Click Here to Subsribe to the 'Ask Jean about China' Feed Dear Jean,
I am an African American man who is very interested in teaching in China later this year. I have recently completed a bachelor’s degree at the University of Indiana and I am planning on enrolling myself in a TESOL course this winter.
While I was initially excited about the prospect of teaching in China, I am now not so sure. A classmate of mine (also black) has recently come back from a 5 month stint in China as a student. He tells me that in his experience, Chinese people look down on black people. He thinks that the school did not treat him as well as other foreigners who looked more ‘white.’
I am curious to hear your opinion on this issue. Is China a good place for a black person to teach English? Will I be able to find a job?
Thank you in advance,
Daniel
Jean answers Daniel’s question
Dear Daniel,
Thank you for a very interesting and important question. I am very sorry that your friend came back from China with the impression that he was not treated as well as other foreigners. In my experience, Chinese people are always friendly to foreigners, no matter where they come from.
With that said, there is no question that Chinese people have a ‘fascination’ with the West. For too many here, the West is represented exclusively by Caucasian people although hopefully that perception is changing now that Obama has won the U.S. presidency. Often, schools and training centers in China prefer to hire white people because they think that this will make parents feel like their children are learning ‘proper’ English.
You may face some extra challenges in China, but I think that you should come all the same. As a native speaker of English, you will have an advantage over other black people who speak English as a second language. Having a degree will definitely help you as well. If you fulfill your obligations to the school, I don’t think that you will have any problems in China. I do think that China is a good place for you to come and teach.
I wish I could answer this question more fully but let me recommend a few articles on our website which may be of help to you. I don’t necessarily agree with everything that is written in these articles but they are quite informative.
What Does China Think of Barack Obama?
Is China Ready for Barack Obama?
Can Non-Native Speakers of English Teach in China?
Should Foreign Teachers in China Appear in School Advertisements?
Hope that helps you! Let us know how it goes.
Sincerely,
Jean
Ask Jean about China is a weekly feature on TeachAbroadChina.com. We welcome any questions related to living and working in China. Feel free to submit your questions by clicking here. We look forward to hearing from you.
Posted in 
Tags: 
danny says:
February 11, 2009 at 1:26 am
mate not being racist or anything but, what would the offspring looked like you shagged a chinese woman? just curious
Danny, go to youtube and do a search, you will see many asian/black couples, and also ofspring. You can probably also do a google search if you are really curious. In general I have met people who were mixed with Asian and Black, they are beautiful, come in all shapes and sizes, and have features from very fair skinned to dark and lovely. Good luck!
[Reply]
Hello,
I am an African American female who plans on moving to China this summer. I have to say that I have had no difficulties finding a teaching position in China. In fact I have had to turn down several positions.
Does China have racism I am sure it does, however, when I was there last, in Xian, I felt more accepted and respected there than I did back home. The Chinese respect teachers and the education you have earned to become one. As far as how your children will be accepted I went on a trip with my son and several students some Caucasian and some African Americans and all were treated extremely well by their peers. In fact the boys were treated like rock stars! My son was extremely popular with his peers and adults. Strangers kept calling him Obama. One Chinese official told him he wanted to shake his hand so he can say that he shook the hand of the next President. I really believe it just depends on were you go in China just like home.
For those who are interested in a teaching position I would recommend horizoneslchina.com check their website out. The gentleman who owns the company lives in China and is an ESL teacher so he knows what he is talking about.
Do not let your let your fear of maybe stop you from living out your dearms.
[Reply]
I am wondering if anyone can give me guidance on good places to apply for a job teaching English in China. I am African American, and would like to avoid some of the unpleasant experiences others have had. Any information anyone can give me would be most appreciated. I am older, and not a size two, but I have never let this stop me in terms of going abroad, or spending time in a different culture. I am fascinated by
China, and wish to live in a region that does not get overly cold in the winter. Thank you.
[Reply]
I am a white American male that has spent about a year in a large Chinese city. What I’ve noticed when with friends at the clubs, bars, or stores when hanging out with some black friends were that they were about half the time treated fine and the other half treated fairly bad.
I’ve also noticed that Chinese will sometimes be very curious about blacks but behind their backs talk about how ugly their skin is. They will between themselves compare the tone of their skin. If they even get the slightest tan they will complain about how much they hate their “black” skin. They hate having tan skin and can be very disgusted by African’s skin. I feel very sorry for the Africans in China.
[Reply]
To: r.b
Reason Korean older ones that is do not like blacks, because during the Korean war along with whites and any other color from the U.S. cats where promising Korean women families and the women themselves that they would take them to the States. This was told to me by a ex-girlfriend who was Korean, in High school..Heads gone do what they gotta do to hit summ’m. But if you Trill you already know a Ni**a gone get blamed for another MothaF**kas F**k UPs thats what it is.Here is another true fact if you wonna be white or have anything to do with white such as different etnicities tring to get with a, or be like a, who do they always blame? Us my Ni**a it from years of FEAR misdirected we don’t tear up the earth we don’t lie to countries we don’t pollute the air kill tree do anything for a profit White people do this. I ain’t hate’n only spit’in the real…My wife is Chinese from China potnae DALIAN, I am ST8 off tha streetz of H-Town what does that tell you? This,,, GET MONEY, LIVE YOUR LIFE, DO YOU, catz gone hate cause that what they do -hate to see ah black man doing thangs they only dream of yea feel me? Move around mane to many beautiful people to meet worring bout a few stuck on pause.
PEACE………SMOKE SUM’N
TRIPLE6
*if you don’t know me
read past post* I am who I say I am…..believe that!!!!!!!!!
[Reply]
“However, I have to agree that Chinese perception of Africa is very negative. Attitudes around me change very quickly when I tell them I am from America and not African.”
Hi Herroooo,
Your observation is perhaps correct. It proved out that economy or civilization discrimination is much worse than race discrimination. Because both of native african and american african are black. But once they knew you from US, they thought you were from civilized country and respect to you. It’s much more popular in human being.
[Reply]
Garylong Reply:
December 7th, 2009 at 1:54 am
I would like to see who stacks up in intelligence when it comes to English teacher or an Engineer!!! Albert Einstein was a school drop out but no one told him he was bad at English, I bet if I split the atom people would respect me the same, and for that matter the other people on this blog. if you want to be pedantic about people that don’t speak English prefect like you then why come here, why don’t you find a prefect English web page, I have never seen even the best people have 100% English 100% of the time, if you think you have then your are just like the racial scum that say bad things about color people, your just saying the same to people that are not perfect.
please forgive and forget there are some guys in china who just to correct people’s english,if they r perfect english speakers they shouldnt be here in china competing with chinglishers
[Reply]
An Reply:
December 12th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
This is word from Racist’s mouth Espero! Think before you talk.
[Reply]
espero Reply:
December 24th, 2009 at 11:06 am
sorry i dont hate people ,i love my enemies,i m not a racist bro……
[Reply]
Oh dear! I hope those people who don’t speak English properly even though as NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS, are not going to teach Chinese people English. Please be responsible to others. Many Thanks!!!
