BlackExpat.com

2008

Expats in the Middle Kingdom

by Reginald Smith

Anyone who is not blind, deaf, and dumb (and maybe even them) knows about the recent meteoric rise of China to become one of the most powerful economies and nations on Earth.

What was a communist and chronically underdeveloped economy thirty years ago has now become second only to the United States as a mover and shaker in global economic growth. This development has attracted many, this author included, creating what some have variously described as a gold rush mentality to participate or gain from China’s current good times.

The history of Blacks in China, like most places on Earth, goes back centuries if not centuries, not just decades. Chinese historians have documented many stories from the Tang and Song dynasties of the kunlun a group of Blacks described in Chinese historical records and legends who lived in China at the time. There is also even a famous Peking Opera called Kunlun Nu (The Black slave) which revolves around the mythical and heroic exploits of a kunlun in Tang dynasty China. They arrived in China many ways, from adventurers, slaves or indentured servants, or traders on the Silk Road during the times where China was the undisputed world power. In more recent times, contact has primarily been through Blacks from the West who have traveled to China or Africans whose countries forged close ties with China during and after their struggle for independence.

Though firm statistics are not always available, a recent study by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology says there are at least 10,000 Africans, mostly businesspeople, living in Guangzhou alone. My personal experience and talks with others has affirmed that there are Africans among all of the major cities and many of the smaller cities as well. How do people decide to go to China? What do they do once they are here? A perspective from both myself, who lived in Beijing, as well as Patrick, a native of Togo now in Shanghai, and Jarred, from the US who lived in the western city of Chengdu for three years.

A busy street in Chengdu, China

One of the most popular ways to enter China for minimal expense is either through seeking education or teaching English. Patrick, like many other Africans, received a scholarship from the Chinese government to study in Chinese universities when he was 19. He had always wanted to study abroad and jumped at the opportunity. Africans are by far the largest group of Black people in China and many arrived via the scholarship exchange program with China. He obtained his bachelors and masters achieving a strong grasp of both Mandarin and China in the process. He has continued to capitalize on the opportunities available in China by starting his own Internet business in Shanghai, Sinovantage, which provides a host of IT sourcing and web tools for the Chinese market.

I also went to China on scholarship to study for a semester. I had studied Chinese on weekends as a hobby for a couple of years and later took the HSK, the Chinese equivalent of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test, and was awarded a scholarship by the Chinese Ministry of Education to study Chinese language at Beijing Normal University. Even without a scholarship, tuition is normally very affordable – in the range of $2,000 US per semester. It is also open to those with even the most minimal of qualifications in the US, usually only a high school degree is sufficient for the larger schools and many smaller universities barely ask for qualifications.

Another common method of entering China by Westerners is by teaching English. Jarred after graduating with a degree in business administration realized he had been bitten by the travel bug. “After backpacking through SE Asia for about a month I knew I wanted to travel and see more, or had some sort of bug. As far as living abroad, I just knew and still know I want to live and experience interesting and very different places, including other parts of the U.S. I’ve never seen”. He signed up to teach English and started his journey to Chengdu, a large city in western China.

A third and common way is the business expat. Whether the adventurous entrepreneur or the corporate executive, living in China as an expat can be exciting and rewarding, especially if salary and benefits are generous. Some of the most exciting fields in China deal with supply chain or operations management (which is in high demand) and careers in consulting or finance. However, almost every industry is making inroads in China and there are a multitude of opportunities available.

Some of the more exciting opportunities are now outside the main cities of Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou in rising (though admittedly less cosmopolitan) cities such as Chengdu, Xi’An, and Tianjin. There are many other types of expats including travelers, diplomats, and more. About the expat population, Patrick says, “In Shanghai you have a bit of everything. As far as Blacks are concerned I think students make the bulk of it. But when you go to other parts of the country it changes, teachers in smaller cities, working and business people in southern cities such as Shenzhen or Guangzhou.”

China, as a developing country, also has many cultural challenges, including those unique to people of color. Jarred talks about how living in Chengdu taught him a deeper sense of humility and also opened his eyes to the way some people have to live. “Witnessing poverty on a level unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and then returning to America for visits and now for work and witnessing the decadence and excess in which people live their lives”, is hard Jarred says. Also, many Chinese people often have skewed impressions of foreigners: “most people base their impressions of America through movies and TV, as we do with others.”

Friendship Square in Dalian, China

As is sadly often the case, there is an ignorant, sometimes unintentionally so, view of Blacks. “In Chengdu as with many other Chinese cities, white, blond hair, blued eyed males are seen as the standard for Americans and the standards for most foreigners. Advertisements are occasionally posted in Schools and around Universities seeking a “White male” for various positions (tutors, teachers, models of all things—regardless of appearance.). “I personally don’t feel signs are posted with malicious intent as we may read into it here in the states, however China in my opinion, as with a lot of Asia has a perception with the darker skin. I am very light, and most Chinese people didn’t really know what I was culturally, which was good, because I could be something different everyday and get a different reaction from people. I think the more brothers and sisters can get abroad and stand in front of someone who’s never seen another individual so different from them, the quicker the wall of prejudices and discrimination will come down.” Patrick concurs, “Yes a lot in China, racism in China I think is systematic and the problem is the Chinese themselves don’t know that they are racists.”

