Mexico, The Philippines

[@teovu5557]

yeah usually mexican americans can be pretty racist to asians in america at least where im from Las Vegas.

[@rgdssd]

@@teovu5557 that’s strange- I’m Mexican-American and most of my friends are Asian. In high school I dated mostly Asian guys. But this is CA.

[@Alex-un8bc]

@@teovu5557sorry to hear that , there’s always those bad apples making our people look bad

[@carlosmc7304]

The Mexicali-Calexico region is unique. Completely integrated cities.

[@carloscarlin114]

Yeah it is the only US-Mexico border metro area that feels fully as just one big community, San Diego-Tijuana and El Paso-Juarez feel more clearly separated from each side.

[@juanmeneseslimon8590]

El cerco is Berlin's wall.

[@nonesuchone]

@@juanmeneseslimon8590 tiré ese pnchi muro, Señor Brandon

[@GianVersace]

@@carloscarlin114 El Paso-Juarez don’t feel separated at all. I grew up 5 minutes from Juarez and we always considered it part of our community. It helps that due to the mountainous region, we are able to see both cities from either side.

[@jaygill5582]

Mexicali (MEXI co/CALI fornia) Calexico (CAL ifornia/mEXICO)

[@callmecrow6086]

My grandparents came to America in the 50’s. Had my mother and her brothers here soon there after, and then the next generation came, and soon after another. I grew up hearing the language all around me. I caught a slipper in the head from grandma, mom, and all my aunties alike. I never learned Spanish myself. Many of us grand kids didn’t. I want to fix that. I miss you grandma. I miss you grandpa. You’ll always be in my heart.

[@Morgan_Layfay]

I think this one might have boggled my mind the most.. never would have thought, and I don't know why, but I just never would have known lol.. and I was raised in San Diego lol and have been thru Calexico/Mexicali several times headed to San Felipe... This was really surprising and fun! Thanks for sharing 💚

[@lenoirbisous]

Thank you for sharing this, you have no idea how many times I’ve tried to educate people about the Chinese and Korean immigrants in Mexico, it’s crazy how many people especially here in the USA are so oblivious to how much diversity there is, at the end of the day Mexico it’s part of North America

[@lenoirbisous]

@E I know but this took place in Mexico, therefore I was referencing Mexico, I’m fully aware they’re literally everywhere, just like any other people really so your comment doesn’t even makes sense or you lack reading comprehension

[@officialmai]

THIS. My aunt is visibly Asian (specifically Chinese, like you said) on her mom's side and visibly Mexican from my grandpa's.

[@Look_Upon_The_Heart]

@E Mexico is better than all of south America combine

[@Look_Upon_The_Heart]

@E 🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽🇲🇽

[@mariareneecatalan3845]

I love how the friend he met learning spanish online is now with him traveling in Mexico, I don’t know why that makes me so happy

[@Beemagnolia]

That's the case with my family. Since many of our Chinese family members grew up in Mexico, most of them only speak Spanish and English.

[@hi-d12forlife]

I am so beyond impressed with you and I am even more honored to watch you take such pride into learning so many different languages and doing them all justice! Bless ur heart and keep it up!!! Love all of your videos!!

[@thestainless6289]

Your ability to learn different languages is a real gift.

[@tokyskatefilms]

The gift of studying hard, dedication and perseverance

[@leannemcelroy8482]

Anyone can do it. It’s not something you are born with. You gotta want to though.

[@rickstongue9255]

@@leannemcelroy8482 not true

[@GamingGamer1000]

@@rickstongue9255 id say anyone is capable of knowing 2-3 languages. They just need the experience

[@taejo4975]

@@tokyskatefilms Honestly when you have passion for something, there is no limit.

[@vanesadlt9838]

I came to your channel because I wanted to learn more about chinese culture since I'm from Mexicali, and see how you suddenly speak chinese to native people and seeing their reactions make me like your content and subscribe. And now I'm seeing you in my hometown enojying it and all. Hope you had a wonderful experience here!

[@jarrett7774]

This dude's life is freakin' amazing! Much respect and admiration for what you do, Xiaoma.

[@pineapple_coconuts3459]

Yoooooo I am living for this video. Mexican asians speaking English, Spanish and mandarin/ Cantonese!!! This is why humans can come together and be better for each other..I love these videos dude. Your making the world better every video you make. I'm specifically learning mandarin for this very purpose. If language isn't a barrier then we can all communicate and realize we all have things in common. I love you Xiaoma

[@musicfan1517]

I think I read that in Los Angeles around 200 languages are spoken, probably similar for NYC. A lady at a Spanish speaking meetup said to me a good way to experience a mini version of cultures worldwide is to take note of when the various groups have their cultural festivals and holidays throughout the year and go to them.

[@leredditcommander8208]

LA is crazy. Im mexican and have visited a few times, and half the time random people spoke to me in spanish, then you saw black people speaking imperfect spanish interacting with mexicans which means they had to learn for some reason, i saw white people studying spanish, one of my favorite places on earth just because of the mix of both languages when clearly you dont need spanish many people put the effort and try to learn.

