The face of one brown-skinned young lady named Lou Jing has the whole country of China uncomfortably dealing with its narrow, and in some cases, racist perceptions of citizenship towards black Chinese.
The non-porcelain skinned Chinese Goodess has trumped China's race card and exposed a nasty little secret that they are glad happened after the Olympics. They don't like black noodles being dipped in Chinese soup.
Shangai native, Lou Jing who has a Chinese mother and African-American father recently appeared on an idol talent show in the country. When she claimed that she was Chinese, born and bred in the hot East Asian metropolis, all hell broke loose.
People were surprised that this black woman who was deemed "Halle Berry of the East" could speak perfect Mandarin and Shanghainese. At first, she was a jewel, then the ghetto grapevine happened.
The Internet came alive with Chinese citizens claiming that she was not Chinese. Some hurdled nasty rumors about her mother having an extramarital affair with an "African Devil," and producing a bastard child.
In response, Jing and her mother announced that the father was not African, but African-American, the relationship between the parents was consensual, and he has been an active parent upon finding out his paternity.
Now, Chinese folk who are trying to diffuse the comment, are saying that it wasn't about her being black, but about her mother having an affair and having a baby as a result. Uhhh, yeah right. How convenient is that excuse. It just so happens that the father's blackness is important in mentioning.
This hot and controversial issue stirs up a lot of dirty secrets that the Beijing Olympic committee hid very well in 2008. China is very xenophobic and incredibly racist when it comes to black people.
There were some news reports that talked about Chinese government's racial profiling against its small, but visible African residents. It was reported that many of them were harassed, fined and even jailed before the Olympics in an effort to clean up the streets.
But it gets better. Several African-American athletes reported hostile and blatant harassment that seemed based on race during the Olympics.
This incident is remniscent of my trips to Korea. At the time, I was part of a group of African-American teens who were visiting the country. We were at a museum and I overheard a child squeal in delight to his teacher, "Look at the monkeys!"
While there, I heard stories of Koreans warning families to keep their women away from the black soldiers during the Korean War. Propaganda was spewed telling the Korean people that blacks were devils and grew tails at night.
Interestingly, it was okay for white soldiers to indulge, but the chocolate ones, oh hell no.
But did that stop the fucking? Of course not. Resultantly, babies were born. On my trip to Korea it was explained to me that bi-racial children, and in particular black Koreans, were outcasts and often lived around dump sites and the poorest areas of the country.
Lou Jing's popularity not only raises issues of race, and race around sexuality, but also citizenship. She changes the face of China, who prides in porcelain complexions, even though a significant amount of their population in the South are brown and dark brown people with broad features.
Below Jing busts a hip-hop flow to show her skills. She know she a sister!
6 ish talking intellectuals holla at a sista:
This was an interesting read. I guess you can be unconsciously aware of something, but until it is explicitly brought to your attention, you never give it much thought.
When I was in Korea with the military, I was aware of a lot of false information given about black soldiers. Many of the older Koreans were deathly afraid of us; however, many of the younger Koreans embraced us. Also, I was aware of a number of what we called war babies, children who were the product of relationships between black servicemen and Korean women. And they were treated harshly. Many of them desperately sought to marry American servicemen to escape the scrutiny of their home country. But, then again, you could say the same of Germany.
Nevertheless, there are pockets of people of African descent all over the world. How they fare in the many different societies they find themselves in would make an interesting study indeed.
Personally I've never been in the military, but many of the men in my family have served around the world. I grew up on air force bases and it's in miliatry families that you'll see a great deal of diversity and interracial marriages. When we travel around the world, it's not like we're celebate while we're out and about; and it's not as if the native women around the world aren't willing. They know a good thing when they see it; of course they want some of this good old Alabama black snake!!!
I guess it's true what they say about the black man....have dick, will travel!!!
Reggie, you are something serious.
I feel bad for this girl. I hope her mom can figure a way to get her the heck out of China as soon as possible.
Good post. One place that I read about this as a result of reading this post said that she rated herself low in "good Chinese girl demeanor" and it made me think about social norms that people pick up as a result of nurture.
Another Q, what's going on with her hair? I wonder what her hairstory is...hmmmm?!?!?!
I was very disappointed when I read Lou Jing and her mother's comment, that her father was not an African but an African American. Are we not all Humans?Sadly,I felt really bad being a strong supporter of Lou from the unset and secondly, being a PROUD black man. Its a shame that almost all races look down on we Blacks. I stand to be corrected, does the other races have yellow or white blood circulating in their body? do they live forever? I was made to understand in the Bible that "we are fearfully and wonderfully made" so I dont see a reason why a so call superior race would find imperfection in God's creation especially black people. Ignorance we all know is not an excuse to the law, so lets think and ask ourselves (If I was in the black man's shoe how will I fell if being treated as such)since none of us choose which race, parent, nationality or IQ we shouuld be born into or with. We should learn to tolorate one another, as thats the reason the God almighty made us diverse. God bless us all.
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