SHANGHAI -- As a mixed-race girl growing up in this most cosmopolitan of mainland Chinese cities, 20-year-old Lou Jing said she never experienced much discrimination -- curiosity and questions, but never hostility.
So nothing prepared Lou, whose father is a black American, for the furor that erupted in late August 2009 when she beat out thousands of other young women on "Go! Oriental Angel," a televised talent show. Angry Internet posters called her a "black chimpanzee" and worse. One called for all blacks in China to be deported.
As the country gets ready to welcome the first African American U.S. . president, whose first official visit here starts Sunday, the Chinese are confronting their attitudes toward race, including some deeply held prejudices about black people. Many appeared stunned that Americans had elected a black man, and President Obama ' s visit has underscored Chinese ambivalence about the growing numbers of blacks living here.
"It ' s sad," Lou said, her eyes welling up as she recalled her experience. "If I had a face that was half-Chinese and half-white, I wouldn ' t have gotten that criticism. . . . Before the contest, I didn ' t realize these kinds of attitudes existed."
As China has expanded its economic ties with Africa -- trade between them reached $107 billion last year -- the number of Africans living here has exploded. Tens of thousands have flocked to the south, where they are putting down roots, establishing communities, marrying Chinese women and having children. Not one child according to Chinese law.
“As it was in the beginning, so shall it be in the end” The new Shang Dynasty. The EXODUS was FROM Africa --NOT TOAFRICA.
The first major Dynasty of China was the Black Shang Dynasty. There are over 100 thousand of these original black chinese remaining. UNESCO is begging china to protect there heritage. Chairman Mao slaughtered millions between 1940 - 1960.
The skeletal remains from Southern China are predominately Negroid. The people of that era practiced single burials which is an African ritual. In northern China Blacks founded many civilizations. The three major empires of China were the Xia Dynasty (c.2205-1766 BC), Shang Yin Dynasty (c.1700-1050 BC) and the Zhou Dynasty. The Zhou dynasty was the first dynasty founded by the Mongoloid people in China called Hua (Who-aa). The founders of Xia and Shang came from the Fertile African Crescent by way of Iran . Chinese civilization began along the Yellow River . By 3500 BC. Blacks in China were raising silkworms and making silk.. The culture hero Huang Di is a direct link of Africa . His name was pronounced in old Chinese Yuhai Huandi or "Hu Nak Kunte." He arrived in China from the west in 2282 BC and settled along the banks of the Loh River in Shanxi . This transliteration of Huandgi, to Hu Nak Kunte is interesting because Kunte is a common clan name among the Manding speakers. The Africans or Blacks that founded civilization in China were often called Li Min "black headed people" by the Zhou dynasts. This term has affinity to the Sumero-Akkadian term Sag-
Gig-Ga "black headed people.”
China was occupied predominately by Blacks from West Asia to China . Blacks were forced from East and Southeast Asia by the expansion of the Thai, Annamite, Bak and Hua Mongoloids. Blacks ruled China until around 1000-700 BC. Blacks of China were known in historical literature by many names, including Negro, Austroloid, Oceanean, etc. by the Europeans. The East Indians and Mongoloid groups had other names like Dara, Yneh-chih, Yaksha, Suka, K ' un-lun, Lushana and Seythians.
In the case of Lou Jing, she is merely experiencing the discrimination and injustices that many of our mixed-race American counterparts have already gone through. China may be advanced in technology and agriculture, but as far as it goes with tolerance and cultural diversity - they have a long way to go. We always learned in history class back in elementary school how difficult it was for non-Chinese people to enter and live in the country. I can only imagine how it feels being on the dark end of the mixed spectrum and live in China. It's hard enough being brown in America. Chinese people are notoriously stereotyped for profiling black people in the US. Ever heard the term, "Hurry up an buy?"
It's interesting, because in Jamaica, "black Chiney" is a term used for, well - people who are Black and Chinese. It is pretty common nowadays to see mixed Asian and black children on the island. Now, to see a family like that is another story. It is slowly becoming acceptable to mix races, but back in the day as Mom tells me sometimes - the Chinese men would have sex with the black women of the island, unbeknownst of course to their Chinese wives. When the woman would become pregnant, the child was often considered a "jacket," or a child who does not belong to the accused father. This lead to many fatherless mixed children, a bad name placed on the mother of the child, and a complex placed on the mixed child that would scar them for years. Tragic, yet true. Which makes Lou Jing's story all the more intriguing. I am curious to know how she deals with her adversities in a country where she is seriously outnumbered. It takes a strong individual to overcome discrimination, especially when there is little support around you.
I am sure these experiences will simply make her stronger. Winning that talent competition may be her stepping stone into stardom - putting her on the map. This may be exactly what is needed to shed light on these kinds of issues.
I suppose only time will tell.
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