[@stne1357]

I’m really Impressed and really proud of my hometown Mexicali. I won’t lie you, at Mexicali we have the best Chinese food on Mexico and a really beautiful combination of cultures and that’s what I love the most about my hometown ♥️ I’m really glad that you visited ☺️

[@GoldSrc_]

I just found this channel, and is the best thing I've found on youtube so far. The mere sight of language barriers crumbling down... I have no words to describe how good it feels when you connect to another person using their native language. Saying "impressive" just isn't enough.

[@Yoyoyoyoasshole]

The love that these people feel when they meet someone who speaks their own language , as a foreigner. 👍

[@gizmo8453]

Probably one of my favorite videos. There was so many interesting interactions between people 😅

[@japace61]

Ahahahaha, the Chinese Mexican lady was like " Hablas español?". She is an example that Chinese can integrate

[@thechris8599]

Yeah but integration in Latin America is pretty easy. In America, even if you assimilate, you won't necessarily feel welcomed.

[@aziaone]

@@lost710 that's more of a leftist democrat ideology not the rest of America

[@LustyyOG]

@@lost710 exactly in mexico they dont care what color you are you are MEXICANO!

[@selenagomezacapella]

@@LustyyOG unless you’re Native where they discriminate you for being indio

[@Burt_Sampson]

You went through all the levels of respect on that one guy. First he slowly stood up, then he took of his glasses

[@RavenFeathers90]

The amount of mental flexing this requires to switch between three languages is incredible!

[@SoCalCode3]

I had a ex girlfriend who lived and Mexicali and I never seen some many Chinese restaurants in my life. The food was definitely delicious and yes Mexican Coke is the best!

[@tonydouangphachanh5343]

Bro this guy is bad ass we need more ppl like him, such a nice guy…nice work bro 👍🏽

[@CredituR]

I've watched a ton of your videos over the years but I'm especially glad I stumbled on this one. It's so cool to see there's a place where there's this much of a mexican/chinese culture fusion I had no idea

[@deem8905]

As a Hispanic watching Asiand speak perfect spanish with a heavy mexican accent is amazing. Now I know how they feel when he speaks mandarin to them.

[@3thalluing339]

Mexicans who speak Chinese. I really wish I would’ve been born into that family XD gotta learn Chinese by myself :(

[@anthony.catbagan]

You were born in the right family. Your struggles to learn make your triumphs appreciated by all.

[@NukeRadius]

What is your native language

[@sumaru_2324]

Soy Mexicano bro, from the states though. Don't go into simplified Chinese bro, i took it my freshman & sophomore year & wish i could've learned traditional en ves de simplified. Never too late though!

[@maldadreyes]

I'm from Mexicali, no mexican learn chinese xD Only the chinese's sons that born in Mexico go to special school to learn it :P Chinese people are very airtight.

[@Gerald69420]

You want to be born poor?

[@deborahclark3882]

This video really inspires me and makes me happy that people are so welcoming to different dialects, cultures, and business opportunities.

[@alexandrojimenez7601]

I’ve been watching your videos for a few weeks now, and I really enjoy all of them they’re really entertaining. The fact that you visited my hometown Mexicali makes me like your channel even more 🤙🏼. You are amazing keep up the good work you got a new subscriber ✊🏼

[@XandeRToXic]

This video was fucking insane! My mind was blown every minute. Spanish, to Chinese, to English, and then back again. Quick too. Wow.

[@saturnxoxo7428]

the one thing ive noticed about this guy is his genuine reactions, like you can tell hes not TRYING to be nice for the view points rather than actually talking and getting to know the people. love it

[@dr.burrito2693]

Seeing you switch between 3 languages is mind blowing

[@ethikzmedia]

I am asian and want to learn Spanish, I hope to be able to talk like them, very inspiring

[@daniagarcia216]

My parents are from mexicali, we visit all the time there. And when I heard you say mexicali I started to cry.😭😭😭

[@leredditcommander8208]

Damn the waitress spanish is perfect, she either been living in mexico since she was a kid or really put in the effort to learn, cant judge her chinese but sounds pretty native too.

[@alfredoalejandromartinezji4539]

She is mexican

[@soymejicanoyque]

She was born there. Because she has a perfect mexicali accent. Its like the Tijuana accent. Perfection!

[@MzaM]

@@soymejicanoyque She is like the perfect woman. Una mexicana asiática norteña.

[@svenmc9748]

Yeah I had to 👌 the screen in response. Perfect Spanish.

[@samuelm.e8778]

She was definitely born in Mexico but her parents are from China

[@noseonscent1935]

Incredible I literally could have watched 3 more hours of this! Bravo Xiomanyc!

[@mallory2779]

wow out of all your videos ari this is now my favorite. this place is so crazy & everyone so nice! the conversations were so great. I love.

[@kevinjones5560]

“I got this scholarship…” It’s actually one of the most prestigious and competitive scholarships you can get.

[@SupremeSamir]

Nah, scholarships to China are one the easiest to get. The CCP hand them out like candy just to internationalise their schools. You can only pass the HSK3 which is piss and still get sent full board for a year.

