Chanson by a Chinaman*: A Political Pastiche

By Yuan Changming

ching chong, chinee

chink, chinky, chonky

so was i called a dragon of barbarity

a born rogue holding the laws of truth in deformity

because i ate rats, dogs, slugs and snakes

i began with anything but genes of true humanity

ching chong, chinee

chink, chinky, chonky

so am i made a dead enemy of civility

growing grotesque against values in white reality

because i hate freedom as much as human rights

although i have the right to be a human entity

ching chong, chinee

chink, chinky, chonky

so will i be seen a species of non-conformity

an inflated satan beyond the borders of christianity

as long as i’m pig-eyed, crow-haired, the farthest other

i must be treated as a real demon only

*A parody on ‘Chanson for Canton’ (London: Punch, 1858), a telling example illustrative of the deeply-rooted and long-held western tradition to demonize China as culturally the most disparate Other.

Yuan Changming co-edits Poetry Pacific with Allen Yuan. With 16 published collections and 15 Pushcart nominations, Yuan has appeared in Best of the Best Canadian Poetry (2008-17) and 2,207 other literary publications worldwide. A former poetry juror for Canada's National Magazine Awards, Yuan began to write prose in 2022 and released a cnf collection (Return to Roots) and novel trilogy (Towards) in Feb, 2026.