The Chinese in Firefly, according to the many tomes of commentary and philosophy on it, are a warning signal of the future.
China will overrun the future population. And they won’t bring with them advances in technology and culture. They are the homeless, tent-dwelling street vendors.
Remember that while the vile, disgusting market places and bazaars are labelled in Chinese, the controls and buttons on the ship are in English.
(Reminds me of “Why are there no muslims on Star Trek? Because it’s the future” joke)
Thank you for the insight. I never made that connection.