[@vivianjones9749]

My son got a one year scholarship to Xiamen University and the next year got a one year scholarship to Soka University outside Tokyo. He reads, speaks and writes Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese and Portuguese. Traveled with him through China and Japan. Trust me, “the look” you get when speaking their native language NEVER gets old!

[@emarcostar]

Actually it's the opposite, almost everyone who applies for that scholarship is accepted

[@IConquer]

Is it age restriction?

[@Chrnoless]

@@SupremeSamir I don't know the exact scholarship that Xiaoma got, but the prestige of a scholarship could differ by location. Like comparing a scholarship to a college in Boston (Harvard, MIT) vs one to some college in the Midwest. Xiaoma ended up in Beijing so it could actually be a prestigious scholarship.

[@Apocolipto5233]

Hearing that lady at the store be like "I like it here more than America, more freedom" with how it's looking here rn shit I might move to mexico

[@kylepope9815]

I love people from Mexico; so pleasant and happy

[@user-hd8ej8yx9p]

I worked construction in Calexico for like a month and it was 90 degrees at night and 120 in the day and we had to work 5-1:30 because it was too hot… you literally sweat all day (drywall) and will dehydrate if you don’t drink water consistently

[@martincito1662]

I’m a fan of Asian culture. I admire their values consisting of discipline, hard work, and honesty. I wish more Asians lived in Mexico. We could learn a lot from them.

[@juanmeneseslimon8590]

Este pueblo bicicletero fue fundado por chinos, japoneses, indios y forajidos gringos del sur y mexicanos del sur junto a la población nativa; los chinos siguen teniendo una inmensa comunidad aquí, López Mateos se ensañó con los japoneses y los corrió, aunque ya hay unos cuantos más, y los indios se mezclaron desde hace muchas décadas, pero siguiendo el estereotipo hay bastantes médicos de apellido Sing en la ciudad; ahora hay cubanos y desde hace 5 años muchos haitianos y africanos también.

[@JackieJaime90]

I see more and more Asians in Mexico City. It’s kinda awesome seeing immigrant communities thrive in a city so complex

[@leoneljaramillo6710]

.......................

[@juanmontoya6622]

¿De veras? Are Argentines and Mexicans alike? No. Likewise, painting Asians as you did without looking at nuances is quite shortsighted. There are many Asians truchas that make the most Listo in Mexico look like a Pendejo.

[@zarinkai2927]

Nah they're up to par with work ethic and discipline. They're not that much different

[@trentc1098]

being both Mexican and Chinese this is super interesting to watch never knew there were so many Chinese in Mexico!

[@hueso5071]

It's not that many. Less than one percent of mexicos population is of Chinese descent. Lol.

[@cloudboysmusic5223]

@@hueso5071 Concentrated into one region is what he means

[@Zumi909]

@@hueso5071 what are you on about they have communities all over not just 1 percent we got Japanese Korean and other communities all over Mexico the government doesn't count them as Mexican though

[@hueso5071]

@@Zumi909 lies. Estimations show Mexicos Asian population is only around 1%. Asians are one of the smallest minorities in Mexico.

[@Zumi909]

@@hueso5071 again like I just said Mexican government doesn't keep track on anything those estimates are just speculation not confirmed the government didn't count afro Mexicans until 2015 not a good source if you tell me 👍

[@Karl_The_Ace]

U blow my mind everytime u learn new things so quick much respect all the way from dublin ireland

[@doctorno0070]

Your language abilities never ceases to amaze me.

[@johnnylara]

Really is amazing how people open up when speaking in their native tongue

[@posidon50]

Hell yeah mexicali has great chinese food

[@wooyngsgf]

OH MY GOD IM FROM CALEXICO????? this was the last thing I expected clicking onto this video, I actually frequent one of the restaurants he went to and it was so wild seeing it all on film AHHHH

[@Klassiccycles]

One of your best videos. Thanks for this!

[@S4MiDaRe]

What a big surprise for me! One of my favorite youtubers visiting my town I’m living. I hope you enjoyed. Chinese food is really good and many we always recommend it. Chinese culture is very popular and it is part old history of Mexicali.

[@vampiremomo99]

My whole family is from Mexicali and we’ve been there since it was founded! I grew up eating Chinese food from there and I’m so happy people are going and visiting 😍

[@jcswim1954]

Love how people go between Spanish and Chinese with such ease!

[@priscilatellez6675]

I am from Mexicali and is so cool that you visited the city! Actually the restaurant you went it’s so goooood! Great choice 😄 Mexicali is famous by its chinese food ;) the best in Mexico And I liked that you tried “caguamas”!! 😂 Saludos , ¡¡me encanta tu contenido!! 😊

[@r8d4tube]

Chinese buffets conquered the world. Coming to Mars in the near future.

[@universal889]

Man I grew up Puerto Rican Cuban Chinese and Jewish in NYC. I was blown away at my grandfather's funeral when I saw other Chinese speaking Perfect Spanish. It's amazing what you do. I wish I could speak like u man.