Truth be told, no one knows. In Guangzhou alone, there are about 20,000 registered Africans living in the city, but then when you add the majority who have overstayed their visas and are stuck in the country, the numbers quickly add up to well over 200,000.
Now, lets add up the entire black population in the country, which includes students, diplomats, business men and women, children and tourists. But wait, there's an important cohort we almost left out, which is sadly, Black men and women in Prison. There are sadly tens of thousands (again, the exact number is unknown) of Black people who were locked behind bars for one reason or the other.
So if we include our locked up brothers and sisters, the combined population of Blacks in the city can be as close to half a million.
This is not to say that you'll see Black people on every street corner when you go to China. China is a huge country with almost 2billion people, so half a million is a small fraction of 2billion, which means that many Chinese are still yet to see one of us face to face or even come close to us. Even though I lived in Beijing, I still had locals, including my neighbors point and giggle each time I walked past them. Sometimes I felt like I was living in a small village where I was the only minority.
By Blacks, I mean anyone with an African descent, including those with mixed ethnicity.
Now, how are Blacks perceived and treated in China is a completely different story which will be discussed in a later post.
So, If you have been thinking of visiting or living in China but haven't gone because you're afraid there might not be a lot of people like you around and even worry you might be treated like an Alien. Well, let me just tell you that there are loads and loads of people like you there, as long as you're in a metropolitan city.
6 comments:
I can imagine been the only black face in a community, that was my life in Hyderabad for a long time...yeah sadly there are a lot of black bros and sis in Asian jails which are not accounted for.
Yes, and many of them are even executed while in it. I posted this because many people are shocked when I tell them I lived in China and there are loads of Black people there. China is still a foreign country for many.
This was so informative. I would like to visit china someday. However, my first concern was always the amount of black people in the country.
As a black girl who loves to travel, I must admit I always wonder if there'll be anyone who looks like me in the places I want to go to. China hasn't been super high on my list, not for this reason, but it is interesting to here what it's like there for black people. Look forward to your posts on this.
I think generally, black people don't travel as much and so i'm usually the only colored tourist in hostels and other tourist areas. There are however many African hustlers scattered across the globe and so I know i'll see at least one person who looks like me in any country I visit. China is a must for every traveler, I hope to see it on top of your travel list.
lol, I say you should just get up and go, and then other "concerned" brothers and sisters would follow suit ;)
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