Lou Jing 娄婧 update......................

Sometime ago I wrote a blog about racism in China which was brought to the national spotlight when a black Chinese girl Lou Jing appeared on the Chinese reality television show called “Let’s Go! Oriental Angels,” Lou Jing gained national fame and notoriety — largely for her skin color.
Now CNN international just did a story about Lou Jing, and racism in China.

Here is part of that story...........

Lou's experience has put a spotlight on perceptions of race in the country and the challenges China faces as its economic boom fosters a more ethnically diverse society.

"I am Chinese," Lou said. "But when I read the comments, I started to question myself. I never questioned myself before. This time I started to think about how I am different from others."

As China rapidly expands its ties with Africa, commentators said Lou's story exposes deep racism in China, where the ethnic Han are in a vast majority.

In the southern city of Guangzhou, where residents refer to one downtown neighborhood as Chocolate City,because there is a large African population concentrated in that area,local newspapers have been filled in recent months with stories detailing discrimination and alleging police harassment against the African community.

"In Guangzhou, to be frank, they don't like Africans very much," Diallo Abdual, told internationa reporters, he came to China from Guinea west Africa 1 1/2 years ago to buy cheap Chinese clothes to ship back to West Africa for sale.

"The security will beat you with irons like you are a goat," he said. "The way they treat the blacks is very, very bad." He and others pointed out the spot where in July several Africans jumped from an upper-floor window to escape an immigration raid.
One migrant was reported critically injured in the fall, and a large number of Africans marched on the local police station in protest. The Guangzhou Security Bureau said in a statement at the time that it had a duty to check that foreigners living in the city were there legally.

"In the same year Americans welcomed Obama into the White House, we can't even accept this girl with a different skin colour?" wrote Hung Huang, a talk show host and magazine publisher often described as "China's Oprah Winfrey.

Although Lou is still working towards her dream of being a television presenter, she said the episode had left her less optimistic about whether she can find a place on China's airwaves.

"They want a TV host who is considered traditionally beautiful," she said.

"Ever since I appeared on TV, I realised that maybe I don't fit the image of a TV host. Many believe a TV host should have white skin, high nose and big eyes."