In May 2025, Asian Raisins received multiple reports about the racist depiction of Chinese people in the book Mijn Jarige Stad (My City’s Birthday). This was a book the city of Amsterdam had gifted to over 60,000 children to mark the occasion of the city’s 750th anniversary. On page 31, a passage of the book featuring the Amsterdam Pigeon Board (a variant of the Game of the Goose board game) displayed the sentence on one of the game commands: “Ni Hao! Chinese tourists are blocking the cycling lane. Go back to space 39 to evade them”. The reference of 39 here is reminiscent of a racist remark by jury member Gordon Heuckerouth towards the Chinese contestant Xiao Wang during the talent show Holland’s Got Talent 2013.
In celebration of the city’s 750th anniversary, the municipality of Amsterdam has gifted the children’s book Mijn Jarige Stad (My City’s Birthday) for the occasion to 60,000 primary school children.The book was published by publishers Leopold and Pavlov and written by Jan Paul Schutten. Though meant as a festive gift to celebrate the city’s rich history and diversity, the book contains a racist phrase in an embedded part of the spread depicting the Amsterdam Pigeon Board (a variant of the Dutch board game Gooseboard): ‘Ni Hao! Chinese tourists are blocking the cycling lane. Go back to space 39 to evade them’.
What is presented as an inclusive and fun game rule, is in reality representative of structural stereotyping of people of East and Southeast Asian descent. This is not an ‘innocent phrase’ but one of many examples of how anti-Asian racism is normalised, ignored, and passed on to new generations.
In the game Amsterdam Pigeon Board, the fact that the player who ends on this space has to return to space 39 is not accidental. For many people within the East and Southeast Asian community in the Netherlands, this particular number triggers memories of a painful racist incident that garnered national attention. During the talent show Holland’s Got Talent 2013, the jury member Gordon made a racist remark directed towards the Chinese participant Xiao Wang, who was then a PhD student in the field of economics and business at a Dutch university. After Wang introduced himself to the panel of judges and announced that he would be performing an opera number, Gordon said to Wang: “Which number are you singing, number 39 with rice?” This ‘joke’ reduces Asian people in the Netherlands to the stereotype that they only take orders in tokos and Chinese restaurants.
The remark rightly led to widespread indignation, but was also trivialised by many under the guise of ‘humor’. The incident became a symbol of how everyday racism is normalised in Dutch media and society at the expense of East and Southeast Asian people. By using this exact number in a supposedly inclusive children’s book and connecting it to ‘Chinese tourists’ who are blocking the cycling lane, these stereotypes once again reproduced and maintained.
Mijn Jarige Stad reaffirms the stereotypical image of ‘the Chinese tourist’, an image that dehumanises people of East Asian descent by portraying them as ‘the other’. One of the damaging consequences of such framing is that it supports the idea that a person identifiable as of Chinese descent can only ever be a foreigner, that it could not be a Dutch person. And that is especially dangerous for Dutch people of East and Southeast Asian origins.
In a time in which anti-Asian racism is on the rise, from violence in the streets to exclusion in the workplace, such racist representations in education should be considered unacceptable. What do we hope to teach our kids when in the books they read East and Southeast Asian people are an obstacle to be evaded?
The inclusion of this phrase is not an isolated incident, but part of a systemic problem in which people of East and Southeast Asian descent are repeatedly reduced to a stereotype: the tourist, the ‘other’, the ‘foreigner’, but never a part of Dutch society.
The fact that this kind of racist imagery is promoted within the school system and with the municipality’s public money makes it all the more damaging. The completion of Mijn Jarige Stad went through a lengthy creative process with authors being carefully selected specifically for this book to brainstorming sessions, consultation from teachers based in Amsterdam and also initial pupil feedback to gauge anticipated reception of the book. Despite attempts at inclusivity by getting Amsterdammers involved in the creation of the book, it is simply not enough. The municipality did not perform its due diligence. Not only did they not flag that the book painted a stereotypical image of people of East and Southeast Asian descent, they did not even bother to check the book’s contents before its release .
