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Pictures: Crowded street Chengdu, China,

Friendship Square in Dalian and The Altar of

Heaven, one of the trademark historical

landmarks in Beijing (Credits: Wikimedia,

authors: User:Colegota, Paul Louis, Saad Akhtar)

Chinese historians have documented

many stories from the Tang and Song

dynasties of the kunlun a group of

Blacks described in Chinese

historical records and legends who

lived in China at the time....a recent

study by the Hong Kong University

of Science and Technology there are

at least 10,000 Africans, mostly

businesspeople, living in Guangzhou

alone. My personal experience and

talks with others has affirmed that

there are Africans among all of the

major cities and many of the smaller

cities as well. How do people decide

to go to China? What do they do once

they are here? A perspective from

both myself, who lived in Beijing, as

well as Patrick, a native of Togo now

in Shanghai, and Jarred, from the US

who lived in the western city of

Chengdu for three years.

China's

Black Expats

nyone who is not blind, deaf, and dumb (and maybe even them)

knows about the recent meteoric rise of China to become one of

the most powerful economies and nations on Earth. What was a

communist and chronically underdeveloped economy thirty

years ago has now become second only to the United States as a

mover and shaker in global economic growth. This development

has attracted many, this author included, creating what some

have variously described as a gold rush mentality to participate

or gain from China’s current good times.

The history of Blacks in China, like most places on Earth, goes

back centuries, not just decades. Chinese historians have

documented many stories from the Tang and Song dynasties of

the kunlun a group of Blacks described in Chinese historical

records and legends who lived in China at the time. There is

also even a famous Peking Opera called Kunlun Nu (The Black

Slave) which revolves around the mythical and heroic exploits

of a kunlun in Tang dynasty China. They arrived

in China many ways, from adventurers, slaves or indentured

servants, or traders on the Silk Road during the times where China

was the undisputed world power. In more recent times, contact has

primarily been through Blacks from the West who have traveled to

China or Africans whose countries forged close ties with China

during and after their struggle for independence.

Though firm statistics are not always available, a recent study by the

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology says there are at

least 10,000 Africans, mostly businesspeople, living in Guangzhou

alone. My personal experience and talks with others has affirmed

that there are Africans among all of the major cities and many of the

smaller cities as well. How do people decide to go to China? What

do they do once they are here? A perspective from both myself, who

lived in

Black Expat Magazine

Volume 1, Issue 1, Spring 2008 2

by Reginald Smith

3

Beijing, as well as Patrick, a native of Togo now in Shanghai, and Jarred, from the US who lived in the

western city of Chengdu for three years.

One of the most popular ways to enter China for minimal expense is either through seeking education or

teaching English. Patrick, like many other Africans, received a scholarship from the Chinese government to

study in Chinese universities when he was 19. He had always wanted to study abroad and jumped at the

opportunity. Africans are by far the largest group of Black people in China and many arrived via the

scholarship exchange program with China. He obtained his bachelors and masters achieving a strong grasp

of both Mandarin and China in the process. He has continued to capitalize on the opportunities available in

China by starting his own Internet business in Shanghai, Sinovantage, which provides a host of IT sourcing

and web tools for the Chinese market.

I also went to China on scholarship to study for a semester. I had studied Chinese on weekends as a hobby for

a couple of years and later took the HSK, the Chinese equivalent of the Test of English as a Foreign Language

(TOEFL) test, and was awarded a scholarship by the Chinese Ministry of Education to study Chinese

language at Beijing Normal University. Even without a scholarship, tuition is normally very affordable – in

the range of $2,000 US per semester. It is also open to those with even the most minimal of qualifications in

the US, usually only a high school degree is sufficient for the larger schools and many smaller universities

barely ask for qualifications.

Another common method of entering China by Westerners is by teaching English. Jarred after graduating

with a degree in business administration realized he had been bitten by the travel bug. “After backpacking

through SE Asia for about a month I knew I wanted to travel and see more, or had some sort of bug. As far as

living abroad , I just knew and still know I want to live and experience interesting and very different places,

including other parts of the U.S. I’ve never seen.” He signed up to teach English and started his journey to

Chengdu, a large city in western China.