[Reply]
Garylong Reply:
December 7th, 2009 at 1:54 am
I would like to see who stacks up in intelligence when it comes to English teacher or an Engineer!!! Albert Einstein was a school drop out but no one told him he was bad at English, I bet if I split the atom people would respect me the same, and for that matter the other people on this blog. if you want to be pedantic about people that don’t speak English prefect like you then why come here, why don’t you find a prefect English web page, I have never seen even the best people have 100% English 100% of the time, if you think you have then your are just like the racial scum that say bad things about color people, your just saying the same to people that are not perfect.
[Reply]
Well I’m black and I found work here. But what I wanna know is, where’s all da white women at? I be all up in da club here in China jus hang’n wit my boys, but I ain’t never come across no big booty white girls yet.
[Reply]
Well, I have been in China for 3 months as an African American single female. I am relatively dark and have dreads, so my appearance may be decieved as an native African. I teach at a uni here and my experiences have been mainly positive. People do stare at me all the time,(even more than my white counterparts)but usually they are telling me they think I am exotic and beautiful. A few times there have been bad experiences with people being racist. However, I have to agree that Chinese perception of Africa is very negative. Attitudes around me change very quickly when I tell them I am from America and not African. And I do have a few African friends in town who tell me different stories regarding their experiences. But, the ex-pat community in china is mainly male, so being a female, and especially a black female is viewed differently. Racism is usually always divided by gender lines also, so that is another point to recongnize.
[Reply]
Pghgirl Reply:
November 30th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Herroooo,
I appreciate your reply. I am an African American female with locs as well. I have taught in Indonesia and would like to come to China with my daughter (shes an infant) and husband. It sounds like China is similar to Indonesia in the way that Black people are treated. I am not so much concerned with myself, but the treatment of my daughter once she is school-aged.
We currently live in Washington, DC…so racism here is minimal in regards to how children are treated in school. I would hate to bring her to place where she is going to be treated worse than she would be treated here. I am originally from the suburbs in PA and I have experienced extreme racism…I just don’t want my daughter to have to deal with it on that level.
At the same time, I would like for her to get an international education and would like for her to be bilingual in Mandarin and English of course.
My husband and I are looking to move early in 2010, and we would prefer Shanghai…from what I understand Shanghai fairly diverse.
Please let me know what you think.
Thanks!
[Reply]
I have been in china 5 years now work in one university for more than 4 years and I like the job, but i have being trying to find other university to work in and as i am from Australia it is very easy to get a job from any university as i am white, well this is what i was to believe, when i went to a city in the north of china Shenyang and try Liaoning university and i was told they do not like Australian men to teach in there university as some younger Australian boys under 28 was working there and having sex with the girl students they told me if i was to work in they university, i need to live on campus and they would inspect my home every day to see if no one was staying with me and if i was renting a home out of the university, i would lose my Job and they told me they would deport me out of china, so i believe the Racial discrimination in china dont just stop with black people its with all that come in to china, to the fact that some bad people have made it bad for us all black or white. i see the day when all people will be equal
[Reply]
Joe Reply:
November 17th, 2009 at 12:47 am
Are you really a white Australian? Your grammar mistakes are on par with that of a Chinese university student. I call shenanigans on you!
[Reply]
Garylong Reply:
November 25th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
Yes I am from Australia, do you want to say that to me face to face, I bet not!!! and if you have every lived in china you would know ‘When In Rome Do As The Romans Do’ so if Chinese people come to this web page they would know, what I have said as most don’t know true grammar, like you think you do, I did not know this web blog was about a English class from people like you, that has no respect for any one but it’s self, may be Chinese people have the right to have some misgivings for some of the people that come in to china if they are like you, if you take the time and read some of the other notes you would know some on here have very poor spell eg: espero, it had taking this one more then 2 goes to get the words right but you never said any thing about him David Moore, did not do a very good job with his English today so you best send a message to him to or may be you just hate Australian as WE are better than you!!!!
[Reply]
JOE Reply:
November 26th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Yes, their English level is much worse than yours, but it’s obvious to me that they were not educated in an English speaking country.
Garylong Reply:
December 7th, 2009 at 1:47 am
My major was not English in university. My trip to china was for business. my Degree’s are in Electronics and Radio Telecommunications Engineering and Computer Engineering, Quantum Theory, I was told I could stay longer in china if I work as a English teacher so I did, my job is not to teach English to students but to motivate the students to speak in class, in the time I have been here I have worked in the same university and have tried to move but they ask me back every year and offer me more for my time, if I was so bad like you think I am then I would be working here!!!!!!
I would like to see who stacks up in intelligence when it comes to English teacher or an Engineer!!! Albert Einstein was a school drop out but no one told him he was bad at English, I bet if I split the atom people would respect me the same, and for that matter the other people on this blog.
Here is the article about Joe:
http://dingdongming.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!C6385A0636D8B8F8!183.entry
[Reply]
Espero,
Discrimination is not the culture of Chinese. It’s the ugly human nature existing in every body.
That’s the original sin. It’s the universal issue.
There is problem in China that has discrimation but it’s not government educating them to be like that. It’s because of lack of education. Please understand China is still a developing country. There are lots of problems here which need to be improved.
Last month I talked with Joe about this issue. He is from Nigeria. For 3years he stayed in Guangzhou and half year in Shanghai now. He didn’t feel any discrimation or uncomfortable. I think different people has different view. But one who is optimism will be successful in any where.
Robert,
For this : “But why do his customers (Chinese people) think that a black person can’t properly teach English? Therein lies the problem…”
The answer is most in the education proportion. Comparing the whole education level between China and western country, you will get the answer.
To conclude that it’s the government fault is rootless.
BTW, I have read those articles already before I wrote the comments here.
[Reply]
mate not being racist or anything but, what would the offspring looked like you shagged a chinese woman? just curious
[Reply]
“there will be a day that the sun will rise and shine on africans and the world will turn to us,,….lets wait for that day…hahahahahahaa”
Will this day occur before or after humans achieve interstellar travel?
[Reply]
James….
Attacking Chinese culture isn’t the answer. The government isn’t trying to make negative images of Africa. If you go anywhere outside of China you will see many newspapers and TV stations talking about AIDS, disease, famine, genocide, rape, and murder still occuring in Africa more than any other place. Is it racist to talk about the news? No!
it is not races to tell the truth or to speak bad about someone, but for what reasons…,
tell the truth and only the truth but not for any inhumane or demeaning purpose. i rather be poor than receiving aids and mean-ness. (humanitarian aid) which means donors and well wishers think africans are humans and deserve help,the world can not be at ease if africa keeps on lagging behind, u can see what is happening in the off shores of somalia, africans being poor and fighting works for the benefit of others,for me , i do blame africans for their lack of will and sensitivity to these issues…..
there will be a day that the sun will rise and shine on africans and the world will turn to us,,….lets wait for that day…hahahahahahaa
[Reply]
I know Filipinos have better English than many Africans, but even children in grade school in the US or Canada understand English better than she did.
please ,natives of any language in the world do make mistakes,u shouldnt compare this girl to be a standard for filipinas nor comparing filipinos to africans, that’s just her level,i know my english level is not the best in my country but just ok, so u cant take my level to be the standard for my country,and u cant take ur level to be that of your country,can you?
however, job offers should be on merits not on race ,colour …..
