作为黑人女性在中国的经历？

So I asked this in r/China yesterday and got mostly depressing responses. Some people told me to ask here instead, so here I am. I really want to know what it's like visiting China as a black woman. Mainly in Shanghai and Chongqing. I want to study abroad in Shanghai sometime soon, but I'm worried about discrimination and feeling isolated. I want brutal honesty because once I'm there I can't just return home, I'll be stuck there for an entire semester.
Is it easy to make friends? Will people take photos of me without my permission? Will I be able to go outside in peace?
 
昨天我在 r/China 上问了这个问题，得到的回复大多令人沮丧。有些人让我在这里问，所以我就来了。我真的很想知道，作为一个黑人女性来中国旅游是什么感觉。主要是在上海和重庆。我想在不久的将来去上海留学，但我担心会受到歧视，感到孤立无援。我希望得到残酷的真相，因为一旦我到了那里，就不能随便回国，我会在那里呆上一整个学期。
交朋友容易吗？人们会未经我的允许给我拍照吗？我可以安静地出门吗？

kangaroobl00
I’m a black woman in Shanghai, literally just moved a few weeks ago from the U.S. We also went on a house hunting trip in June for a week before moving in late July.
People have been friendly and I haven’t felt unwelcome anywhere. I’ve had one occurrence of someone aggressively wanting a picture with me but I think that’s more about the novelty of it. People stare but that’s cultural. My (white) husband gets stared at too.
My son is the only black kid in his grade but he has had no problem making friends.  There are a few black teachers at my son’s school. I’ve spoken to them about racism and they’ve had a similar experience. The vast majority of Chinese people you encounter will be cool and you shouldn’t have problems in more multicultural schools and workplaces.
The pros outweigh the cons so far. There is virtually no risk of police brutality (and the police I’ve encountered have been super friendly and helpful). Physical and property safety is like nothing I’ve experienced back home.
At the end of the day, negative racialized experiences can happen anywhere. For example, I loved Italy but have had black friends who reported terrible interactions with locals. You just need to go with an open mind and see for yourself how you get on.
 
我是一名在上海的黑人妇女，几周前刚从美国搬来。我们在六月份进行了为期一周的看房之旅，然后在七月底搬进来。  
人们都很友好，我在任何地方都没有感到不受欢迎。我遇到过一次有人强烈想和我合影，但我认为这更多是因为新奇感。人们会盯着我看，但这属于文化差异。我的（白人）丈夫也会被盯着看。  
我儿子是他年级里唯一的黑人孩子，但他交朋友没有任何问题。学校里有几位黑人老师。我和他们谈过种族主义的问题，他们的经历和我类似。你遇到的绝大多数中国人都很酷，在多元文化的学校和工作场所应该不会遇到什么问题。
到目前为止，优点大于缺点。几乎没有警察暴力的风险（我遇到的警察都非常友好和乐于助人）。身体和财产的安全感与我在家乡的经历截然不同。
归根结底，负面的种族化经历可能在任何地方发生。例如，我喜欢意大利，但有一些黑人朋友曾报告与当地人有过糟糕的互动。你只需要带着开放的心态去，自己看看会有怎样的体验。
 
linrongbin16
As a pure Chinese living in Shanghai, I can provide you two cases (hope I won't lose my reddit account for talking this):
Nobody, or very rare people will hate you just because of your skin color. Most people care about money, not what you look like.
When some Chinese companies want to hire a foreigner, they can even directly tell you: "You're black, but we want white". Such kind of attitudes is a no-need-to-hide thing in China. But the internal reason is: these companies simply think "white" skin can help making advertising for their company. It's never about the racist itself. See? It's still about the money.
 
作为一个生活在上海的纯正中国人，我可以为你提供两个案例（希望我不会因为说了这些而丢掉我的 reddit 账号）：
1. 没有人或极少数人会因为你的肤色而讨厌你。大多数人在乎的是钱，而不是你的长相。
2. 当一些中国公司想雇用一名外国人时，他们甚至可以直接告诉你：“你是黑人，但我们要白人”。这种态度在中国是无需掩饰的。但其内在原因是：这些公司只是认为“白”皮肤有助于为公司做广告。这与种族主义者本身无关。看到了吗？还是为了钱。
 
kangaroobl00
One thing I’ve noticed about Shanghaiese is their DGAF attitude. They’re busy, they are hustling and they pride themselves on being more cosmopolitan than other Chinese people.
And money definitely talks here. Shopkeepers have been obsequious and I can’t get my driver to stop calling me madame, like he literally refuses to learn my first name. The neighbors are moving and their Ayi practically threw herself at us trying to get hired. I gave her my WeChat and she keeps sending me pics of all the American families she has worked for over the years.  
If it bothers people that I’m black, they keep it to themselves.
 