A third and common way is the business expat. Whether the adventurous entrepreneur or the corporate

executive, living in China as an expat can be exciting and rewarding, especially if salary and benefits are

generous. Some of the most exciting fields in China deal with supply chain or operations management (which

is in high demand) and careers in consulting or finance. However, almost every industry is making inroads in

China and there are a multitude of opportunities available.

Some of the more exciting opportunities are now

outside the main cities of Beijing, Shanghai, or

Guangzhou in rising (though admittedly less

cosmopolitan) cities such as Chengdu, Xi’An, and

Tianjin. There are many other types of expats

including travelers, diplomats, and more. About the

expat population, Patrick says, “In Shanghai you

have a bit of everything. As far as Blacks are

concerned I think students make the bulk of it. But

when you go to other parts of the country it

changes: teachers in smaller cities, working and

business people in southern cities such as

Shenzhen or Guangzhou.”

China, as a developing country, also has many

cultural challenges, including those unique to

people of color. Jarred talks about how living in

“I think for anyone

who makes a conscious

decision to live in

another country, it is

absolutely imperative

that one at least

attempts to learn the

local language. ”

Black Expat Magazine

Volume 1, Issue 1, Spring 2008 3

Chengdu taught him a deeper sense of humility and also opened his eyes to the way some people have to live.

“Witnessing poverty on a level unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and then returning to America for visits and

now for work and witnessing the decadence and excess in which people live their lives,” is hard Jarred says.

Also, many Chinese people often have skewed impressions of foreigners: “most people base their

impressions of America through movies and TV, as we do with others.”

As is sadly often the case, there is an ignorant, sometimes unintentionally so, view of Blacks. “In Chengdu as

with many other Chinese cities, white, blond hair, blued eyed males are seen as the standard for Americans

and the standards for most foreigners. Advertisements are occasionally posted in Schools and around

Universities seeking a “White male” for various positions (tutors, teachers, models of all things). “I

personally don’t feel signs are posted with malicious intent as we may read into it here in the states, however

China in my opinion, as with a lot of Asia, has a perception with the darker skin. I am very light, and most

Chinese people didn’t really know what I was culturally, which was good, because I could be something

different everyday and get a different reaction from people. I think the more brothers and sisters can get

abroad and stand in front of someone who’s never seen another individual so different from them, the

quicker the wall of prejudices and discrimination will come down.” Patrick concurs, “Yes a lot in China,

racism in China I think is systematic and the problem is the Chinese themselves don’t know that they are

racists.”

These experiences, however, hardly permeate a trip to China and should not be an obstacle to traveling

there, making friends, and learning about the country and its culture. As with any foreign country, there are

many things to keep in mind. For example, it is imperative to study up on the country before you go and

have a clear idea of what you want to do. Learning the language, often the bête noire of many foreign

travelers, is also extremely important. Patrick, Jarred, and my own experiences in China were immensely

enriched by being able to speak Mandarin and read Chinese. This keeps you connected and also helps you to

understand more about the society you are in. There seems to be a great temptation by some expats to nestle

themselves in their respective expat enclave and live a life almost indistinguishable from their home country.

“(Mandarin) is very important in China,” says Patrick. Jarred adds, “I think for anyone who makes a

conscious decision to live in another country, it is absolutely imperative that one at least attempts to learn

the local language. There is such a difference in talking to someone in their own dialect, reading their books

written for their people in their own language…I have proficiency in Mandarin Chinese and understand

Sichuan dialect.” In my opinion, if you only what to experience the familiar, your experience living abroad

will be seriously limited.

Finally, though it is good to adopt the new home, you can’t leave all of your traditions behind. Patrick and

Jarred both miss the food and customs of their homes in Togo and the USA respectively. “I probably missed

Thanksgiving as a holiday the most, and custom wise I miss paying for a meal and it not turning into a duel

as to who will pay the bill. In China, face is very important and it’s customary to put up a huge display when

two parties are deciding who will take care of the bill. There is no splitting the check, as one person usually

and quite unfairly shoulders the entire bill for the table. I find it fairly ironic, because most Chinese friends I

have hate this custom but because of face are afraid to buck the trend and offer another alternative, so it

usually ends up being a pretentious show of two individuals, neither of who really want to pay!”

I could write pages about living in China, indeed books have been written on the subject, but I encourage any

who can at least visit to do so. Whether it is for the culture and history, the upcoming Beijing Olympics, or

just making cash, understanding China will be crucial to understanding the world that is currently evolving

and the opportunities and perils it will present.