[Reply]
i m in china, jason i read these book 7 years ago , i cant find any at the moment,i m not arguing with any one here,what i m trying to point out here is,you shouldnt look down on black africans because they are poor, poverty is not a crime but a weakness,the problem is ignorance as i said,i have no grudge against the government, but there is no smoke with out a fire,if many chinese are ignorant, someone needs to be blamed, Jason you might have traveled in the big cities,and know alot about your country , what i want u to know is that , chinese do tell me things that they will never tell u as a chinese, i criticize everything which is not reasonable, and if u do criticize me i will appreciate it. yes business is business,
what i know is discrimination is part of the chinese culture , i do not blame the govt for this, chinese normally look down on others,but this is immoral,you dont know how i feel about this ,i m not here to defend a race or what, i am here to moralize people, no matter what race or culture, the truth is africa is behind in development and doesnt mean africans are not fit mentally or physically,
Jason i simply want u to accept or realize there is a problem.and do not argue with me because i m not here to impress u or myself. we are here to learn and to know about china,i do not wish unhappy things to anyone in the world, for i feel for everyone.ones i was back in my country , and i asked my chinese friends there about my country all what they said was negative,but it was just the truth , so i told them, everyone in this country feels the same like u guys, u are better because u have been given preferential treatments as chinese,we all feel for your plight,because the govt is doing nothing to help u guys. i did not try to defend my govt. i told them the truth and he felt relieved, so dont thing i hate people , i love people but hate the devil in them…..i think this topic should be closed now …..
[Reply]
I think we all agree that the person who knows English best and is a good teacher deserves the job no matter what race. The government could probably make a law against discrimination for public and private schools. They have the same laws in the US and Canada.
Attacking Chinese culture isn’t the answer. The government isn’t trying to make negative images of Africa. If you go anywhere outside of China you will see many newspapers and TV stations talking about AIDS, disease, famine, genocide, rape, and murder still occuring in Africa more than any other place. Is it racist to talk about the news? No!
Personally, I think some negative images could be removed such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolee adopting so many black children. They should just give money to African families instead of adopting 9 children. In the US there are many commercials asking people to send money to Africa and there are educational magazines showing tribes in Africa who do not wear clothes. Even children can read these magazines in libraries.
If anything, the Chinese government is doing more to help Africa than any other country because they are building infrastructure while the West donates billions of dollars to fight AIDS. If you only showed good things about Africa then nobody will send money to help.
[Reply]
Tom said,
Espero, go to China and experience it first hand if you really care…
I don’t get it…I think Espero has made it clear that he IS in China. Are you?
[Reply]
This thread should be closed, seriously. You all go get something done instead of wasting time here…… Espero, go to China and experience it first hand if you really care…
[Reply]
To Jason on his last comment:
I agree with you 100%. It is all about profit. I have made that point many times here in various articles that I have written on TeachAbroadChina.com.
But the fact that these school owners know they can make a bigger profit with Caucasians reflects badly on the Chinese population. Like you, I don’t necessarily place the blame with the ‘master.’ He wants to please his customers…
But why do his customers (Chinese people) think that a black person can’t properly teach English? Therein lies the problem…
In case you missed these from last year:
Should Foreign Teachers in China Appear in School Advertisements?
Can Non-Native Speakers Teach English in China?
Non-Native Speakers in China Revisited
I realize that you are not a ‘non-native speaker’ Espero, but much of what I write applies to this disucssion.
[Reply]
“hu says:
Dear espekar,
esperance says:
yes
hu says:
l have talked with the master, he now want at least a white teacher, could you introduce one for me, l will give you extra fee for this
esperance says:
ok if i can”
Espero,
Remember this master is a business man. At his point of view, a white teacher may be easier to attract more students and make him more profits. If a black teacher can bring him more profit, I can be sure he will recruit the black one. That’s “profit” instead of “racism”..
It’s the turn of black people to prove that his thought is wrong instead of just upset.
[Reply]
“you know chinese dont say something bad infront of u ,but they do it behind your back,this is human natu”
Espero,
I think Western people is more skillfull on this. You have no way to tell if he/she has discrimination even indeed it is.
Even a white is a racist, he may not say bad to you because he knows you may sue him. B
In Canada, you may not find any race discrimination due to law. But how could you tell indeed?
There is creative method to avoid such kind of “sensitive” issue. Such as Lack of “canadian experience” is good excuse whatever the descrimination is behind or not. That’s just 1 example.
Actually Chinese recruiter may use same technic to avoid such kind of problem.
Please don’t be so sensitive to someone expressing some wrong idea on the website. Afterall it’s just very few portion of Chinese population.
[Reply]
“Jason, while i give u alot of respect,what i will say is, u dont know anything about your country, and i dont know why u always try to refute these facts.i have been everywhere in china not just travelling but learning about the people,and there are many things to learn here, shangahi is not china as whole, it is just a dot,”
Espero,
I have been living in China more than 40 years, and how many years you are living here?
I lived in Guangdong for more than 1 year and traveled in China, US a lot. I lived in Canada more than 1 year.
And I have been exprienced all of the era in China, culture revolution, after culture revolution, Chinese reform.
I’m sure that I understand our government better than you. I understand the people here also better than you.
I don’t want to deny anything. I wanna tell you the truth. The government here didn’t , dont’ and will not instill any wrong information to the people here. If you don’t want to believe it, let it be.
I don’t wanna deny there are some people who are ignorant and who has discrimination against black, but this is normal in all sociaty. It’s ugly human nature. But most of Chinese people doesn’t show any racial discrimation.
Correct last comment:
I can 100% bet with you that you can Not find any book like that. I have read enough book and TV about Africa, I haven’t heard anything that is not based on the truth.
[Reply]
“my student’s mum told her son that africans dont have food to eat ,not educated, ,no homes….bla bla…. what she claimed she learnt from books and parents.who publish books in china?is it not the govt?”
Espero,
The mum of your students is not CHINESE GOVERNMENT, would you please let me see which book she read from Chinese government which gave her wrong information.
I can 100% bet with you that you can find any book like that. I have read enough book and TV about Africa, I haven’t heard anything that is not based on the truth.
The above statement proved again that you are trying to use ignorant individual’s statement to deduce that Chinese government is doing wrong propaganda. And do you think what’s purpose that Chinese government should do that?
[Reply]
I met a Filipino lady who applied to teach in Guangzhou, she was actually hired even though a Canadian man applied before her. I am from the US and I can tell you her speech was fluent, but every once in a while her grammar was incorrect. I know Filipinos have better English than many Africans, but even children in grade school in the US or Canada understand English better than she did.
I am happy she got the job anyways, she is a sweet lady. At least she can teach basic English. I just feel sorry for the graduate student who goes to a foreign country one day and writes an email or calls a company asking for a job. The employer will immediately see these basic mistakes and assume they are talking to an uneducated person.