The municipality has also effectively walked away from its responsibilities towards the project by fully putting it in the hands of the publishers. The newspaper Telegraaf quotes Dania van Dishoeck of publisher Leopold: “It is a super fun book and the municipality has not imposed anything on us. I can definitely debunk that. The idea of handing out this book specifically came from the publisher itself.” In the same article, they assert that all choices about the book’s contents were made by the publisher, including regarding the mayor’s secondary involvement in the book.
Several critics and media reports, including those from Het Parool and The Contrapuntal, have pointed out the danger of spreading such racist narratives; it teaches children that these remarks are normal, funny, or innocent, while they are not. They confirm existing power structures and contribute to the dehumanisation of East and Southeast Asian people in the Netherlands.
After the public outrage, the Amsterdam municipality responded with the following statement: “It was of course never our intention that the phrase would be experienced as discriminating or hurtful. The book is intended as a gift to all Amsterdam students from groups 5 through 8, to be able to celebrate their city and, as part of that, be aware of the diversity and history of Amsterdam. We regret that Asian Amsterdammers have been hurt by this phrase. ^SV.”
By centralising its intentions, the municipality makes a common diversion which trivialises the impact of racism on a marginalised group. Racism is not an issue solely when motivated by malignant intentions. Whether intentional or not, racism is a problem because it produces damaging consequences.
Asian Raisins’ founder Rui Jun Luong received a similar response from the municipality on Instagram and LinkedIn after sharing this video, in which she discusses the book. Responding to the municipality she asked, “What are the next steps and where is your responsibility? Diversity is not celebrated by normalising racist remarks. Despite it not being your intention to hurt people, that is exactly what happened. It is not just ‘experienced’ as racist, it is racist.” You can also read her opinion piece in the Parool newspaper.
On June 5, 2025, a delegation from the Dutch East and Southeast Asian community met with mayor Femke Halsema in Amsterdam. The mayor acknowledged that anti-Asian racism is a growing, structural problem. She said she understood why the passage in the book was painful. However, she repeatedly emphasised that the publisher probably did not intend to be racist. This was not central to our conversation because intention is never more important than impact.
The conversation revealed that the municipality acknowledges anti-Asian racism as a serious issue and is open to dialogue and policy changes. At the same time, it is crucial that we continue to push for real responsibility and not settle for half-measures, such as handing out stickers for children to cover up the racist text. Intentions are not an excuse. Racism is fought by taking responsibility, not by downplaying pain.
Halsema made it clear that she could not offer an official apology on the publisher’s behalf or take direct responsibility for the book. According to her, doing so would exceed her authority and affect journalistic independence. She concluded that she cannot recall the book and cannot demand a retraction from the publisher, but that she can make a statement and intends to do so.
While stickers are being distributed to Amsterdam primary schools for children to stick over the racist statement, Halsema stated that this was not a solution, and indicated that the responsibility remains entirely with the publisher. After the interview, Mayor Halsema responded immediately on Hart van Nederland: “I understand very well that people are offended. A children’s book should make all children in Amsterdam feel comfortable and safe, and in this case, it failed to do so. This is a moment when many Chinese and other Asian people in Amsterdam draw the line. Many have experienced discrimination for a long time and want to make it clear that it is unacceptable. And in that, I agree with them.”
The racist phrase in Mijn Jarige Stad is not an isolated incident. It is one of many examples of a long list of racist, stereotyping and dehumanising remarks in the Dutch education system and children’s entertainment. What is often considered to be ‘innocent’ and ‘funny’ has a significant impact on how young children perceive themselves and others.
Asian Raisins initiated the Stop Hanky Panky Shanghai campaign in 2023 against the birthday song ‘Hanky Panky Shanghai’ that is still being sung at many Dutch and Belgian primary schools. The song is accompanied by discriminating and hurtful gestures, such as pulling aside the corners of one’s eyes or bringing the hands together before bowing. These are racist caricatures that ridicule the appearance of East and Southeast Asian people. You can read more about this here. As Rui Jun Luong writes in the newspaper Het Parool: “By continuing to sing this song, we teach kids at a young age that racist stereotypes are normal and acceptable.” This normalisation is exactly what makes it so dangerous: racism is ingrained at a young age at which children are not yet taught to recognise and question it.
