Einstein’s diaries reveal racist views of Chinese

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Albert Einstein's private diaries detailing his tour of Asia in the early 1920s were found to have some racist remarks.

The excerpts were found in "The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein: The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922–1923," which was published by the Princeton University Press this week and outlined the travel notes of the famous physicist and humanitarian icon during his trip throughout the region.

A page from Einstein's diary. /Paper.cn Photo

What is the content?

“Chinese don’t sit on benches while eating, but squat like Europeans do when they relieve themselves out in the leafy woods. All this occurs quietly and demurely. Even the children are spiritless and look obtuse,” Einstein noted. After expressing the “fecundity” of the Chinese, he surmises that it would be a pity if the Chinese were to supplant all others.

"Many comments in his diary upset us, especially the part he wrote about Chinese people," said Ze’ev Rosenkranz, senior editor and assistant director of the Einstein Papers Project at the California Institute of Technology, in an interview with The Guardian.

File: Albert Einstein in a window on the S.S. Belgenland upon arrival at Pier 59 in New York City. /VCG Photo

As a great humanitarian icon, Einstein's remarks contrasted sharply with his public image, Rosenkranz added. "They’re more off guard, he didn’t intend them for publication," he said.

Meanwhile, Einstein had a more favorable impression of the Japanese. But, as Rosenkranz pointed out, Einstein also concluded that the intellectual needs of the country did not seem to be as great as their artistic needs.

"In his diary, Einstein described the Japanese, Chinese and Indians as 'people of low intelligence,' which can be regarded as racist," Rosenkranz indicated.

How did China's social media react?

“Einstein just gives the objective description as a scientist,” read the most liked comment on a Weibo post by Haiwainet, the overseas edition of People's Daily, symbolizing the Internet’s mostly indifferent response.

"Everyone's opinion is limited by their times," another Weibo user wrote under the Global Times' Weibo post. Meanwhile, some netizens said although it was inappropriate to publish the diary, the "times" is not an excuse for racist remarks.

File: Albert Einstein. /VCG Photo

DW-TV said on Wednesday that Einstein's travel diaries show that racism was widespread in Europe at the time and that even a great Jewish scientist would reflect it.

In general, Einstein's conclusions about the Chinese were "regrettable," Rosenkranz said, adding that even Einstein, as a refugee, could not avoid negative comments about others he encountered.

(Top image from VCG.)