[Reply]
to skeptics like Jason,read this http://www.thebeijinger.com/forum/2009/02/01/Admin-why-not-expose-Chinese-racism
this is a chat yesterday night with an esl agent,asking me to introduce friends or if i need a job, so i introduced a black guy and this was his reply this morning
hu says:
Dear espekar,
esperance says:
yes
hu says:
l have talked with the master, he now want at least a white teacher, could you introduce one for me, l will give you extra fee for this
esperance says:
ok if i can
TO triple6
thanks for your courage ,i know and understand u,i m proud of who i am,it is my habit to always to root out evil from the society especially simple things we do wrong without knowing the consequences in the long run,when people are pushed to the walls and they have no other means they will obviously become criminals , terrorist and so on, we are the cause of these problems.
i have been to Dalian, it is a nice place, i stayed there last summer, nobody cared or tried to annoy me, i lived in dalian like a fish out of water,i love the city, i see why u are having a nice time there.the people are more cultured and will not openly be rude to u ,i have a good impression about the people there……
[Reply]
To:Espero,
I feel you.. I feel you…First off let us thank the Lil lady that helped you were ever she may be. Now, I understand where you guys are coming from no doubt. I am not blind to the fact that this is real and happens I just don’t see it. I take it as, it is what it is as long as a person don’t trip I want trip you know what I’m sayin’? Living here and traveling as much as I do back and forth to China I first started reading faces and subtle movements something you learn early and quick coming from where I’m from. Here is what I am tryin’ to say America witch I love and willing to die for treats me and my kind like shit don’t matter where you come from once you run into the law if you didn’t know you were black they are the first to show you YOU ARE……… feel me? Now here I am In China unless I go outside my lane (causing trouble) I will neva see a cop in my face, now to what you are saying is what they think about you me as a black man I don’t care what they think those are there thoughts they can’t stop me, if I were to let people and what they thought of me stop me I would be dead by now or worse locked up. My thoughts made me get up get out and go get sumthin do more I am the living talkin to you example of nobody gave me shit I took it cause I wanted it saved me alittle dope money got me a associates degree and a passport ah job and ain’t looked back from gutter to glitz, I was a young monster then, half the catz talken on here were given the opportunity or shown how to get this gift to teach had the opportunity to get a higher education and you wonna cry cause sumbody don’t like your skin color ……..please!!………..Brush your shoulders off and keep steppin’ that’s the beauty of being black and why so many people wonna be US the strength is not taught it’s in your DNA in us hommy, ain’t another race of people like US thus they fear and speak ill you get it yet? You keep it movin’ my man Espero you said potnea didn’t wonna help you, so what happened you kept it movin’ and Lil Mama helped you even when her male potnea gave up. I have notice females will help you quicker than the males,and another thing for you higher learning catz for the older generations in Asia they have seen, heard and even been witness to the fact that during the wars in Asia, blacks (BLACK AMERICANS ) who fought in these conflicts chilled with Asian women promised a life in America and even made children then when the war was over left the daughters don’t believe me check your history, another thing The Black man was suppose to be unable to think for himself or be taught anything the world is now understanding that the blackman can teach himself process the information transform the information quicker and apply it to his needs and advance it…thus, if you don’t know your past how can you understand your future………..So I’ll leave y’all with this, If they don’t like you because of your skin color who cares It ain’t a popularity contest…..move around think of me hommy tighten your boot strings and make it happen cut yourself a new path and neva look back…and SMILE I’ll tell you potnea ain’t nothing better than tell your kids stories of how you did it yourself when all the odds ARE against you……….well not you…………..ME!……………..PEACE
NOW, I SHOW YOU BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS WHEN BEFORE I WOULD SHOW YOU THE BARREL AND BLOW HALF YOUR FACE OFF THEN GO HOME AND KISS MY BABIES GOOD NIGHT……………feel that?………………….HOLLA
[Reply]
TO Triple6
we are not saying there is no love in china, the love given to foreigners in china is unmeasureable and cannot be paid back by us.but here, we are talking about some thing negative which is rather ironical and unbelievable by others like u.i for example, i had received the best treatment in china better than my white colleagues,but i wont be blind or dumb because chinese are kind and nice to me,i m not selffish, i m happy if everyone around feel the same, i like equality, be you my brother or friend ,chinese or africans…i have keys to family homes in china , they take me as a family member, i thought with money ,i can do everything i want, but that’s not true. once i was in trouble,nobody could helped me in a strange town,i tried to pay guys to carry my luggages,but they refused, but a girl i dont know just came to me and ask in chinese if i need help,i said yes, surprisingly she called her friend to come and help carry them, i was relocating to another school,and i boarded the wrong coach and i was abandoned to my self because there was no space on the train to stand not to talk of placing my luggage, this girl did what no man or even myself could have done,to cut a long story short, she took me to my coach,(FROM coach 1 to 15)her friend gave up half way,i gave her money she refused , i didnt know how to thank her,but i almost cried ,i always think of this girl ,i dont know anything about her or where she was going to,she was an angel sent to me,this is what we call love,this is just an example, so i do my best give back this love to chinese in different ways, i feel for them too, i hate to hurt a chinese,but i dont understand why educated chinese are the ones spreading stereotypes against blacks .
But not to say some chinese never did wrong things to me,i do not give them the chance to do anything wrong because i can read their minds before they say or do something and i say things directly , some times some people dont like me for the first time because i m strict and always like a teacher.after explanations some of them do appriciated me. this is life everything cannot be gold,so dont say u r different from others,a black man is a black man to a chinese it doesnt matter if u r american or from africa, educated or not educated, the general view is that u r not educated,u r poor,no food or shelter ,u r a criminal and so on….and that’s why we are here to educate guys about this ill which we blamed on ignorance……
[Reply]
TO Jason i will repeat again, i have nothing against chinese
government, i love the government and the work they are doing that doesnt mean they are perfect, i should rather say the govt propaganda and education department is responsible, i love china before coming,but i was shocked when i went to a book store and and saw some books and pictures.even up to now some chinese still tell me we were told by our teachers and we read from books about blacks,,,,my student’s mum told her son that africans dont have food to eat ,not educated, ,no homes….bla bla…. what she claimed she learnt from books and parents.who publish books in china?is it not the govt?if there is a wrong information ,the govt is resposible for negligence,that’s why i blamed the govt,this was 8 years ago ,it was not an official policy but negligence on the part of the authorities.laws are made in beijing and every province in china applies it the way it suits their needs….so, something can happened without the governments knowledge,just like the tainted milk scander.chinese technical enemies in the world are Japan and the USA ,but ties between these countries are growing stronger and stronger every day but void of trust…. why?
