There is a crucial cultural component to Chinese relationships- face. Face is like a form of currency, you can get it, give it and lose it. To receive face is extremely important in establishing a reputation and having a standing in society. In this respect, the Chinese government is a great example of how far the country is willing to go to save face. The government has cleaned up “petitioners” and destroyed hutongs to make the country appear clean and modern. Stadiums are packed with “volunteers”, at least in front of the cameras, to make the stadiums look full. Dog has been removed from Chinese menus to appeal to foreign diners. They have gone so far as handing out a packet of Olympics Rules to Chinese people, like not picking your nose, how to stand in line, and not to wear clothes with more than three colors (what?). This all adds up, in the Chinese officials’ minds, to saving face and looking good to the foreign eye. But in one respect it has gone too far. In a report written on July 18th the South China Morning Post stated:

 

“Bar owners near the Workers’ Stadium in central Beijing say they have been forced by Public Security Bureau officials to sign pledges agreeing not to let black people enter their premises.“Uniformed Public Security Bureau officers came into the bar recently and told me not to serve black people or Mongolians,” said the co-owner of a western-style bar, who asked not to be named.’”

 

 

(The full report can supposedly be read here: http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/MDForum-viewtopic-p-902799.phtml. Note that due to internet restrictions and censorship I can not access this site and confirm that it is posted there. I tried to access the SCMP and could not find the article. The original article was sent to me via email by a friend.)

 

Why did China have these bar owners sign this document? Well, according to the report, some out-of-touch Chinese officials consider blacks and Mongolians “socially unacceptable.” In an effort to “clean up Beijing” they figure bars would be more appealing if they didn’t have these types of customers. This is not due just to racist prejudices, but also because, according to the officials, Mongolians and blacks were operating prostitution rings and dealing drugs in Beijing. Therefore, all blacks and Mongolians shouldn’t be let into bars through blanket discrimination. Flawless logic.

 

Now I don’t want this to be overblown. I have not personally witnessed anyone enforcing this agreement, nor have I heard of anyone experiencing blatant discrimination at bars. At the bars and clubs I have observed a proportional amount (by China standards) of people from many different backgrounds. According to the report, all copies of these agreements have been taken back by the authorities- for fear of criticism and losing face.  So, first they don’t want to serve blacks and Mongolians to “save face” then they want to rescind the “saving face” contracts to “save face” again. I don’t know where it begins and ends now. For me it shows how out of touch the authorities can be. So much for One World, One Dream…

 

(Note: I am still digging further into this SMCP article, which has received a lot of feedback online. Ranging from a translation mistake to being entirely inaccurate, the article is being thoroughly discussed. When I learn more I will post it here. It seems others are looking into it too, like this guy who has his own Beijing blog: http://www.beijingboyce.com/2008/07/18/um-really-scmp-claims-beijing-to-ban-blacks-mongolians-at-bars/ )

 

After I read this article I decided to do a little investigating myself. Last night I went to Sanlitun (Beijing’s bar district) to ask a guy I know who owns a bar if there was any truth to this story. And yes, according to a second-hand account (I was not able to confirm it with the owner at the time), it is true. –Note this story has changed since my original post.– After talking to more people this is what I have been told happened (and at this point it is all hearsay). One night, a few weeks before the Olympics, some officers walked into the owner’s establishment and gave him the agreement to sign. The bar owner told the officials that he already had a personal policy not to let groups of black people into his bar. One or two is ok with him, but he refuses service if they come in a large group… this seemed to have appeased the officials and they left without making him sign the document. (I didn’t know this about this particular owner until tonight and if it turns out to be true I will refuse to go to his bar. I would first like to talk with him personally to confirm his story and “policy.” I don’t know if this is an isolated case but I do know from experience that there are plenty of places in Beijing that cater to all types of customers.)

 

What is evident is that there is a deeper trend here. Diversity in China, in my experience, is not often discussed. In a country that is 97% homogenous (95% according to the CCP) it’s easy to ignore diversity as an aspect of society. The racism I have encountered can be appalling (although no more than in some parts of the United States). I know this is a sensitive subject to discuss but one that certainly merits a post. Working for a homestay organization I know first hand that black exchange students are far harder to place with a Chinese host family. It can be, by the accounts of my friends who are black, very hard to get by here. As a white foreigner I know that wherever I go I always stick out. You can’t not be noticed- even in big cities. In rural villages you stick out like, well, a blond-haired blue-eyed guy in a sea of black-haired, black-eyed people. And that can be tough. But, in my experience, the prejudices aren’t nearly as severe against white foreigners as black ones. For example, I have a friend from Occidental whose father is African-American and mother is from southern China. Her skin is pretty dark and Chinese people often refuse to believe that she is even part Chinese. To sum up the lack of sensitivity, there is a “black people” toothpaste. In China, it is generally believed that black people have the whitest teeth, so it’s obvious that a company should sell toothpaste called “Darlie: Black People Tooth Paste.”

"Darlie: Black People Tooth Paste" (literal translation)

"Darlie: Black People Tooth Paste" (literal translation)

 

(I have taken down a picture I had up earlier of a tube of toothpaste that translated literally as “Little Black Sister.” It turns out this is a nickname for girls in southern China that have darker skin, and means “cute” or “lovely” and does not refer black people.)

 

Wow, it makes me uncomfortable just writing this. (I have also seen white people toothpaste, but have never heard that particular stereotype.) When I try to explain to Chinese people that this is racist I usually get blank stares or a shrug. I feel the dialogue just isn’t sufficient on these issues here.

 

This is not to say that there isn’t a spectrum of beliefs about people from all backgrounds: be it sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity etc. The difference is it is not openly talked about and many prejudices that are formed are taken as truth because no other points of view have been offered (I realize this is also true of many places in the US.) After talking to a few taxi drivers and you’ll hear all about how bad X minority group is for one reason or another. And when a person is raised believing that people are gay because “their parents made them wear girl’s clothing” (I have heard this from Chinese before) it is taken as fact. Of course, you can encounter this sort of thinking in the US as well. But, in China, I have noticed a distinct lack of public dialogue on these issues. It’s more pushed to the wayside, which in my opinion, creates rifts and damaging misunderstandings among social groups. Sure, China does make the effort to show the outside world it actively embraces its 56 ethnic groups (the Opening Ceremony is a good example of this, and 56 is the number China officially recognizes). But on the other hand, it intentionally dilutes minority populations by facilitating the migration of Han people into minority areas to make them less politically dangerous and active.

 

I do think, however, that the Olympics may be helpful in alleviating some of these prejudices. In this regard it is wonderful that people from all over the world have come to China for the Olympics to facilitate cultural diffusion- and people from around the world can understand more about China. After attending the Athletics events tonight I noticed the crowd, which was predominately Chinese, cheered for every athletic accomplishment regardless of the athletes nationality or ethnicity. This sort of exposure to a variety of people is doing wonders in enhancing multi-cultural understanding. And, in this respect at least, the Olympics is a huge success.

 

(Note that I have seen thriving gay communities in China, unofficial churches and underground mosques (there is one next door to me, they gather for church on Sundays) and I have encountered many open-minded, accepting Chinese. I would hate to categorize an entire country by one post, and hope I have not done so here. These are simply a few of my experiences and observations.)

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