Job Discussion Forums

[Michael Nelson]

With all my heart and soul I want to let all black people know about my experiences in China. I am worried that this message will be deleted, and I feel, if it is, MOD EDIT I have read the rules of this forum and I will obey them. I am in no way insulting or intentionally trying to harm anyone. I just want the truth to be known, and everything I will say is completely based on the facts of my experiences. MOD EDIT

I am an African-American with a Master's degree in English from an Ivy League university. I came to China three years ago to experience a different culture and to find subjects to write about as I am a fiction writer. Almost from the moment I got off the plane in Hong Kong, I have experienced relentless racism. The amount of stories I have are too mindboggling to even begin to think about but I'll summarize a few:

The first school I worked for in Huizhou, Guangdong passed me over for consideration as a manager in favor of a white American woman who had no high school diploma.

Two English training centers in Shenzhen refused to hire me for vague reasons only to hire two of my white friends, neither of whom had college degrees or even half the work experience I had.

While I was working at the most famous Business English training center in Shenzhen, a black teacher was fired for refusing to teach classes on the day he found out his father died.

At least three schools I worked for allowed me to work for short periods of time until they could find less qualified, less experienced white teachers to replace me.

While trying to find work in kindergartens, I have been told quite openly my skin is too black and the children may be frightened by me.

Twice, I went two job interviews and had the door closed in my face before I could enter the schools.

While working at other training centers, I have had several students request to have another teacher, white and "more attractive".


These are just a few general stories about my work experiences. Why I continue to put up with this treatment is a mystery to myself. There must be some part of me that is masochistic and I haven't noticed until now. One black female teacher I worked with left China after less than a month because of the racism.

These stories aside, the worse is the daily verbal abuse. From the moment I got off the plane, I started picking up Mandarin. And the more Mandarin I know the more I wish I didn't know. Chinese people are, generally, extremely cut off from the rest of the world. Some is the government's fault, but mostly it's the Chinese own doing. There are plenty of opportunities to learn about other countries in China (TV shows, music videos, DVD's, etc.) but most Chinese people only care about their own culture. However, they have developed extremely illogical views about the outside world. First of all, there is no such thing as a black American. All Americans are white, beautiful and rich. All blacks come from Africa or India and are poor and dirty. As I walk down the street or take a bus or eat in a restaurant, I am constantly reminded of this.

This brings me to the main reason for this post. The Chinese have a word for *beep*, "he gui". It basically means "black ghost". Last night I was walking with my girlfriend after eating dinner, a loudmouth, out of the blue, verbally attacked me, using this word among other Chinese profanities. When I went to him to ask him what was the meaning of this, he threw a chair at me. It hit my girlfriend in the head and she immediately began to bleed profusely. Her entire face and dress was covered in blood. She had to have several stitches and I stayed in the hospital with her all night. Her blow to the head was meant for me. I desperately wish it had hit me instead. She had to suffer because of me and my black skin. Last night was one of the most horrible nights of my life, and I believe it will haunt me forever. Today, I had to write this post and speak out about this, more as a form of therapy, perhaps, than anything else.

In all honesty, of course, not everyone has been so rude to me. I have made a few Chinese friends. My girlfriend has been my angel for the past two years. But, unfortunately, the negatives far outway the positives.


Last night has finally confirmed it for me. Coming to China to teach English has been the worse experience of my life, and I highly, highly urge any black person thinking about coming here to think long and hard. And, my final word of advice is, don't. You are not, by any stretch of the imagination, welcomed in China. I would give anything to go back and erase the previous three years of my life. From what I hear, we are also not welcomed in other Asian countries, but I can't confirm that as I have promised to speak from my own personal experiences. And the worse part of it is I could have gotten a stronger warning from this very website and others like it. Before I decided to come to China, I scoured this website daily for clues as to how my life would be here. While I found quite a few negative stories, nothing really prepared me for the truth. Perhaps, there are some black teachers here who have had more positive experiences and I would gladly like to hear about them. But, I feel, my story needs to be known as well.

I hope the white members of this board will respect the seriousness of my message and not make light of it. This website obviously is run by, and primarily visited by whites. This is a problem that generally does not affect white teachers, so it gets buried under the common complaints about spitting and all.

To Mr. Sperling or anyone else in charge of this website, please let this message get to the people who need to hear it. Black people need to know what they are getting into before they come here.