Jason, while i give u alot of respect,what i will say is, u dont know anything about your country, and i dont know why u always try to refute these facts.i have been everywhere in china not just travelling but learning about the people,and there are many things to learn here, shangahi is not china as whole, it is just a dot, so it cant speak for china,whta chinese tell me they will never say it infront of or to another chinese.how many chinese people to talk with in a day, may be just your wife ,but i talk with atleast a hundred a day. we are speaking out of vast contacts with the indigenes , why do u refute facts or things that your fellow country men do agree? and you always dont understand the subject of this discussion, we are not saying chinese people hate blacks, we are saying that they have wrong and false knowledge about black people which gives them every reason to do behave the way they do,and not everyone does, but majority think the same about this.Ask your self, have u ever heard an american arguing that there is no prejudice or racism in america? no, but why do u try to cover up what is real, say u dont know and just learn from us about your country, we are just dicussing here , no body hates chinese,they are just ignorant and it is not a crime but a mistake which i blamed on the system in place ,{like lack of information}
Talking about love,it is very clear that africans receive alot of favour from the chinese, this love is reciprocal as u said ,thats politics, i personally i have received alot of love from some chinese that i will never be able to pay back.you know chinese dont say something bad infront of u ,but they do it behind your back,this is human nature, “i do not hate people but i hate the devil in them,get it clear JAson “the refuter”even if u r my what i will tell u your wrong deeds and vice-versal.to give or help someone doesnt mean u love or respect him , we are not politicians,so leave politics out of this and i think if the govenrment knows that something is going on like this, they wont be happy about it because it is contrary to the govt policy,if chinese were not welcoming and kind with the good govt.policies protecting foreigners in china, i think the story of blakcs in china should be a different story not talk of.despite this problem, we still appreciate the chinese for not using force or physical means against what they dislike, it is your right to like or dislike,if my black friends are not behaving well ,it is the chinese people’s right to dislike them i wont say no , or angry because i do know some black guys are puting up a bad image here,but what about the bad white guys ?,they do far more terrible things than black guys but chinese still gives them lots of respect……?????,i will like u to read this quote from another website thebeijinger.com
There’s a lot of racist stuff on this site, but why is it that only
1. Racism towards the Chinese
2. Racism from the Chinese
gets deleted?
that girl yesterday, if she was real, came in with a thread about Chinese girls hating all black people. Rightly, she was bashed for this, but why can’t you let it slide? Why not expose it? There’s more of it, and far worse, on Chinese forums, or is it ok for the Chinese to be racist pigs amongst themselves, but when foreigners are watching, it’s taboo?
Do you have vested interests? Why is it that you don’t want to expose the Chinese as the racists they are?
That thread should have stood. She was bashed for a reason.
so Jason it is ignorance ,we are here to create awareness not hatred or confrontation,continuous refutation will only lead to chaos….thanks.
[Reply]
Look, I am neither a teacher nor a grammar student and I don’t write perfect so read
As I spit it to you. First I am in my early 30’s been to many countries and I am a Black
American str8 from Houston Texas born and sum what raised. I have smarts both kinds
BOOKS AND STREET–feel me. Simple, I have a home in Dalian been here for more than three years I work on this side of the world not China, yeah, in every country I’ve been to sum body don’t like me just cause of my skin color neva stopped me from getting a job, but in China I have received nuttin’ but love old and young alike, matter of fact when I met Si-ye an Si-ye fo for the first time they threw a kids English book in front of me, needless to say I ain’t a teacher but I continue to teach them the proper way to pronounce words and the different meanings and such, as we would use them in The States with aide of grade school books. Now what I do in life is Logistic
Coordinator for my Government I love my job so this ain’t no job application. Try to give y’all a picture I am not a bling bling cat but I am a hip hop head, I live it speak it sleep it, use the N-word with my folk in the States and China and a known gang member (You are not a criminal till U get caught—thus a clean record) now you get the picture before the birth of my first daughter and I don’t regret nothing that’s what makes me the HUMAN, MAN and FATHER I am today. In Dalian there are not many black folks American or African so I get all the looks OH!! I dress hip hop also that’s just me so yes I stand out not on purpose, if you been to China you know they got they own style, but here is my point people speak to me all the time old and young the only stereo type I can’t seem to change is that I got money fallin’ out the sky. My wife gets highly upset if any female tries to speak to me but most of the time they wonna test there English the older folks wonna test my Mandarin skills, I been told several times I could get a job as a teacher easy if I wanted too and several family member could plug me in, all for the simple fact my nieces and nephew Si-ye and Si-ye-Fo speak good understandable English with help from me looking out fo’em , I told my wife look for the family I speak proper English so y’all can understand me but I speak street, her replay; “WHY NO ALL TIME YOU SPEAK GOOD ENGLISH?. So I don’t know where you guys chill at in China talkin’ bout all this racism, don’t get it twisted I’ve been all over China just movein’ around different Cities with wiffey and my younglings we get’s love everywhere, I make it my duty everytime I see the old folks sitting out in the early morning and evenings to speak that’s anywhere don’t matter the city…. feel me? My wife constantly get young and older women asking her questions where did she met a handsome husband, or the one I like; I take you daughters for me ) And the fact remains in the States ..Get this one…..if ANY ONE of YOU were to see me in the States you WILL not would, BUT WILL lock your car door, cross the street clutch your purse Ect….People watch my every move I ether wave or smile they wave and smile back kids do the shy kids thang they do smile and laugh and I keep on my way, sometimes I pull a no no my wife don’t like clowning’ in public she say people think you crazy man my daughters and the little kids around love it ….So what I am telling you educated cats is you’ve brought your on fears and preconceived notion with you and can’t understand that Chinese people just wonna know and or understand more of who you are, yea they see you 98% of it is just that curiosity, but who are you the inside your heart part of you, the honorable, loved and loving respectful family man? FEEL ME…? Most of China has never been out of China as a Blackman some of the places in my travels I know I am a oddity only seen on TV and TV just in the past fifteen to twelve years just started showing black people in a some what favorable light..see what I am sayin? So if you ever in Dalian and you see a Blackman( AMERICAN LOOKING )all dressed and thugged out looking, step up and speak say what up? We might be able to coverse bout sum thangs while we drink up the bar. The most important thing I learn early in my travels,, no Country is more racist and prejudice than America but I love her with all my heart that’s my home……………..PEACE
NOW, I SHOW YOU BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS WHEN BEFORE I WOULD SHOW YOU THE BARREL AND BLOW HALF YOUR FACE OFF THEN GO HOME AND KISS MY BABIES GOOD NIGHT……………feel that?………………….HOLLA
[Reply]
“well i do blame the chinese government policy before, for always using stereotypes about africa,africa is a continent not a country…….. a kind of propaganda …….”
Dear Espero,
I think Chinese government should not be blamed on this issue. From kindergarden to University, I didn’t hear anything negative toward black from our government. Instead, I learned from the school that all of nations are our friends. These policy hasn’t never been changed.
And from school and from TV, we know exactly Africa is the continent. I never saw any TV programme that says anything that discrimate Black. I wonder how you know that Chinese government said it’s country? Please give us an example.
During my campus year, Chinese government still helped African country a lot freely.
Chinese government were supported by lots of african countries and with their help, chinese government won back the seat of United Nation. That’s enough to prove that Chinese government policy is correct and without any discrimination.
I think it’s something yourself too deeply prejudice against Chinese government. Once something uncomfortable with you, you ascribed it to the chinese government immediately.
As I said before, Chinese government has many areas need to be improved, but in this area, The government does well.
[Reply]
yeah, to say racial discrimination is not correct,the main issue is ignorance that needs clarification.
