The Chinese Perspective on Colored Folks

I have been travelling since I was a little girl and am quite used to getting noticed for my hair and skin color. Having lived overseas and integrated my school in Belgium as a child, I would say I am a veteran at confronting race issues abroad. Despite these experiences, nothing could prepare me for China.

Bear in mind that China is closed off from the rest of the world and as such, they don’t get many outside visitors. Don’t get me wrong; Shanghai is a rather international city so they are much more used to foreigners or Laowai as they call us. Hong Kong however, doesn’t count. The truth of the matter is that many Chinese have only ever seen Black people on television and as a result, their conceptions of us are quite skewed. They believe that all colored people are either basketball players or rappers/performers. Needless to say, the mere glimpse of a Black person can send a whole village of people into a frenzy.

From the moment I set foot on the ground at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, I knew I was in for quite a ride. I sensed my impending doom as I looked around realizing that out of the hundreds of people in line in front of me, I could only count 3 or 4 who looked like me. That night, I arrived at my hotel after spending 4 hours at the airport (I arrived during National Holiday so it was PACKED)! I was exhausted and just wanted to buy some noodles from the store downstairs. As I am getting ready to pay, the cashier suddenly leans out the front door and yells something to her friend down the street. Her friend proceeds to rush over to the store, sees me, and immediately walks over and begins to pull and tug at my Senegalese Twists all the while, yelling in my face in Mandarin. Welcome to China!

This is pretty much how things happen everywhere I go. My first week here, I could not handle it emotionally. There are the constant, awkward stares and the pointing. I often felt like a lion behind a cage at the zoo. Then, there was the issue of pictures. As a foreigner, you will inevitably end up in many Chinese family pictures and random photos. Depending on where you are, you will suddenly be rushed by a group of Chinese all attempting to take pictures of you on their phones (without asking mind you) and next thing you know, they are asking their friends to take pictures of them with you. You may even be handed a baby or two. That is not an exaggeration. Chinese people love a foreigner and many consider it good luck to have you hold their baby for a picture. The weird thing about being here in Qinhuangdao is that I am always asked about my hair and immediately told that I am beautiful which is a bit different from my experience in Shanghai where I felt ugly and insignificant.

Aside from the pointing and the staring and the pictures, you get the mobs that follow you around everywhere you go. Sometimes, a photo shoot can last for 20 minutes if someone doesn’t stop them. It happened to my friends and me as we were visiting The Bund in Shanghai. I was with a group from the Ameson Foundation and out of nowhere a guy approached a Black member of our group and asked him if he was “NBA”. He assumed because my friend was tall and Black, that he must be an NBA player. And so the photo shoot commenced and lasted quite a while. They seemed to especially love the Afros. I did notice that the girls with the natural hair actually did seem to generate more interest than me with my "fake" hair but that doesn't seem to matter in Qinhuangdao. Probably because they don't have much to choose from.

This was the original group of Ameson Peeps

This is after the mob got to us! Who are those random people in front? No Clue!

There will also inevitably be the questions: Is her but real? Can I touch your hair? Are her breasts enhanced or are those natural? Now I must say, hearing it all said in Chinese was probably the most intimidating part of all this because it sounds so harsh when they ask! I am currently wearing Senegalese Twists and everywhere I go, the middle-aged women especially will ask to touch my hair. It can be flattering at times but mostly it gets pretty annoying. My first week here I was so frustrated that I spent a lot of time crying and even considered returning to Europe. After the initial shock, it all seems quite silly really. You are basically their door to the outside world and as such, you must be prepared to teach them everything you can even if it is only through a picture.

Either way, I must say that if you are Black and travelling to China, you absolutely must spend some time mentally preparing yourself for the experience because I can guarantee you, it will be unlike anything you have ever experienced!