我注意到上海人的一个特点，那就是他们的“DGAF（完全不在乎）”态度。他们忙忙碌碌、熙熙攘攘，以自己比其他中国人更国际化而自豪。
在这里，钱绝对是万能的。店员们都很谄媚，我的司机也总是叫我“夫人”，就像他拒绝知道我的名字一样。邻居们要搬家了，他们的阿姨几乎是来投奔我们，想让我们雇她。我给了她我的微信，她就一直给我发她多年来为之工作过的所有美国家庭的照片。
如果有人因为我是黑人而感到困扰，他们也不会说出来。
 
PanicLogically
What work is your husband or you doing to support you in China? Im curious about mature expats. English teaching seems to be the thing over and over. We may move--don't speak Chinese (learning) --got lots of degrees--me, two younger kids.
I see kid going to a private international school but a sustainable enjoyable job seems to keep coming up as Teach English.
 
您的丈夫或您在中国从事什么工作来养活您？我对成熟的外籍人士很好奇。英语教学似乎是一个反复出现的话题。我们可能会搬家--不会说中文（正在学习）--有很多学位--我带着两个年幼的孩子。
我想让孩子上私立国际学校，但是一份可持续的愉快工作似乎一直是英语教师。
 
kangaroobl00
My husband is middle management at a MNC and got sent over on an expat package. That’s the best way to do it IMHO, the benefits are out of this world. It took about seven years of continually expressing interest in a China transfer. I don’t want to divulge the specific industry but it’s a type of manufacturing. Most of the expats I’ve met on packages work in the automotive industry and then my son goes to school with some diplomats’ kids.
 
我丈夫是一家跨国公司的中层管理人员，他是以外派人员的身份被派到这里工作的。在我看来，这是最好的方式，福利非常丰厚。我们花了大约七年的时间不断表达对调往中国的兴趣。我不想透露具体的行业，但它属于制造业。我遇到的大多数享受外派待遇的外籍人士都在汽车行业工作，而我的儿子则和一些外交官的孩子一起上学。
 
MC-CREC
I want you two to look up Da Long, although he has gone through some stuff recently. China was always not as horrible as people think to people of color. I'm Mexican American and lived there for 20 years.
I experience more racism in the US pretty much anywhere then I would in China. Plus in China all you have to do is learn Chinese well, learn how to order food properly and everyone will melt in your hands.
The only red flag in China is if you work for a company that does anything high tech or anything of interest to the Chinese government that's when the fangs come out. Lastly if you start talking politics in the public space that's a no mo, which has gotten worse since ... toom power hence why I don't live there.
PS what school is your son going to if I may ask, may be my school.
 
我希望你们两个查一下大龙，尽管他最近经历了一些事情。中国对有色人种来说，实际上并没有人们想象的那么糟糕。我是墨西哥裔美国人，在那里生活了20年。我在美国几乎任何地方经历的种族歧视都比在中国要多。而且在中国，你只需要学好中文，学会如何正确点餐，大家都会对你很友好。  
在中国唯一的问题是，如果你为一家从事高科技或与中国政府有关系的公司工作，那时就会遇到麻烦。最后，如果你在公共场合谈论政治，那就绝对不行，自从***以来，这种情况变得更糟，因此我不住在那里。  
顺便问一下，你儿子上哪个学校？也许是我的学校。
 
Maitai_Haier
The truth is between r/china ‘s overly negative takes and r/chinalife ‘s overly positive takes. Racist violence is rare. Racial discrimination for jobs, housing, and in institutions is common. There are no enforced anti-racial discrimination laws so businesses/institutions/landlords etc. are free to have explicitly racist policies, that they even in certain cases tell you to your face exist, and your only recourse is to accept it.
 
真相介于 r/china 的过于负面评价和 r/chinalife 的过于正面评价之间。种族主义暴力很少见。工作、住房和机构中的种族歧视很常见。没有强制执行的反种族歧视法，因此企业/机构/房东等可以自由地制定明确的种族主义规则，甚至在某些情况下，他们会当面告诉你这些规则的存在，而你唯一能做的就是接受这些规则。
 
Ill_Acanthisitta_289
Okay, as much as I respect what China has given to me, I must agree with this. There are black communities in Guangzhou you might want to ask around in Guangzhou group.
 
