As a pupil in Yung An Primary School in Jurong, Ou Ningfei was bullied. "If we played games like basketball or football in school, I would always be the last to be picked. Or people would call me 'Chinaman'," recounted Mr Ou, now 30.

As an immigrant from Ningbo, China, who arrived with his parents who worked in shipping, it did not help that negative stereotypes of Chinese nationals were rife. Mr Ou swung to the other extreme so as to blend in with his classmates.