Tom and John ,i understand you guys very well,your ideas do not fall short of my knowledge about chinese.i know the chinese in such away that, some of them feel uncomfortable around me.this is a big disadvantage to my life here,especialy when i couldnt control my self.so lets stop here, anyway we are here to exchange knowledge for better understanding,so nobody should get mad…. it is human nature , the exposed and learned guyz should educate and not indoctrinate stereotypes against others….well i do blame the chinese government policy before, for always using stereotypes about africa,africa is a continent not a country…….. a kind of propaganda …….
[Reply]
Hey Daniel,
Listen, I am an African American, and I have lived in Japan and China. I also
speak both languages. First, I must say that after living in East Asia, I
came to disregard the whole question of race because I have had good experiences
and bad experiences with employers–it’s hard to say whether or not race was
a factor. Remember that unlike most of the world, China and Japan weren’t
colonized so even if someone were to say something stereotypical, you will
find that, in the end, they will be more influenced by your wit and charm, than
some video or magazine they read. In other words, racism (agaisnt blacks) is
not ingrained and hardwired in the East. You will have more influence on how others perceive you
than you would have in Mississippi or West Virginia or at the NYPD perhaps.
Also remember, that if you think racial, the situation will become racial.
It is sort of like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
East Asian culture is, by nature,
a culture that values humility so unlike the Westerners who post on this site, you
won’t find people bragging about their ability, status, situation or race. You will
find the opposite. Many Chinese people usually say “don’t boast–other people
will find good qualities in you.” As a result, when you get hired by a Chinese
employer, it is best to subtly show your ability (teaching etc.) without bragging.
This will give you an advantage over others.
My advice is to study the Chinese culture and language before going. That’s what I did .
Good luck
兄弟祝你成功。 (Wish you success brother)！
加油 (Do your best!)
[Reply]
To espero,
I was just trying to state the facts I saw. Believe me, I am an idealist with an broken heart just like you. If you stay in China long enough, you will find there is very strong discrimination against people from poor regions of China. It is just an ugly aspect of human nature. I think a Chinese has more tendency to discriminate against someone openly than an American. Wind of civil rights movement hasn’t got very far inside China. However, I have to point out that we are using term “racial discrimination” here pretty loosely. After coming to the US and seeing what “racial discrimination” is, I and all the other Chinese I spoke to, all realized that Chinese don’t really have the same racial discrimination as the white people have. A simple example, a Shanghainese (natives of Shanghai) in China will discriminate against a poor peasant from Henan province in China more than an black American English teacher, 10 folds. Will a racially biased New Yorker discriminate against a white redneck farmer more than an educated black? You tell me. So I would use “prejudice” than “racial discrimination” in the case of Chinese discrimination against blacks. I have heard a millions times that Tibetans are “racially discriminated” in China. That drives me mad because I grew up in a ethnically mixed region and many ethnic Han people tried very hard to change their ethnic category to Tibetan to gain the special benefits allowed by the government just for minorities. What racial discrimination are they talking about? Anyway, world is an interesting place to explore. Good luck everyone.
[Reply]
To DANE
Let’s look at your words:
///I once tried finding them a job as an English teacher through a personal channel. Then, the question came in Chinglish – “Are they a black?” Needless to say they weren’t interested in my friends because of their skin color. I was hurt, ashamed, and angry.////
This in itself contains a pretty typical, if mild, form of discrimination used against Chinese people, use of the term “Chinglish” – in fact, why should some English grammatical mistake made by a Chinese person have a ’special’ word for it at all? Also, when you think about it, if all (or even many) Chinese spoke perfect English, how could so many native English speakers, who often, let’s face facts, go to China completely unqualified to teach, not very good at English anyway, and speaking no Chinese whatsoever) make money/a living from China!
There is racial discrimination in China, as there is in the UK and US (though for somehwat different reasons). In the West it is currently largely driven “underground” (though many people complain of polictical correctness (PC), often a code for where they don’t feel free to express it) and (thankfully) those with this characteristic would never be so blunt as to ask a question such as “are they black?”. They would be much more guarded and careful. The problem in the west with racism is that it came from a direct and organised experience of treating black people as slaves. This came all the way down from the top, and was incorporated in all the institutions of state etc in the nations involved. There are still remnants of these beliefs there today (just look at remarks made by the British royal family to get some good examples).
Hence while deploring racism and racial discrimination in all its forms, I think we have to be careful about generalising from some individuals behaviours in China – after all, if it was such a strong and endemic force then your friends would not have done so well as they have there.
Overall, you are right to point out some blatantly bad behaviour you experienced in China, but it needs to be balanced too – of course the bad things will stand out, but are they they a fair reflection of China to portray to those not familiar with the country? I feel you run the unintended risk of reinforcing some stereotypes about Chinese people – after all, these are pretty strong already in the west, and need no such encouragement.
[Reply]
To Tom, you do somehow make in sense in your posting but saying this
“The reason there is discrimination against blacks in China is because blacks are naturally considered as africans and that equals to poverty. I guess that is how racial discrimation started from the beginning everywhere…. a civilization lagging behind another in a dramatic way and thus it’s people being ,,,,,,,
this is a gross exaggeration and deserve an apology from you, can you define civilization?what do you mean by poverty?are poor people found only in Africa,do you know about poverty in china and other countries,do know how many million people are poor in china?,do i have to look down on these people, do u know how many chinese kids i do help here, i do not look down on them because they are poor, if u do think your civilization is superior why china is still a developing country for more than 5000years, according to you, people should do everything to make themselves rich in other not to be looked down on,even if it means fighting , killing ,cheating…and thats just what the big countries do,squeezing wealth out of the weaker ones to make themselves rich and strong.At a certain time in the world the rich countries were just like africa, it is a stage of development and it goes round,please i hope you send some dollars to help solve the problems of poor ones back here who can not eat nor go to school….i will appreciate this please take this serious, it is not an insult but a plea,some of us think that all is well here and only africans are poor……if u want to argue reply to my post then i will show u pics of what u can not find anywhere in africa which is peaceful, but only here in rich wealthy and mighty china…..so poverty exist everywhere and it is not a crime to be poor but a pity …
[Reply]
sorry Mary Adams my post is not to you but to NObody, i do aoplogize
[Reply]
to mary Adams;
AS good as you might sound, i think you are a good teacher that never or will never make a mistake in english. you should first all check your anus before looking at others,go back and edit your poor grammar….., this is how some of you try to make chinese to believe in your colour as a sign of good english, what is your english level as compared to your so call native country?can you make the same statement with your equals? You got it all wrong ,the job issue is just an example,as u rightly said, native speakers are prefered, no body argues this, but is a Russian, a polish, native speaker, what about black americans? do u consider them as native speakers?Are other non native white countries better than black africans?you remind me of my colleague who once said to his students ,that black people can not speak english.some of you take advantage over chinese ignorance to create chaos.Dont u know in europe and other countries black africans teach in many schools using the english language?what more of china, chinese simply need to know and they will stop thinking the way u guys or others try to make them to think .Tom u r right, the issue is all about ignorance and custom,chinese do not look down only on black african but on other chinese, especially those with dark or tan body.why do u try to refute something which is real and many chinese do acknowledge it………if you need me give concrete examples u can contact me in person….for a free lesson on china
[Reply]
I am shocked at the poor English skills of the posters who were upset about not getting hired as English teachers. The fact is a white person did not take your job. A Chinese person felt you were less skilled compared to a native speaker. In the US most universities usually hire Chinese people to teach Chinese. There might be a white or black person who speaks Chinese well and has an advanced degree but the school will always prefer to have an real Chinese person teach because they will usually have a normal dialect.
