Michael Hurt’s collection of racist imagery from an English-Korean dictionary for youth readers http://metropolitician.blogs.com/scribblings_of_the_metrop/2006/02/where_do_korean.html will likely prove shocking to Western audiences, but as someone who’s been teaching in China, I’ve long been aware of the anachronistic presentation of the races, especially blacks, in Chinese texts. While Chinese are eager to point out their (mis)understanding of the level of American racism — thanks to a steady diet of Hollywood movies and old-fashioned propaganda, it’s commonly assumed that the US has made no progess in race relations since the 1950s — they overwhelmingly associate dark skin with ugliness and sinister personalities.
What’s more, although individual black athletes and entertainers are respected and idolized, a “generic” black person is often perceived by Chinese, even well-educated ones, to be dangerous or ignorant. This phenomenon is reinforced by some racist English teachers who tell their students to avoid black people if they go to America, otherwise the students — and I quote — “might get robbed.” Considering this, it comes as no surprise that while Chinese tend to be fascinated by mixed-race persons of European/American and Chinese ancestry, with Eurasian Hong Kong stars like Karen Mok filling cinemas and billboards throughout China long before the Korean media contemplated someone like Hines Ward, pairings between Chinese and blacks are criticized, and few Chinese would fawn over a mixed black-Chinese baby the way they fawn over Eurasian children.
These criticisms aside, China on the whole appears to have a healthier attitude towards non-Asians than the Koreans do. Mixed couples are accepted by most Chinese, and Chinese lack the bizarre blood-is-destiny fixation of Koreans and Japanese. Chinese will sometimes speak of their superiority, but this is expressed almost always in terms of culture, much as an American or Frenchman would extol the virtues of their culture. Even though the vast majority of Chinese are “Han people,” the Han are less a coherent racial group and more a constructed identity, similar to the background of African-Americans. Han in the south are short and share a common history with Vietnamese and Thai peoples, while the northern Han are taller and find among their ancestors the hardy people of the Asian steppes. This diversity among Chinese people tends to nullify notions of “racial purity,” and goes a long way towards explaining why China is more pluralistic than Korea and Japan.
Returning to the case of Korea, we admit that it’s not feasible to transform Korea from a homogenous country into a melting pot, so confronting backwards attitudes about race can only come through education and popular culture. Racially anachronistic texts have no place in the education system of a “modern” country. Koreans who complain about dubious history texts used in 3% of Japanese schools ought to ask what percentage of Korean schools have materials like the dictionary Mr. Hurt pointed out.
At the same time, rather than pat the country on the back over the accomplishments of Hines Ward and other mixed-race Koreans, the Korean media ought to explore the lives of mixed-race and mixed-ethnicity Koreans in Korea and abroad. Is it too much to ask of the Korean film industry that they take a break from churning out Sunshine Policy-inspired “one Korea” fantasies and unexceptional cookie-cutter romantic comedies and force audiences to confront their own prejudices
i'm still digesting everything i just read so i don't have any specific to say other than fascinating article, it always interests me to know how americans-- especially black americans-- are perceived in other lands/cultures.
Zsana, thanks for sharing the article. I am a black American and worked in China( not Beijing or Shanghai but in a faraway region) for about two years. I absolutely loved it - the people, the culture, learning Mandarin. Despite my workload, I took advantage of every opportunity for extensive travel throughout the country, learning calligraphy and interacting with the largely Han ethnic group and the minority peoples through festivals, holiday celebrations, etc. My experience as a black American, was not atypical of what other foreigners(waiguo) - "white", other asians, etc normally experience - the almost daily stares, which for the most part, stem from curiosity from having never seen in person one of a different phenotype, especially in China! And, yes, there were some not so pleasant moments, but the good far outweighed the bad as many Chinese were eager to initiate conversations with me, ask me questions about where I was from, what I did for a living, how old I was, if I had any children, if I liked China, etc. Many dream of visiting or living in America and loved to discuss American celebrities. I was happy to share all that I knew. And, given the extreme color-consciousness that exists there(many Chinese women aspire to having only white, pale skin as the standard of beauty) I encountered many women and men who would say "piaoliang" (which means beautiful in Mandarin) to me. I experienced excellent service in various establishments, I believe for the most part, because of my phenotype, hair and dress and folks just wanted to get up close to me because of my difference. As far as any anti-black or anti-foreign bias, I honestly cannot speak for what might have truly been on the minds of people who might have yelled "feizo"(African), Hindi (yes, some folks mistook me for East Indian) or "laowai"(slang for foreigner), but I will say that people will sometimes react based on what they have seen or heard portrayed in the media or by others based on how you look. Also, their culture plays a large part on how they act, especially in group settings. My own prenconceived notions and views about Chinese people and their culture were definitely blown away after having truly experienced its awesome culture and its nuances, and I am still learning. Thanks for allowing me to share.
Being stationed in SE Asia, I found S. Koreans and Chinese to be friendly.
They have been taught that black people are "an enemy" by those who carry that story and it has been around since around the 1950's, at least in Korea with American occupation. The Chinese situation seems to be lack of knowledge and media that depicts "blacks" as muggers and other un-nice attributes! While saying that, ther eare those who have come to believe much of that media image but again China is doing business with Africa so they must behave. The future looks positive!
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