Laowai, is the term offensive?

Ratfink (Australia)

When I first visited the Mainland in 1978 people would point and say "Laowai" as there were so few Caucasians in China. Hong Kong in the mid 60s was the same, once you got out of the tourist areas, many times people would say "gweilo". I've found that smiling and being polite stops most people from saying laowai, though I use the term to describe myself a lot, and also gweilo when in Cantonese areas.

Laowais complain about China's immigrant policy	I love Chinglish	Things you can do in China but not back home

The original piece: http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/thread-879259-1-1.html

[ChinaDaily online forum offers people from all over the world and all walks of life the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings. Join us now! BBS:bbs.chinadaily.com.cn Blog:blog.chinadaily.com.cn]