Dec 31 2009
Black Student Going To China?
I’m basically black but have a really mixed background so i’m kind of mixed raced colour. I have the oppertunity to go to China and study for a year with a full scholarship. The government will pay for it and i will supposedly be taught Chinese from scratch. I saw studying in China as a great oppertunity.
The problem is i have some Chinese friends and they’re mothers + Grandparents act like black stereotypes are scientific evidence. So i am worried about racism towards black people in China since i plan to spend a year there studying.
Is it a good idea to go to China and study for a year or not?
Will people keep away from me because i’m black?
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11 Responses to “Black Student Going To China?”
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I assume you want a real answer and not some feel good fake one, I’m here to give you my views and experiences…hope you can benefit
eople probably won’t keep away from you because your black they’ll keep away from you because of Language and culture differences…the sooner you get rid of these problems the sooner you’ll get acquainted with everyone..
It’s very important WHERE in China you are going…Beijing..Shanghai???? a big city?….it goes without saying the difference between Shanghai and lets say a major city like Chengdu or Hangzhou. Beijing is your best bet for people who won’t stare as often. If your in Shanghai you would naturally think…Shanghai…oh lots of foreigners but outside of Nanjing Lu (road) and other areas you’ll find yourself the only non Chinese in what seems to be half a district !!!…sometimes for days.
PREPARE: To be stared at like you have just shot Hu Jintao himself (the president of China)
You might think to yourself…staring???..no big deal…I like attention that’s okay…we all think like this at first…but your staying for a year. One sterotype of the westerner (black or white, or even ABC (American born Chinese) is that they are more aggressive. If you get angry with people staring at you and show that anger, that will just prove the stereotype to be true.
Usually but not always, they are staring at you not because they hate you but because they are curious, why is your skin a different color?…why is your nose bigger?…Why are you taller then most everyone on this bus??? Those are nice shoes??? They say that black people have big ……? the list goes on. The other reason you might find yourself the be sitting alone on a packed train is that people simply don’t want to be embarrassed by sitting next to you and afraid that you might talk to them in ENGLISH, because many don’t know English….If you were talking to a friend in Chinese on the train.,..then they’ll think…”Hey this guy took the effort to learn the Chinese language, he must be an okay guy”.
The reason that blacks have a bad image in China is mainly because of American media..pick a show…any show and chances are blacks are portrayed differently then lets say whites. Also simply put African-Americans do not have as much money for a variety of reasons then European-American’s so they are less likely to travel. In all my time spent in China I have only seen maybe three black people…again it depends where you are…some cities or towns expect to see none, certain districts in Beijing or Shanghai…you won’t be alone.
REMEMBER THIS:
DO IT!: A full scholarship to go to China…you have to take it !!!!…that’s like a dream come true (for me). How many people can say they have done that?…get out there and do it…learn Mandarin and learn the culture…history buff?…China’s history is amazing.
ADVANTAGE: There are advantages to being a foreigner (or black) in China. People are very unlikely to engage in physical fights or really any problem in general with you …why? because their is the idea that the government from whence you came as some sort of power with which to mess with them. There are over 1.3 billion people in China none of which think exactly the same…and many young people will be interested in you…if you spend a year there a stranger will definitely ask to have their picture taken with you …..why? because your a unique, practice your Chinese with them. You may find yourself a girlfriend while in China (like me)…or at least some friends
Last thoughts: Not going would be a pity, you will regret it later…your money will go further in China and you will enjoy the experience, no doubt about it. Will you be homesick….YES…but when you leave China and your sitting at home back in the U.S. ….and a stupid show like Dancing with the stars comes on …you’ll be thinking…..I wish I was in China…. I could talk forever about this…if you need any person help….with China or anything associated with it…contact me wingwaa_samurai@yahoo.com ….. Zai Jian (goodbye)
Chinese people are mainly prejudice towards japanese people because of what they did during the war.
but dont pass up the chance to go to China, its an amazing country and you gain so much knowledge and wisdom to attend school there.
anywhere you go you will run into some sort of racial barriers.
China is no different.
they do however look towards their own race as the whiter your skin the higher class you are because to Chinese people having dark skin means you work outside and dont have a good job.
the beautiful chinese skin tans very easily.
its the opposite in the east then it over here in the US the girls want white skin and will do whatever it takes to get their skin more milky white. tan skin is looked down upon upon chinese.
thats why you see the girls with the umbrellas during the summer.
whitening creams and so forth and big.
All foreigners got stared at including all overseas Chinese, Hongkongers, Taiwanese, Macau, Singaporeans, so forth. They’re just curious at everything, the way you dress, your accent, how you talk and even the shoes and bags you got with you. This is nothing to do with racist, Chinese in general are not racist, though prejudice may exist like anywhere else in the world. They know they’ve been locked up from the outside world for too long, they’re just curious how people from the outside world look and talk, thats all.
I haven’t been to China myself, but my best friend went for about two months last year. She said that pretty much anyone not Asian gets treated differently, and she had tons of stories about people randomly stopping her to take her picture and even once was half-kidnapped (hopefully due to language barriers) and tossed up on stage to host some weird ‘how to speak english’ radio broadcasted stage show.
I imagine you’ll have a somewhat similar experience, being treated like a novelty to talk about later. Hopefully it won’t break down into dangerous racism. If you want to go, by all means go. Just expect to need some serious patience.
Two years ago hung out with my friend/housemate who is African-British and she never met any trouble. We were stared at and even treated a little differently sometimes but she ALWAYS meets every situation with a friendly and charming smile so even uncomfortable people warmed right up. Be real and be friendly and a lot of people will return it. Those who don’t might be having a bad day, have indigestion, a headache or be too busy to bother.
