Stares

Some people stare and smile, some people stare and frown. Others stare and snicker, while others just stare. I’m still exploring some of the nuances of why many Chinese are astonished to see an African-American in China. My summer in Shanghai wasn’t filled with many of these encounters. However, the funniest one was when this old guy at the Forbidden City stroked my arm. I felt really awkward at first, but then relieved by his harmless curiosity.

In Beijing, lots of people stare at me. Although our Chinese texts constantly reiterate that Chinese is 现代化 (modern) and 不落后 (not backward) I find that hard to believe when so many of the 1.3 to 1.6 billion citizens here have never seen or heard an African or African-American—except on TV. I think the modernity of Beijing is linked more closely to China’s rapid economic development than it is to the open-mindedness and exposure of its citizens. Either way, I respect the gradualist openness of not only the Chinese government, but also the curiosity of individual citizens. Here’s a list of the encounters I’ve had with Chinese people so far. They are in no particular order; this is the order in which I thought of them. Some are funny, and some are not so funny. Rank them yourselves J

1. I’m standing on the subway train headed to eat Beijing Duck with some Yale friends who were also in Beijing. While swaying back and forth on the overcrowded train, my phone rings. I squeeze my hand between the rugged, hairy Chinese thigh pressed against my gym shorts and grab my phone. I squeeze it back through the hairy crevice and pick up the phone: 喂？(Hello?) The moment I said hello in Chinese the two guys in front of me shot looks at each other and dropped their jaws. I bet they were thinking: 那个黑人会说中文？我大吃一惊！（That black person can speak Chinese? I’m so surprised!) I finished my conversation—yes, in Chinese. (This has happened at least five or six times now.) I wouldn’t say these encounters are directly related to me being black, but the combination of being a foreigner and a black person both make this experience unique and interesting.

2. I went to interview the manager of a small cigarette shop just around the corner from my university. Not only was he surprised that I could speak Chinese, but he was also surprised that I didn’t want to learn Kungfu like Will Smith’s son in the new Karate Kid film.

3. While sitting outside at a bar in Sanlitun with a friend, Liz, and her high school buddies, we were approached by a very enthusiastic Chinese guy with a microphone. Trekking slowly behind him was his cameraman. They were interviewing foreigners to get their opinions on the World Cup Finals. As a joke, when he asked me where I was from in Chinese I responded that I was from Ethiopia (Hana, if you’re reading this you should be proud J.) He then proceeded to ask me a few questions about the political and economic gains and losses for South Africa. He also insisted that Ethiopia bordered South Africa, and when I corrected him he replied, “Doesn’t matter. Africa is Africa, right?” Ouch. So, here’s the funny part. He wanted me to sing and dance. He hopped around like a monkey and asked me to do what I think meant “tribal dance” or “traditional dance.” I laughed immediately and told him I wasn’t actually from Ethiopia, and that I was actually born and raised in the U.S. It gets funnier; he asked me to “rap-a,” which I gathered to mean rap. Jeez, at least I got a chance to be on online television.

4. A baby pointed at me in the mall and said, 妈妈，他不好看。他不好看。(Mom, he’s ugly. He’s ugly.) If you ask any of my friends, they will tell you I think every Asian baby is cute. This one was an exception J

5. I went to the Military Museum two days ago and was followed by a security guard. When I say followed, I mean as I looked at exhibits he would stand between me and the exhibit and stare. I finally decided to talk to him. I simply said “Hello”. He pointed at his arm. “Umm, is he going to try to touch my skin? Not again.” I thought. Then he asked was I from Africa, and I gave him the usual spiel about how I’m an American.

6. People take pictures of me and are not discrete about it at all—not one bit.

7. Some of the cab drivers in China are very talkative and curious; others are either uninterested or quiet for whatever reason. On the way home from Sanlitun last Saturday, I talked to a cab driver about whether he thought Holland or Spain would take the finals game. Then we discussed where we were from. He was from Hebei province, but I didn’t catch the city he was from. When he asked my nationality, I offered him the opportunity to guess. He immediately guessed that I was American. He then proceeded to tell me his distinct impressions of Africans and African-Americans. He thinks African-Americans tend to have lighter skin than Africans. This is true. He also thinks Africans have terrible personalities and that they are not friendly. This is probably not true. He thinks Africans only use Chinese among themselves. This can’t be true. Otherwise, for what purpose would they be learning Chinese? He thinks African-Americans are more open and tend to talk to him in Chinese more often than Africans. Ok, if that is true it is an awful generalization. Chinese people, because of limited exposure to other races, tend to generalize whole countries and entire races based on a single person’s actions. Wrong. I guess it’s ironic that my blog post sort of follows a similar logic. Are all Chinese people very curious? Probably not. Whoops.

8. My language partner, a Chinese graduate student studying English and American culture, asked me my interests when I first met her. I listed singing, dancing, hanging out with friends, politics, traveling…and then I had a mind block. I paused. But fortunately I didn’t have to pause any longer after she finished the list for me. 篮球 (Basketball), she said. Wow, I thought.

9. I hear this phrase a lot on the street, especially if I’m in a crowded, tourist-friendly area. 看到那个黑人.（Look at that black person.)

10. If I’m with friends who are white or Asian, Chinese people will often just practice their English with me. They’ll say “Hello” or “How are you?” Apparently, my friends just aren’t interesting enough.

11. The Silk Market has several floors of merchandise for purchase. It mainly attracts tons of foreigners. I went there with Adam, and we were bored and just going from floor to floor meeting some of the salespeople, trying to get to know them while they insisted on asking us to buy fake shoes, cameras, iPads, and high-heels. Taking the escalator from the third to fourth floor was quite a long ride. When I finally stepped off the final escalator step, a purse saleswoman greeted me enthusiastically. She said,  “Hello Kobe, need a purse-a for your mom?” That’s Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers player, to those unfamiliar with the NBA.