好吧，虽然我很尊重中国给我的一切，但我必须同意这一点。广州有黑人社区，你可以在广州群里打听一下。
 
nosomogo
This is the truth. Anyone over there telling you it's going to be a nightmare is completely off-base. Anyone here telling you discrimination in the US is worse is outright delusional. You are being lied to by a lot of people and the truth is in the middle. Keep in mind that you'll be perceived though multiple lenses including "foreigner", "Black", African", "American", etc.
I'm not going to lie. You are going to have certain negative experiences. Definitely. You aren't "in danger" or anything like that and I highly doubt any of the negative experiences are driven by hatred, and how cool the whole experience is is really up to you.
I've had two instances of foreign friends having their hair snipped off with scissors by strangers on public transportation - one was a black guy with dreads and one was a white girl with flaming ginger hair. Hair. straight. up. snipped. off. It might happen. You'll need to get over it.
 
这是事实。那边（r/china）有人告诉你这将是一个噩梦，是完全错误的。这里（r/chinalife）有人告诉你美国的歧视更严重，简直是妄想。很多人都在对你撒谎，真相在于中间地带。请记住，你将通过多种视角被看待，包括“外国人”、“黑人”、“非洲人”、“美国人”等等。
我不会撒谎。你会经历一些负面的体验。确实如此。你并不是“处于危险之中”或类似的情况，我不觉得任何经历的负面体验是出于仇恨，而对整个经历的接受程度真的取决于你自己。
我有两个外国朋友在公共交通上被陌生人用剪刀剪掉头发的例子——一个是有辫子的黑人男孩，另一个是有火焰般红发的白人女孩。头发。直接。被。剪。掉。这样的事情可能会发生。你需要克服它。
 
OreoSpamBurger
Wow, and I thought having a random dude stroke my hairy legs on the train was weird.
 
哇喔，我还以为在火车上让一个随机的哥们抚摸我的毛腿已经算奇怪的呢。
 
_pistone
I can confirm, it was weird lol
 
我可以确认，这很奇怪，笑
 
zerox678
That IS weird
 
这确实很奇怪
 
Clcooper423
Wasn't weird for me, thanks hairy legged stranger.
 
对我来说不奇怪，谢谢你，毛腿陌生人。
 
Apparently, there are a lot of furry fans in China.
 
显然，中国有很多福瑞控。
 
Capital-Sorbet-387
I could be wrong, and I’m not trying to nitpick, but I don’t believe you’re correct about anti-discrimination laws. As far as I’m aware, there are laws in place that prohibit gender, ethnic and other types of discrimination. I’m also pretty sure that workplace discrimination is also in violation of the law. Chinese friends have assured me these laws are in place and you can get lawyers involved when experiencing such discrimination in education or at work - although I haven’t verified this.
However, I complete agree that such laws are rarely enforced and most people won’t go to the trouble of paying legal fees to fight such cases (especially when in areas where the legal system isn’t without corruption).
Also, I believe OP will be absolutely fine and enjoy her life in a city like Shanghai. Being black can be a barrier in certain circumstances (I’ve first had experience with a housing agent telling me the local police don’t want to house black people in the area) but in general you’ll be treated with dignity and respect. I’ve many black friends from South Africa and other African regions who find petty racism (comments and touching hair etc) annoying but it doesn’t deter them from enjoying life here.
The truth? Discrimination exists in China for everyone. Sometimes this will be because of your age, sometime because of your gender and even sometimes because of your ethnicity. If you’re worried for your safety, you needn’t be. You’re way safer here than in the US. If you’re particularly sensitive to not being treated equally (positive or negative), you’ll struggle.
 
我可能错了，我并不是想挑剔，但我不认为你关于“中国没有反歧视法律”的说法是正确的。就我所知，确实有法律禁止性别、种族和其他类型的歧视。我也很确定，职场歧视也是违法的。我的中国朋友们向我保证这些法律是存在的，当在教育或工作中遭遇这种歧视时，可以请律师介入——尽管我并没有验证这一点。
然而，我完全同意这些法律很少被执行，大多数人不会费心支付法律费用来打这样的官司（尤其是在法律系统并不健全的地区）。
我相信OP在像上海这样的城市会生活得非常好并享受生活。作为黑人在某些情况下可能会遇到障碍（我曾亲身经历过一个房产中介告诉我当地警察不想让黑人在这个地区居住），但总体来说，你会受到尊重和有尊严的对待。我有很多来自南非和其他非洲地区的黑人朋友，他们觉得一些小的种族歧视（人身评论和触碰头发等）令人烦恼，但这并没有阻止他们在这里享受生活。
事实是？在中国，歧视对每个人都存在。有时这可能是因为你的年龄，有时是因为你的性别，甚至有时是因为你的种族。如果你担心自己的安全，其实不必担心。你在这里比在美国安全得多。如果你特别敏感于不被平等对待（无论是积极的还是消极的），你可能会感到挣扎。
 