All kinds of people have all kinds of prejudices and biases. Do NOT give up the opportunity to study in China because of your color. If you do, you just limited yourself because of some silly notion of prejudice… it is everywhere, especially in this country.
Asians don’t harm blacks like white people do, but Asians will look down on you…not necessary by words, but by the way they look at you. They may pressure those around you to stay away. You’re literally made to feel like crap everyday. Japan is better.
Chinese people have better things to do than worry about what color you are. Furthermore, so do you. If you sincerely want to learn Chinese language and culture, then China is obviously the best place to do it.
The simple answer is that just as anywhere, it’s a mixed bag. There are parts of China where people you encounter will never have seen dark skin. I once was walking with an African American in China who had very dark skin, when a person came up and wanted to touch his skin. The person then rubbed it to see if the color would come off! This isn’t offensive to either of us, because it was obvious that it was very sincere and innocent. They did the same kind of thing to my blond haired child — touching her hair to see what it felt like and wanting to have their picture made with her. I certainly guarantee you that people will ask to have their photo made with you! If you mind, just let them know and they won’t do it. It’s just innocent curiosity and not intended to be offensive in any way. Another thing about it is that body appearance is just one of those things that is taken as a fact. For instance, my Chinese friends have no problem telling me that I am fat. To them, it’s just a fact and doesn’t carry the same type of offensiveness that it might carry if we were in the USA and the store clerk said I was fat.
While there are exceptions, the Chinese are also generally open, friendly, and welcoming to foreigners. I traveled around China with a second, lighter skinned African American. In both instances, people were friendly and there was no indication that people thought he was anything other than just another average FOREIGN guy. Dark skin, light skin, my friends were not threatening to anyone and they were treated nicely. We looked and dressed like Americans and spoke regular American English.
On the other hand, there is another and perhaps different kind of attitude toward Africans. I’m not talking African American. I lived in China long enough to learn enough Chinese to converse with shopkeepers in the market. In their view (yes a prejudiced view but an attitude born from experience), Africans tend to be both hard bargainers and a bit shady in their dealings. I’ve met some wonderful African people — and some of my Chinese have chosen Africa as a great tourist destination — but at the same tme I’ve also experienced just a bit of the reasons the Chinese are wary of doing business with Africans. One time in a market, I thought an African woman was having a hard time communicating and I offered to translate. It turned out not to be a communication error: she wanted to leave a deposit of half the $$, but take all the goods. Over time, in various markets, I saw many variations on this type of bargaining. Asking someone to accept a check (not done in China, it’s a cash economy), take a deposit, leaving the market and then returning the next day claiming to have received fewer items than they bargained for, all kinds of bargaining stuff going on. Another time a Chinese friend told me of being befriended by Africans over a period of months, and he thought they were buddies. But one day, they asked him to participate in a counterfeit $$ scheme, and it was then that he realized he was surrounded and suddenly felt extremely intimidated. So, if you do find yourself the object of some discrimination, I believe it’s likely not because of innate prejudice about skin color but likely on account of prior experiences with Africans.
Don’t worry, though, no one will confuse you with a native of Africa. The type of people I”m talking about wear very distinctive clothing, do not speak with American style English (often they actually speak very good Chinese), and also they don’t wear deodorant! (In my experience most Chinese are very particular about neatness, cleanliness, and deodorant.) The Chinese who would be prejudiced against Africans will have no trouble recognizing you as an American both by your dress and by your accent. I honestly think it is a cultural thing and not a skin color thing — mostly and with some exceptions. And then last but not least, China has a history of a thousand years of promotion in civil service done through scholarly accomplishment. Education is highly valued. As a top student in a university, you will receive status and recognition. Even if people don’t know that you have received a prestigious scholarship, they will still respect you on account of your status as a foreign scholar. In your day to day dealings, people will get to know you, they’ll accept you, and you’ll have a great time.
I went to china last year and this year and i had tons of fun. I am Latino (from Chicago) and I guess the color of my skin is in between whites and blacks (brown/tan), but i did get a lot of stares, so did all my classmates and friends who i went with (most which were white). So I don’t think you should go thinking they are all against you or stuff like that, just think of it as. . you’re a foreigner and they are probably curious as to why you are visiting their country. When I went, i had a blast, i had absolutely no problems with people, the culture. The only few things i kind of had a problem with is the food, because i’m not a big Chinese food fan. I only like certain Chinese food, and also when i lost my bank card, that was not fun.
But I would NOT pass an opportunity like this. go for it. just don’t lose your bank card, your passport, or other important documents.
Hey!
I’ve also been offered a study abroad opportunity in Southern China, more specifically in Zhuhai. You guys definitely saved me from turning down the offer. I’ve been searching the internet for various forums because I too was a little nervous (but mostly curious) as to what my treatment would be there (as an female African-American student). Not that I expected there to be negative or ill treatment in any way, but more of would their reaction be from more fear or curiosity. Initially I assumed it would be curiosity but I unfortunately stumbled on a few forums that gave very very negative stories and opinions of treatment of African Americans in China.. A lot of it was very over-generalized, etc. but it really got my doubting whether I should go there. While I fully expect mixed responses, and there can be prejudice no matter where you go, I did want to know what to expect. I’ve decided to definitely study there, and I do want to thank you guys for posting this question because it was definitely a worry for me, and all of the positive yet honest responses!!! If anyone knows anything more specific to Zhuhai, it would be much appreciated but at this point I’m just really looking forward to the trip and experience. =)