Similarly, the school wants a black person to teach Black History or an asian to teach Asian History. This is not racist at all. It does not mean that people hate your race and love another race more. The school does not want to disappoint their students.
This doesn’t mean Chinese people look down on blacks and look up at whites. I am sorry to hear there is racial discrimination from some Chinese, but China is a very diverse region with a lot of competition over jobs. If you say all Chinese are racist and all whites are racists because you didn’t get a job or because of a few bad people offended you then you are wasting your time.
[Reply]
Jacques Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
From a popular job site:
“Job Posting # 182666/7476
January/9/2010 20:51
Job Title: English Teacher
Located at: Luoyang (China)
Position Requirements:
- Native English Speaker from the United States
- Caucasian
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Experience preferred but not required
- Older persons (or a couple) are preferred
We will provide a working permit and invitation letter to apply for a working visa in your country.”
From another popular job site:
“Project of Global Access
At present, we need Language foreign teachers for the teaching centers in Chengdu, Xinjiang, Hefei and Zhengzhou. Additional, we need one science teacher which can teach math, science and computer class in each teaching center in Beijing, Chengdu and Suzhou.
The number of students in every teaching center will not more than 25. All the students are senior high school students, about 16-18 years old.
Requirements of foreign teachers: Native English speaker, white people, BA or MA, relevant teaching experience. TEFL certificate preferred.”
Job discrimination based on race is widespread and blatant in China.
[Reply]
Tom, you make sense.
[Reply]
Hi,
I am a Chinese living in USA. I think what is important is for everyone to remember that Chinese people are just the same hunman beings as blacks, whites, and browns. Problems like racism existing with other nationalities or races also exist among Chinese. We are no better or no worse than you guys. The reason there is discrimination against blacks in China is because blacks are naturally considered as africans and that equals to poverty. I guess that is how racial discrimation started from the beginning everywhere…. a civilization lagging behind another in a dramatic way and thus it’s people being discriminated against. Plus, Chinese society is less educated than the western societies. One way to eliminate racial discriminatio is making your racial group as rich, as powerful, and as educated as the one who discriminates against you. Another way is to educate the other group to recognize that everyone deserve the same amount of respect no matter his/her skin color. Personally, I suspect the true effectness of the second way. I think sometimes from the surface it looks like the second way works but down deep it is the first way truely matters.
Black brothers and sisters, I believe you will be very joyful when you showed chinese people that you are a decent and knowledgable person as a black and win their respect.
Chinese brothers and sister, we are the victim of racial discrimination ourselves. Shouldn’t we be more sensitive on this issue toward others?
[Reply]
To jason,
when we make general statements it doesnt mean we are saying all chinese people are bad or look down on others.i have receive a lot of love from my chinese friends and people whom i dont know. i ow e them alot, and because of this i try to do my best to reciprocate this love, but some chinese or say many out of ignorance or hatred for one reason or other, tend to do blind things, i teach a kid in my home,he was asking her mum, why did my teacher came to china? is it beccause there is no water in africa? the mum said to me, he is saying so because i told him that in africa there is no water, and since then, this kid knows that people can not live in africa, he is growing with this false information .he is not alone , many chinese teach their children with wrong knowledge about africa so when they grow up they look down on africans.
Dear Jason in any situation there is always an exception, u cant compare china with america, chinese people are not americans, chinese are welcoming and many believe chinese wont be bias in any way, we are complaining not like china is the only country, we are complaining because we do not expect chinese to do these, and worst of all is that,it is being promoted by the well educated chinese and some dump asshole who pretend to know what they dont know.jason i think if we can have good people like u in china i think china is the best in the world but thats not it. my girl friends told me alot about chinese attitude towards blacks,so it is like 70% of chinese look down on blacks.
we should also stop talking about Obama here, he has nothing to do with this,chinese perceptions about blacks is changing as u rightly put it your friend ’s skills made him popular, thats to say africans have worked very hard to convince many to change their views about africans. to tell u the truth i m a lucky guy in china,but i dont like to hear or see what some chinese do , think or say about africans. just like koreans try to look down on chinese…..it is a fact and lets work hard to re educate the people out of ignorance and stop refusing what is true…
[Reply]
Dear Mary,
Recently we knew again the riots happened in LA due to a black was shot by police.
And we learned similar issue happened 20 years ago.
It shows that bias is universal issue.
In any place, there are some people who look down the others in any kind of forms.,,economic discrimination, civilzation discrimination, area discrimination, skin clor discrimination.
It’s not because that LA police shot the black to conclude that California or America discrimated black people, same logic is that it’s not some Chinese looks down black means that all Chinese looks down black.
Ugly or short people, black pepople, poor people may face more discrimination from sociaty, but it’s not the reason for them to be sad. Their own talents and ability win back all of the respects from the sociaty.
Dengxiaoping, Napoleon and other persons are the example.
Same as black people, as foreigners in China, they still enjoy some advantage. If they are really capable, no need to fear any discrimination.
Like Joe in playing football, he got his respects from his football skill, not related to his skin color. As I have seen other international marriage, he married a Shanghainese girl, so no necessary to think about the discrimination as serious.
In China, the real group who was deeply affected by discrimination is not the black people. It
The farmers who worked hardly in the city in the lowest level are the real class whoare discriminated.
[Reply]
Dear Jason, I’m so glad you live in such a nice place, and I wish it all could be as simple as you suggest in you example. However, the sad truth is, as the previous brothers and sister said in their coments. My observation is; that the Black teachers who I have met or herd of have been just great and have’nt done anything to deserve any disrespect. But where I work in Inner-Mongolia, there was a black teacher here for five years and then the local ‘government could’nt take it any more, I guess , and told him he had to leave….only thing I have gotten from outhers who knew him was that he was great ! So for my own interest and curiosity I ask many Chinese about their opinions about black people/teachers and they confermed the worse for me, eather out of bias or just had to have someone to look down upon or obviously out of gnorance. Non the less, I say there is still enough love out there to go around, so donn’t give up and rob yourself of the good China also does have to offer.
[Reply]
I don’t want to argue here. Just give example.
Joe is from Africa, his wife is Shanghainese. One day he found us playing football and then played with us. He plays well and everyone here respects him.
Now he plays every weekend with us although most of us can not speak English. We are very happy to play with him and he is very happy to have our local friends. I didn’t hear anyone treating him badly.
Here is just 1 town of Shanghai.
That’s the normal Chinese people. We share the same hobby. That’s all.
Please don’t make simple thing to be more complicated.
