The talkback topic was about Chinese Australians' marriage criteria, based on an earlier , asking the Mandarin audience to list the factors they would consider when they look for life partners in Australia.
While the poll shows that top criteria people voted for include value, personality, visa status and assets such as properties, one call-in audience member highlighted the racial factor, claiming he had and would never consider to go into a relationship with a non-Chinese person.
The caller, Mr Shi said he believes that an interracial relationship does not make for a stable for marriage. He said that even Chinese people from the North and South have a lot of differences in custom and habits that requires one party to give up his or her own habits in order to make the relationship work.
"I will not marry someone from a different race and I do not want my children do to so."
Mr Shi, being in Australia for 30 years, further said that his criteria is to always avoid "foreigners" (non-Chinese).
"I will not marry someone from a different race and I do not want my children do to so," he said.
When SBS Mandarin's presenter brought about SBS's upcoming week, another caller to SBS Mandarin, Mr Chen defended Mr Shi's comments as "not racist".
However another audience member - this time online @Mick_Qiu commented on the social platform Weibo: "They [the call-in audience] apparently think differently from young people."
"Even people from the same village, same family could have conflicts and can't get along. How do you explain that?"
Another caller Ms Luo, did not deem racial differences such a problem, saying that two people who come together as they share the same values, having similar education background and compatible personalities.
"Even people from the same village, same family could have conflicts and can't get along," she says.
"How do you explain that? "
SBS Mandarin has started an online poll on the subject. Share your thoughts below:
Date My Race airs Monday 27 February at 8.30pm on SBS.
Face up to racism with a week of programs challenging preconceptions around race and prejudice.
#FU2Racism | Face Up to Racism Week starts 26 February on SBS. Watch the first show, at and below:
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