Black Expat Magazine

Volume 1, Issue 1, Spring 2008

4

Living & Spending (Shanghai)

Average Rent: RMB2,500-4,000 at least for decent accommodation, cheaper if shared

Meals: RMB10-30

Transportation: RMB2 for bus, taxi starting at RMB11 (first 3 km, and then RMB2.4/km)

Expensive compared to US? Moderately cheaper to as expensive or more expensive

depending on the area

Monthly Budget: RMB4000~8000/month

Modern amenities? Quite modern

Legal hurdles for foreigners: Visa restrictions have become stricter for African passport-

holders in the past few years. It’s easy to get into China but then hard to stay on a long term

basis. If you are sponsored by an employer or are an investor though it would be easier.

Top 3 things to bring: I can only think of two: food and cosmetics

Top 3 things to do: Try to go out of Shanghai to discover the real China. Because Shanghai

isn’t

Top 3 places to hang out: Expat bars, country mate homes and dormitories (for students),

Living & Spending (Chengdu)

Average Rent: RMB700-1100 for a One Bedroom

Meals: 3RMB for fried Rice or go wild w/ 30RMB per person for buffet style Hot Pot (pieces of

raw meat and vegetables come on a stick and are placed into a boiling pot shared by the entire

table. Food is cooked in the pot and then selected by the individual and eaten). Sounds

complicated, it’s not, but yes it does take a while to get full as the pieces of meat, veggies are

small.

Transportation: 1 RMB City bus w/ out Air condition. 2RMB w/ Air Condition. 7 RMB initial

taxi fare- 2 RMB per 1/4 km

Expensive compared to US? Inexpensive

Monthly Budget: RMB2000-3000

Modern amenities? Basic amenities vary depending on where you go and what type of

establishment you patronize. In Chendgdu as with most of China they stretch from the extremes

of luxuries to the holdovers from the 80s

Legal hurdles for foreigners: Obtaining proper visas, but nothing major. As with a lot of things

in China, even visas can be shoddy or fake and you’d still be cool.

Top 3 things to bring: 1. Own clippers, as I always had to shape myself up with a line after

going to a barber shop (They just can’t line you up like you want). 2.Decent

shoes/sneakers/kicks, as China has everything we have here, but trying to find a pair of shoes

in an average American male’s size can prove to be challenging. 3. Open mind.- this is most

important. Leave all else behind.

Top 3 things to do: Learn how to play Ma-jiang (like Dominos a little), enjoy the Hot Pot, visit

the Tian fu Square (very Big, empty, concrete and communist looking) and walk five minutes to

the Chendgu’s center city outdoor shopping mall as bright and commercial as NY’s Times

Square. The walk from the square to the shopping mall will give you a window and a small

glimpse into complexities and rapid changes of China.

Top 3 places to hang out: Tea House on the River ( can witness true Chengdu culture with

relaxed games of Ma jiang, Intense games of Cards, loud Chatting, family outings, ear waxing

by a “ professional” for 5 RMB(it does feel good , but I’m not 100% for certain it’s sanitary ) ,

and quick shoulder massages for 10 RMB. Basketball Courts on Sichuan University Campus,

and cheap 1 US cent/per stick Hot Pot Restaurants (although the latter again may not have

been very sanitary and the second day ain’t no joke in the bathroom).

Black Expat Magazine

Volume 1, Issue 1, Spring 2008

5

Simba International hair dressing salon (SIH), the only official afro style hair dressing salon in China

with professionals from Africa, serves children, ladies and gentlemen from all nationalities with different

kinds of hair. We offer a range of quality services as follow for women and men:

Hair cut

Braiding

Cornrows

Dreadlocks

Styling

Relaxing

Coloring

Hair treatment

Sales of afro hair and body care products of leading brands

We are located in CBD Jianwai Soho, just Opposite of China World Trade Center(Guomao)

Address:

East 3rd ring road , Chaoyang Qu ,

Beijing

601, 2# Building,Jianwai SOHO

Tel: 010-58696459, Mob: 13552930114

Email: simbasalon@yahoo.com

Please visit our website:

www.simbasalon.com

Black Expat Magazine

Volume 1, Issue 1, Spring 2008

6