The problem is not only limited to teaching materials and songs. There are also education professionals who actively contribute to spreading racist stereotypes. Through the years we have received several reports about a primary school teacher who calls herself ‘Juffie Iris’ (‘teacher Iris’) online. In her videos she reacts to racist ‘jokes’ told by her students. These videos, which are presented as innocent jokes, were shared to thousands of followers. Rui Jun Luong made a video about this, after which these damaging videos were removed from the social media pages of Juffie Iris. After this no (public) consequences or action followed.
Popular Dutch children’s shows such as Koekeloere also spread damaging stereotypes about Chinese people. In this episode the character named Moffel supposedly speaks ‘Chinese’ by uttering words such as ‘Pling, plong, plang’. This teaches children from a young age that it is normal to reduce Chinese languages and people to caricatures for laughs. This kind of racist imaging is normalised in a playful way and contributes to the systemic dehumanising of East and Southeast Asian communities.
These examples show that racism in the education system is no singular incident, but a systemic issue. Children are taught from a young age how the world functions. If we present them with racist stereotypes under the guise of innocent jokes or tradition, we work to uphold these stereotypes. Asian Raisins calls on the municipality of Amsterdam and involved parties to take responsibility. Not by apologising or diplomatic statements, but by taking action.
“Sorry if someone was offended” is an evasion, not an apology. It places the burden on the person who was hurt, instead of taking responsibility for racism. The phrase means, “the problem is that you feel this way” instead of, “the problem is that I said something racist”.
True responsibility sounds different: “What I said was wrong. I apologize and will not do it again”. Why is this important? Because racism isn’t addressed by half-hearted apologies or vague expressions of regret. It requires clear recognition of wrongdoing and a willingness to change. Anything less is tacit approval of the system.
Asian Raisins calls on the municipality of Amsterdam and the parties involved to take responsibility. Not in the form of apologies or diplomatic statements, but with concrete actions:
Asian Raisins demands:
– A public acknowledgement that the phrase in the book Het Jarige Stad is racist, no ‘sorry if somebody feels hurt’
– A rectification letter sent to all schools and parents who received the book
– An official recall of the book and correction
– Structural financial support for accurate representation of marginalised groups in education for relevant and involved organisations
– Substantive participation and financial resources for relevant and involved organisations when developing (municipal) projects and celebrations which claim to celebrate ‘diversity and inclusion’
As long as marginalised groups are ignored and their experiences with racism are treated as a matter of feelings, there is no question of real inclusivity. A celebration of Amsterdam as a city of diversity and connectedness is only believable if it is accompanied by actual inclusivity. In a city with a deep history of colonialism and slavery this requires active awareness and responsibility, not the repetition of damaging stereotypes. Inclusion is not a marketing term, it should be self-evident.
What can you do? File a complaint with the initiators. You can also report discrimination via discriminatie.nl. Have you experienced racism or discrimination yourself, or have you witnessed it? Submit a report to our hotline.
Initiators ‘My city’s birthday’: Breed Bestuurlijk Overleg, Publishing house Leopold, Publishing house Pavlov, De Schoolschrijver
Breed Bestuurlijk Overleg
The primary schools of Amsterdam are united in the Breed Bestuurlijk Overleg. The organization took the initiative to come up with a unique present for all students and their teachers, to celebrate 750 years of Amsterdam together.
Publishing house Leopold
An Amsterdam-based publisher for children’s and youth books.
Publishing house Pavlov
Pavlov is a publishing house that creates publications for large companies. While Pavlov has since amended the online version of Mijn Jarige Stad to remove the racist text, there has yet to be a recall or correction of this book.
De Schoolschrijver
De Schoolschrijver offers interactive teaching plans and training about reading and writing for all primary schools.
Comments are closed