Being Black in China

I went on a girls trip to Shanghai and Beijing, China in November 2018. We also went to Thailand but that experience is for a later blog. Also note, this post does not discuss the limited access to internet in China. Internet access in certain countries is a post for another day.

Today I want to focus on being Black in China.

Shanghai

Have you heard the stories of black tourists visiting China and various people coming up to them asking for pictures? Well. That is real. Completely real.

We first visited Shanghai, which was a bit more modern. In Shanghai, they have Americanized touches like unlimited ‘drunk’ brunch or rooftop nightclubs comparable to Miami. I even split up from my group and went to Shanghai Disney for a few hours (note: some of those rides would NOT be allowed in America based on liability issues alone.)

In Shanghai, you get stares… yes, but no one necessarily comes up to you and tries to take your picture or ask who are you in America. Shanghai, overall, made me feel comfortable being black and abroad. There were no issues finding meals that everyone could eat—when in doubt, order the chicken. Also, for the most part, we could communicate with people who spoke little English, but could point us in the right direction when we had questions. Overall, I’d like to think I would go back to Shanghai to hit a few places I missed my first go around.

Beijing

We went to Beijing on the tail end of the trip, mainly because we wanted to see The Great Wall of China.

Beijing.. Beijing.. where do I start? Let’s start with the communication barrier upon arrival. Imagine going through customs and personnel not even trying to guide you through the process. Essentially taking your documents, taking your picture, and shoving you along. It is a bit nerve-wrecking not being sure if you will clear customs and not being able to ask questions if there are any issues.

Then we get through customs and meet our tour guide, who takes us to The Great Wall of China directly from the airport. Our tour guide does not speak English. We use google translate to communicate. No small talk, but he plays a video on his phone with the history of The Great Wall. That was a long one and half hours ride.

Fast forward to walking The Great Wall of China (note: this is something EVERYONE should experience.) A few things that happened while there:

1)    I was asked to speak to a Chinese man’s cousin, ON THE PHONE, who was currently in America; because he couldn’t believe, I, a black woman, was at The Great Wall. Said man, then proceeded to ask me for a picture. Several pictures.

2)    I was stopped several other times to take pictures with other fellow Chinese onlookers.

3)    A few people snuck pictures of me, when they thought I was not looking—this actually happened a few times throughout our stay in Beijing.

4)    And the list goes on.

Yes I’ll take a Picture with You

Upon return from The Great Wall, and while exploring the City of Beijing, my group as a whole were asked to stop and take pictures. We held babies and took pictures with random toddlers. We got asked to afternoon tea to help people with their English lessons. We decided we would be ‘Destiny’s Child’ for the duration of the trip. Pretty sure I got a glimpse into the life of a B-list celebrity (note: I am not saying Destiny’s Child is B-list because I STAN; only saying B-list because we lacked security, private transportation, a faux fur, etc. etc.)

As for the food, it was a bit more difficult to find things to eat, without going completely commercial i.e. McDonalds. We hit the Wangfujing Food Market which came complete with live scorpions on a stick, worms, bugs, and other ‘delicacies’ we did not want to stomach (one of our friends already got sick in Thailand and we were running extremely low on Pepto.)

Scorpions on a Stick in Beijing, China

Also in Beijing, the stares are a bit more blatant than in Shanghai. Dare I say, borderline… rude? I know it is no fault of their own as this is a country with limited access to internet and very little black residents. So, I get it. But I will say I was not as comfortable being Black in Beijing.

Overall, I do recommend a visit to China as a whole. I believe The Great Wall of China should be on most travelers’ bucket lists, so even if you do a long layover, Beijing is worth a visit.

I hope this gave you all a glimpse into Being Black in China.

Happy Traveling Travelsetters!

Destiny’s Children in Beijing, China