Chinese spies?

[Ezram]

I've seen it many times now in fiction, but am unsure how it's generally done.

The character is revealed to be a spy for "Beijing" or "The People's Republic of China", but are caucasian. So, are they taken at birth, given at birth by their parents, or...?

[Gentry]

Or being paid handsomely to be a turncoat.  Or working for China because their family is in custody.  Or because Beijing's got pictures of them in flagrante delicto with a 12-year-old in Bangkok. 

Not everybody goes willingly. 

[Krensky]

Or are the descendants of ex-patriots. Or of the Celtic peoples in the far western provences.

[TheAuldGrump]

Or they are members of the communist party who believe that Russia lost its way - more common into the 1960s-1970s than now, though.

The Auld Grump

[Krensky]

Or, since it's fiction, any idea the author wants to make up for it whether it's well founded or plausible or not.

[afrodave]

British ex-pats from Hong Kong that are sympathatic to the Communists.
Russians working as Communist Liasons between the two Red regimes (or the former communist state depending on the setting timeframe).
American (esp from the West coast) that falls in love with a Chinese immigrant and starts working for their loved one's homeland.
German that aided China.   Sino-German cooperation (1911–1941:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-German_cooperation_(1911%E2%80%931941)

Mixed ethnicity child of any of the above. That simply looks more "Occidental" than "Oriental"

Genetic experiment from the Chinese, the individual has been genetically altered to look like a European. (See also Alias, see Provacilium)

and lots more...

[Ezram]

Hm, so there wasn't a common set of answers after all...

[afrodave]

There are a lot of reasons why white people would be in Asia and each one of them why they are a spy for foriegn goverments.  Wait that sounds like I'm implying that everyone in a foreign country is a spy. While not actually true, is it in your game?

[Agent 333]

There are a lot of reasons why white people would be in Asia and each one of them why they are a spy for foriegn goverments.  Wait that sounds like I'm implying that everyone in a foreign country is a spy. While not actually true, is it in your game?

Hmm, now that you mention it, I very rarely have foreigners in a particular country that aren't the PCs, so technically, yes.

[Ezram]

There are a lot of reasons why white people would be in Asia and each one of them why they are a spy for foriegn goverments.  Wait that sounds like I'm implying that everyone in a foreign country is a spy. While not actually true, is it in your game?

Ha, if only...

The twists are becoming less twisty and much more predictable. I was curious as to whether or not having the spy be from a country that appears to be completely opposite from them can still be refreshing.

[Gentry]

Absolutely it can.  You yourself were surprised at the wide variety of ideas positing how a foreigner could work for the Chinese.  Your players will likely be just as surprised. 

[TheAuldGrump]

And do not forget the 'Manchurian Candidate' option. (Oh look, someone got a critical failure while trying to resist a Brainwashing Dramatic Conflict....)

The Auld Grump

[ThunderMonkey]

If you take into accounts to the numerous reports of the "sex slave trade" in China, as well as other parts of the world, in which women from around the world are "employed". It wouldn't be unfeasible to see children of mixed races (some favoring one parent over the other) from some of these unions and have those placed in an orphanage. Chinese government, the thrifty bunch that they are, sees this as an opportunity and "adopts" these children to train and indoctrinate from an early age to work for the state. Thus, giving China a small army of spies and operatives to work for them, without tipping the hat that these are in fact Chinese operatives.