c ult ural ▁problem . ▁The ▁colonial ▁administration ▁issued ▁circular s ▁prohib iting ▁European ▁officials ▁from ▁conjug al ▁l ia isons ▁with ▁ind igen ous ▁women . ▁In ▁Bur ma , ▁as ▁in ▁other ▁colon ies ▁in ▁S out heast ▁Asia , ▁int imate ▁relations ▁between ▁colon ised ▁women ▁and ▁colon ising ▁men , ▁and ▁the ▁half - c aste ▁pro gen y ▁of ▁such ▁un ions ▁were ▁considered ▁harm ful ▁to ▁white ▁minor ity ▁rule ▁founded ▁upon ▁carefully ▁maintained ▁ra cial ▁hier arch ies . ▁ ▁China ▁While ▁the ▁term ▁half - c aste ▁tends ▁to ▁e voke ▁the ▁understanding ▁of ▁it ▁referring ▁to ▁the ▁off spring ▁of ▁two ▁persons ▁of ▁two ▁different ▁pure ▁blood s ▁or ▁near ▁pure ▁blood s , ▁in ▁other ▁languages , ▁such ▁as ▁Mand arin ▁Chinese , ▁the ▁words ▁half - c aste ▁and ▁mixed ▁eth nic ity ▁or ▁multi - eth nic ▁are ▁the ▁same ▁word , ▁hun - x ue ▁( <0xE6> <0xB7> <0xB7> <0xE8> <0xA1> <0x80> ). ▁ ▁F iji ▁ ▁F ij ian ▁people ▁of ▁mixed ▁descent ▁were ▁called ▁half - c aste , ▁k ail oma ▁or ▁vas u . ▁This ▁started ▁with ▁British ▁colonial ism , ▁and ▁over ▁time ▁developed ▁into ▁a ▁race ▁conscious , ▁seg reg ated ▁system ▁of ▁society . ▁The ▁colonial ▁government ▁viewed ▁this ▁as ▁a ▁“ race ▁problem .” ▁It ▁created ▁a ▁privile ged ▁under class ▁of ▁semi - Europe ans ▁who ▁lived ▁on ▁the ▁social ▁fr ing es ▁in ▁the ▁colonial ▁ordering ▁of ▁F iji .