These experiences, however, hardly permeate a trip to China and should not be an obstacle to traveling there, making friends, and learning about the country and its culture. As with any foreign country, there are many things to keep in mind. For example, it is imperative to study up on the country before you go and have a clear idea of what you want to do. Learning the language, often the bête noire of many foreign travelers, is also extremely important. Patrick, Jarred, and my own experiences in China were immensely enriched by being able to speak Mandarin and read Chinese. This keeps you connected and also helps you to understand more about the society you are in. There seems to be a great temptation by some expats to nestle themselves in their respective expat enclave and live a life almost indistinguishable from their home country. “(Mandarin) is very important in China.”, says Patrick. Jarred adds, “I think for anyone who makes a conscious decision to live in another country, it is absolutely imperative that one at least attempts to learn the local language. There is such a difference in talking to someone in their own dialect, reading their books written for their people in their own language… I have proficiency in Mandarin Chinese and understand Sichuan dialect.” In my opinion, if you only what to experience the familiar, your experience living abroad will be seriously limited.

Finally, though it is good to adopt the new home, you can’t leave all of your traditions behind. Patrick and Jarred both miss the food and customs of their homes in Togo and the USA respectively. “I probably missed Thanksgiving as a holiday the most, and custom wise I miss paying for a meal and it not turning into a duel as to who will pay the bill. In China, face is very important and it’s customary to put up a huge display when two parties are deciding who will take care of the bill. There is no splitting the check, as one person usually and quite unfairly shoulders the entire bill for the table. I find it fairly ironic, because most Chinese friends I have hate this custom but because of face are afraid to buck the trend and offer another alternative, so it usually ends up being a pretentious show of two individuals, neither of who really want to pay!”

I could write pages about living in China, indeed books have been written on the subject, but I encourage any who can at least visit to do so. Whether it is for the culture and history, the upcoming Beijing Olympics, or just making cash, understanding China will be crucial to understanding the world that is currently evolving and the opportunities and perils it will present.

Top photo: The Altar of Heaven, one of Beijing’s trademark historical landmarks.

Photo credits: Wikimedia authors: users: Colegota, Paul Louis and Saad Akhtar

Living & Spending - Chengdu

Monthly rent:

• 700 RMB-1100 RMB for a One Bedroom

Cost for meals:

• 3 RMB for fried Rice or go wild with 30 RMB per person for buffet style Hot Pot. HOT POT (pieces of raw meat and vegetables come on a stick and are placed into a boiling pot shared by the entire table. Food is cooked in the pot and then selected by the individual and eaten). Sounds complicated, it’s not, but yes it does take a while to get full as the pieces of meat, veggies are small.

Transportation costs:

• 1 RMB  City bus w/out Air Condition,  2RMB w/ Air Condition.
• 7 RMB initial taxi fare, 2 RMB per 1/4 KM – (I think the mileage is correct).

Compared to your home country are most things cheap/same/expensive?

• Inexpensive.

Recommended monthly living budget:

• 2000-3000 RMB

How modern are basic amenities/infrastructure?

• Basic amenities vary depending on where you go and what type of establishment you patronize. In Chendgdu as with most of China they stretch from the extremes of luxuries to the

Any legal hurdles all foreigners have to face to live there?

• Obtaining proper visas, but nothing major. As with a lot of things in China, even visas can be shoddy or fake and you’d still be cool.

Top 3 things you would recommend someone to bring when they come:

• 1. Own clippers, as I always had to shape myself up with a line after going to a barber shop (They just can’t line up you up like you want).
• 2. Decent shoes/sneakers/kicks, as China has everything we have here, but trying to find a pair of shoes in an average American male’s size can prove to be challenging.
• 3. Open mind – this is most important. Leave all else behind.

Top 3 things you would recommend for someone visiting or living here to do:

• Learn how to play Ma-jiang (a little like Dominos), enjoy the Hot Pot, visit the Tian fu Square (Very Big, empty, concrete and communist looking) and walk five minutes to the Chendgu’s center city outdoor shopping mall as bright and commercial as NY’s Times Square. The walk from the square to the shopping mall will give you a window and a small glimpse into complexities and rapid changes of China.

Top 3 hangout places:

• Tea House on the River – you can witness true Chengdu culture with relaxed games of Ma jiang, intense games of cards, loud chatting, family outings, ear waxing by a “professional”  for 5 RMB (it does feel good but I’m not 100% for certain it’s sanitary) and quick shoulder massages for 10 RMB. The basketball courts on Sichuan University Campus and cheap 1 (US) cent per/stick Hot Pot Restaurants (although the latter again may not have been very sanitary and the second day ain’t no joke in the bathroom).

Living & Spending - Shanghai

Monthly rent:

• RMB2,500~4,000 at least for decent accommodation, cheaper if shared

Cost for meals:

• RMB10~30

Transportation costs:

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

Compared to your home country are most things cheap/same/expensive?

• More expensive but you do earn more here so it more than compensate.

Recommended monthly living budget:

• RMB4000~8000/month

How modern are basic amenities/infrastructure?

• Quite modern, not only compared to Africa but to the West as well

Any legal hurdles all foreigners have to face to live there?

• Visa restrictions have become stricter for African passport-holders in the past few years. It’s easy to get into China but then hard to stay on a long term basis. If you are sponsored by an employer or are an investor though it would be easier.

Top 3 things you would recommend someone to bring when they come:

• I can only think of two: Food, cosmetics

Top 3 things you would recommend for someone visiting or living here to do:

• Try to go out of Shanghai to discover the real China because Shanghai isn’t.

Top 3 hangout places:

• Expat bars, country mates homes and dormitories (for students), soccer field at the weekend