Donkeytonk
Not sure why you were being downvoted here. There are laws about racism but, BIG BUT, they often aren't followed or implemented on a practical level.
Racism exists to a large degree and as a black person you will experience it more than others, however, the type of racism will mostly be very different to the type of racism you might experience else where. In the west, racism towards black people is largely out of hatred and the legacy of slavery. In China it's more based on ignorance. You will have very few people who have any kind of strong hatred towards black people, but there will be a strong mix of stereotypes from the media (think global news media, films, sports, music etc), an assumption that black countries are poorer and less developed and a general distrust or overly cautious of anyone that seems different.
So what this means in practical terms - will you be in danger of getting hurt from a violent racist Neo nazi? Almost certainly not. Will you find it more difficult to get a job as an English teacher? Probably. Will you sometimes find it harder to flag down a cab? Sometimes yes. Will people you barely know invade your personal space to touch your hair out of curiosity? Probably will happen at some point. Will people come up to you to have your photo taken in public? Yes probably. Will young people assume you like hip hop and play basketball? Probably. Will people be amazed if you can speak Chinese to them? Yes. Will people quickly drop many of their assumptions as you get to know them? Absolutely.
Anyway, the more local a city, the harder it will be but if you're in a big city like Shanghai, you will most likely thrive.
 
不太明白你为什么会被点踩。有关于种族主义的法律，但是，一个大问题是，这些法律往往没有得到遵守或实际执行。
种族主义在很大程度上是存在的，作为一个黑人，你会比其他人更容易经历它。然而，种族主义的类型通常与其他地方你可能经历的种族主义大相径庭。在西方，针对黑人的种族主义主要源于仇恨和奴隶制的遗产。在中国，这更多是基于无知。对黑人具有强烈仇恨的人非常少，但媒体（想想全球新闻媒体、电影、体育、音乐等）会传播大量的刻板印象，普遍认为黑人国家更贫穷、发展较慢，以及对任何看起来不同的人普遍不信任或过于谨慎。
那么，这意味着什么呢--你会有被暴力种族主义新纳粹伤害的危险吗？几乎肯定不会。你会发现更难找到一份英语教师的工作吗？可能会。有时你会发现更难拦到出租车吗？有时会。你几乎不认识的人会因为好奇而侵犯你的私人空间，摸你的头发吗？可能在某些时候会发生。会有人在公共场合走过来让你拍照吗？可能会。年轻人会认为你喜欢嘻哈和打篮球吗？可能会。如果你会说中文，人们会惊讶吗？会。随着你对他们的了解，人们会很快放弃他们的许多假设吗？当然会。
无论如何，越是地方性的城市，生活就越困难，但如果你在像上海这样的大城市，你很可能会过得很好。
 
Typical-Pension2283
r/China is filled with a bunch of toxic racists and losers, most of whom have never been to China, so I would ignore everything from that sub.
Chinese people don’t care about political correctness and are generally very direct. Both Chongqing and Shanghai are large metropolitan cities, you will be perfectly safe and fine to go about without harassment. You will have plenty of opportunities to make friends in a college environment. If you can be genuine and keep an open mind, you will have an enjoyable semester.
 
r/China 充斥着一群有毒的种族主义者和屌丝，他们中的大多数人从未到过中国，所以我会忽略这个板块的一切。
中国人不在乎政治正确与否，一般都很直接。重庆和上海都是大都市，你可以非常安全地四处游玩，不会受到骚扰。在大学环境中，你有很多机会结交朋友。如果你能真诚待人，保持开放的心态，你将会度过一个愉快的学期。
 
Unlucky-Breakfast320
exactly this. dont go to r/China for anything related to China. Everytime i say something positive about china they ban me or downvote me. So all you get would be the made up shit because 99% users there has never been to China.
 
完全同意。不要在 r/China 上发表任何与中国有关的言论。每当我说一些关于中国的正面言论时，他们就会封禁我或给我点踩。所以你得到的都是胡编乱造的东西，因为那里 99% 的用户都没去过中国。
 
raspberrih
Caveat is that, some Chinese people may come across as extremely rude but they're really just being direct. That joke about Chinese people always sounding like they're arguing is kind of true. And a hearty argument could actually bring 2 Chinese people closer.
The cultural differences are quite jarring. If someone's able to not take things personally they'd have a much better time in China
 
需要注意的是，有些中国人可能看起来非常粗鲁，但其实他们只是直来直去而已。那个关于中国人听起来总是在吵架的笑话是真的。事实上，一场激烈的争吵可以拉近两个中国人之间的距离。
文化差异是非常醒目的。如果一个人能够不把事情放在心上，他们在中国的体验会好得多。