[Reply]
I came across this site accidentally while helping an English native friend to find a job in China. I am Chinese, and have lived in London for 8 years. I feel sorry about people of African origin being mistreated in China and feel ashamed about this. In terms of the skin colour issue, I would say that Chinese are generally more naive rather than prejudiced. Just like Jean analysed, Chinese are more familiar with white people than black people. Black people are very new to those Chinese people who never go abroad or are not in the most metropolitan areas. Furthermore, it may be the case that some people have a very frank, very friendly character, even on first meeting, and this can be frightening to some Chinese away. In China dark-skinned people have always been described as loud, fast tempered, powerful, forceful, and very energetic, one palm can slap ten people down, etc. This kind of imagery is in ancient Chinese stories, but they are often still heroes too (Zhang Fei–with untidy bear, Guangong with big dark red face skin). These generalisations probably lead to as many misconceptions as those the West often has, say, about the Chinese – often based on naivety/lack of knowledge rather than bigotry or prejudice. As Jean also said, it is also true that many Chinese would not necessarily make the connection with black people and the West, but this is no doubt changing as China gets to know more about the West through film and news media.
Generally Chinese fear strong, big, resonant speaking dark-skinned people, rather than looking down on them. As a matter of fact, that was my initial feeling when I just arrived in the UK. One black colleague asked me some kind of sex-related questions and I didn’t know how to respond then, he carried on joking with me, and I cried. But now, I am fine with it when someone is joking with me like that, if in the right spirit. I think we all have to learn new cultures and try to break down stereotypes and so forth when we are in a new place or meet new people. And this can present challenges on both sides.
Once the Chinese know you, they will accept you.
[Reply]
What a minefield you’ve stepped in with this one, Jean — with all the best intentions, of course.
Good luck!
[Reply]
i never had any serious problem in china concerning my job but i have heard and seen,even my chinese friends who are employers told me this.i managed a private languange school,and i felt out with my Boss because i accepted a black girl, she didnt like it.my friend she is like a sister to me china. she always wanted me to work in her university but she said her dean doesnt like blacks. and her dean prefers to employ a swedish of about 18 years to teach in the univeristy .what do u think?????i m a black working here for 8 years , i can say i m very lucky not to be in this kind of situation, u know chinese will always pretend infront of you,even my chinese girl friends told me alot about chinese feelings towards blacks, normally chinese people dont like dark skin because to them it signifies hardship and poverty,the whiter you are ,shows u have a good life, sometimes my students make jokes like our foreign looks like our P.E teacher, i dont like to be a farmer because my skin will be dark etc.the only reason we are here is because demand is higher than supply in this field.ok i remember a good example,i went to renew my foreign expert certificate ,and we were told that i have been in china for more 5 years according to rule i have to exit china for atleast 6months,but my school pleaded,they started talking chinese behind me, and the woman told them to look for white people why always looking for black teachers,so if was white she would have given me the certificate, although what she said about the law is true, but many people dont apply this law.so i went to tianjin and everything was fine there. so we dont have to refuse this fact, it is real, a job post online looking for black teacher might be likie 3000 while for a white teacher 5000rmb…..alot to say but i cant, as i earlier said it is ignorance , but thank god many chinese are coming to their senses, but i will blame some white guys for spreading wrong infos around. i will give u an example, my former colleague from america, he told his students in class that black people cant speak good english , and the students came to ask me if it is true…..and where how can u speak good as u r a black man……what will u say to these students if u were me?
[Reply]
I’m white. My best friends and brothers are from Nigeria and Ghana. They are four and we all live and study together in China. I once tried finding them a job as an English teacher through a personal channel. Then, the question came in Chinglish – “Are they a black?” Needless to say they weren’t interested in my friends because of their skin color. I was hurt, ashamed, and angry. I knew of a school that had scheduled an interview with someone, a middle aged black woman. This woman came to the interview and the interviewer walked in the room, gasped, and said, “Oh no! I didn’t know you were black!?” Unreal.
But, my friends were persistent. They continued their search and God is now blessing them with many teaching jobs. They are turning down jobs these days and even found work in a local university. The demand is so great here and through prayer and persistence they found work.
[Reply]
@Espero,
In my defense, I did write “In my experience…” which means that I can only write about what I have observed.
You will notice, however, that did also allude to the fact that many schools in China prefer to hire white people because of the color of their skin.
My experience comes from spending time with black people who are teachers in China. They don’t have such a big problem but I certainly understand that your experience may be different.
Can you give us some examples, Espero, of how you personally have been mistreated as a black person living in China?
[Reply]
David Moore Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 5:17 am
Hello,
I am finding this blog rather late being in October however I am also considering trying my hand at teaching English in China. I am a middle-aged african american who has a bachelor’s degree but no teaching experience. I will begin a course very soon. I don’t want to be in a foreign coutry faced with the same or worse hiring practices and predjudices I encounter here. I have always wanted to travel and have been showned this opportunity rather late. I would like to have som advice that would help me make a better determination if this is the country or should I start somewhere else. What are the advantages and disadvantages I should expect?
David Moore
[Reply]
Robert Vance Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
My suggestion would be for you to join the Teach Abroad China Alliance – a free support group for teachers in China.
http://TeachAbroadChina.com/TACA
There not only will you find members who are African American but you will also find general useful information about teaching in China.
[Reply]
I agree with espero
[Reply]
i strongly disagree with jean,you are in china as a white probably,some white guys and even chinese will tell you this, chinese people look down on africans, not just africans but any body with a darker skin. there are always exceptions, but this comes as a result of shortage of teachers, thats why blacks can have the chance to teach here.Jean ,it is better for you to ask some black guys about this rather than saying things which are not true.chinese are hypocrites,they are friendly to africans just because they have to,but some chinese clearly undertand this and will prefer an african teacher to a white, yes you can find a job here in china and you can work and enjoy yourself but remember you will not be treated as your white brothers, ther e even some chinese who will dare not talk to you because you are black.all what most chinese know about africa is negative, they think africans are not educated, they think and believe that white people are rich and clever….to me i think ,it is out of ignorance, so jean try to find out from africans and some chinese to better explain this to you,i have been in china for 8 years i know alot but i dont want to talk about chinese ignorance or looking down on people, brother if you dont care about what people think and say about u,china is still a nice place for u. a school prefers to hire a 18 years old white to teach in a university and refuses a black with a masters degree,and the reason they gave was he is black,or my boss doesnt like black people,…what am i saying , this is b..s, balck is power if not i dont think you can find black people in china today, but they are in their numbers struggling with the odds against them but at the end of the day ,they are fine,but brother my advice is you have to hold your temper or else you punch someone dead
[Reply]
r.b Reply:
December 24th, 2009 at 10:19 am
I have lived in Korea for 5 years as a U.S soldier.
When I got therein 20003, March, the guys used to tell me that Korean, don’t like black. While it is true, but Korea has been changing a lot with so man U.S soldiers there and also the whole English teaching thing is huge in Korea. So I would say go to Korea and not Chine which is not ready for black folks yet.
Yes I did visit to China too, if I knew Kung fu then I would have karate chop those looks I was given like I had an elephant trunk on my face
[Reply]