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Week Around the Ists
As China rapidly climbs to world economic power, some enterprising individuals are emigrating here in the hopes of finding a new version of the American Dream. Blogging For China translates an article from the Southern Metropolis Daily on African traders who move to China (notably the city of Guangzhou, which currently holds an estimated 100,000 Africans) with the same burning desire of an earlier generation who emigrated to America: a better life. Many of them face strong prejudice against blacks in China and struggle to integrate themselves into their villages. The reporter follows one Liberian trader as he greets Chinese store-owners in his neighborhood:
He’ll loudly greet them, “Friend, how are you recently?” His “friends” don’t respond. Some pull out a cell phone and intentionally ignore him. Others impatiently wave at him, and say in a combination of Chinese and English: “If you’re not buying anything, then go… quickly GO!”It seems friendship only exists between the Africans.
While many poor black traders struggle with racism, Bill Dodson, General Manager of Asia Base A/S and author of the This is China! blog, states in his 2007 post "Black Like Me in China" that he has never encountered racism in five years of living and working in China. Dodson claims that the only color the Chinese see is green:
The bottom line in today’s China: “money talks”. Chinese are equal opportunity opportunists. If you’ve clearly got money and are interested in doing a business transaction with them, they don’t care the color of your skin or the origin of ancestry.
Dodson does acknowedge that the Chinese have their stereotypes of dark-skinned Africans, but these stereotypes are free of a history of institutionalized slavery (and enforced political correctness). If China truly is replacing America as a world superpower, it remains to be seen how the Chinese will react to the inevitable consequence of cornering the world economy-- can China be the world's new melting pot?
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On the flip side, some ambitious Chinese entrepreneurs are trying to make it in Africa. For more, see here.
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These are definitely interesting times for China.. a society that was predominately established on ideas of isolationism is now being thrust into a heterogeneous, multi-culture environment. Give it another 10-15 years and we'll no longer see programming on CCTV with title the likes of "Foreigner speaking Mandarin"
The bottom line in today’s China: “money talks”
Its a short history of the 21st century of China thus far. Pretty much like the US too it seems.
Its quite funny to compare the US which by far is opposite of China, racialy USA is tolerant of all immigrants for the last 230 years, "anyone can become president" the American dream is very well connected to freedom,acceptance of all creeds, religions, gender etc.. free-markets, NGO's,a nation with democratic values even if its not perfect. To replace the US economically will take more than a GDP head of 1.2 biliion "strong". The "China Dream" what a bunch of bolony. Even Japan is not that open to the "Japanese dream" (lol) less the Chinese or any other asian nation, and singapore/hk and other nation states don't count. And in no way China will become a melting pot, that'll be the day. Money talks, yes but that's about it.
What disturbs me is the rapid retreat into the isolationist past, since March 14; an escalating "kick the foreigners out and lock the gate" approach.
I truly believe that the hysteric pre-Olympic paranoia is doing unbelievable damage to China.
Sau: That is purely the doing of the PRC government and their hypersensitive response to all the Tibet protests.. Culturally and economically, China IS NOT on a path to isolationism.
I kind of applaud the heavy handed approach over visitor visas.. especially given the fact that we fully expect there will be people looking to get into the country simply with the goal of taking advantage of Olympic stage for their own political cause.
liliac: With food and water shortages and limited arable land to support its massive population, it shouldn't come as a surprise that China could possibly be not as welcoming as Canada and the US when it comes immigration.
Denmark is #1 in the world for resident happiness, perhaps the "Denmark Dream" is the measure stick for the rest of us.
Wait, so China is limiting visas because they don't have enough food and water? That is the biggest load of bullshit ever. Obviously you personally aren't concerned about this because you can still drink the Kool-Aid.
"Denmark's population in 2000 was only 5,336,394, and was projected to fall to around 5,200,000 in 2025. Thats the whole population of almost 3,844,829 in L.A. USA according "www.infoplease.com" as of 7/1/2005 and also probably HK, singapore, I wouldn't consider Denmark as a good comparison for a country with that kind of extreme small population with China, India, and USA being the 3 biggest populations on earth :)...
The article is about comparing the USA with the "American Dream". I just think it hilarious how these writers compare the HAN PEOPLE as "equal opportunity opportunists" and even calling it the "China Dream" I find it absurd to think Chinese people " are free of a history of institutionalized slavery (and enforced political correctness). If China truly is replacing America as a world superpower,trend of ..." Hahah. "enforced political correctness"??!! Since when did Chinese people have the freedom to say anything politically correct or incorrect in last 5000 years?? The bottom line, not only Chinese people "acknowedge that the Chinese have their stereotypes of dark-skinned Africans" they really don't want them and if they were a superpower as of now they also wouldn't want us "babarians". Another quote "Chinese will react to the inevitable consequence of cornering the world economy-- can China be the world's new melting pot?" as we said in the 1980's ...Japan, Russsia, India, and now China.."NOT"