I want everyone to know, despite my experiences, I do not hate Chinese people. When I first came here, my heart was filled with love and respect for their wonderful, ancient culture. Although they have systematically eaten away at that love and respect, I refuse to be bitter. In fact, I feel a great sympathy towards them because, basically, they just aren't aware of the full consequences of their thoughts and actions. They are too cut off from the rest of the world. As we all know, Chinese people tend to refuse to acknowledge their problems. I hope to shed light on this problem and plant the seeds of change.

[Mydnight]

Welcome to China. Unfortunately, this sort of thing happens everyday. Yes, they are extremely racist towards black people; it's akin to the USA in the early 1900s but can't be that extreme because of the social pressure they get from the rest of the world. They think "The Gods Must be Crazy" is how all people from Africa are; actually saw a middle school showing that movie...

You don't hate Chinese people? That's pretty awesome of you. I didn't experience half the racism you did in my few years here, but I certainly don't like Chinese people half as much as I used to.

[peepertice]

wow, that makes for truly sobering reading.

certainly gives some perspective for those of us who enjoy the odd moan about this place.

but good for you for feeling no bitterness, that's admirable

i don't doubt your stories at all but it would be interesting to hear from others with your background who have had any contrary experiences - or are things this bad for them?

good luck with whatever you go on to do

[johnchina]

The saddest (most incredible?) thing is that 99% of Chinese people will tell you - looking you right in the eye - that there is NO racism in China.

People have to recognise that there is a problem before they can really deal with that problem.

[malu]

I've lived in some fairly racist societies but I continue to be astonished by the attitudes of the Han Chinese that I've met here. At first I thought it was plain old xenophobia and that it didn't really matter what colour someone was so long as they were 'not like us'. I've since discovered that racism and colour predjudice are deeply ingrained in almost everyone I've spoken to.

It will take several generations to wash out predjudice as deeply ingrained as that.

[Anda]

I think it could just be the numders of you here! In South Korea I think there is less problems for black people as there are so many there working for the United States miltary. I have known a number personally teaching there without too much problem.

[The Voice Of Reason]

[Horizontal Hero]

China is a real test for anybody, but doubly so if you are black. Anger is a natural response when we are abused and/or manipulated. It's what you do with that anger that determines whether you will become a China hater or not. Personally, I have to really work at it.

Fortunately I was not able to secure the thermo-nuclear device I intended to purchase shortly after arriving here. China is easy to hate, as you can see from this China off-topic section. That's why I like it.

I hope your g/f is OK, Michael. I assume she is Chinese?

If you can keep your cool, you at least set a good example to the Chinese and break down some of the prejudice - to the benefit of other black people that follow you to China. But I admit even I, the whitey, has lost his cool a few times in China.

[tw]

Mr. Nelson, on behalf of other Davesters, I hope your girlfriend will have a speedy recovery. Sadly, you are not the first and definitely won't be the last person of African heritage experiencing hostile racism in China, as we have read posts from other FT's of African heritage complaining of racism in China. Where are you, Travel Zen?

I think the racism you face has a lot to do with where you are: Guangdong, where the people (Cantonese) are some of the most racist people among anyone and everyone of Chinese heritage. These, after all, are the people who invented the term "gui lao" which, in my opinion, is far worse than "yang gui zi". When I was in Changchun, nobody ever cared about any of the Africans hanging around in disco bars.

And, if this makes you feel any better, you might be interested to know that people in Taiwan are very hostile towards people with dark skin as well.

[just another laowai]

[just another laowai]

Advice: Go teach out in East Turkestan (Xinjiang) if you are going to teach. They hate the Han too.

[william wallace]

Most Blacks here are from Africa, and that adds a whole new element to the racism card.

[ouyang]

I've read a number of threads http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?p=535917 about this topic, and, I think, I've made a comment or two on one of them. I'm mostly amazed that you joined this site in 2003 and have only made one post in all that time, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Everyone who's lived here a while knows that the Chinese are racially prejudiced, but I've met blacks who like it here. I think the key factor for those blacks is that is they've learned to speak Chinese.

I'm not denying your experience, but you appear to have only lived in one province. From what I saw of Shenzhen the short time I was there, it can be an unwelcoming place for lots of people, including Chinese.

[hesterprynne]

Maybe the ticket is learning to speak Chinese, but I for one would be happier here if I didn't know what ppl were saying about me on the street.

[A'Moo]

Not meaning to make light of your situation, and my condolences to your girlfriend, but after all that you have apparently endured, why did you wait 3 years to make your first post on (arguably) the worlds preeminent esl site?