Dark-skinned in Guangzhou

Hi aleigh and welcome to Expat.com!

Hope that you'll be soon enlightened.

Harmonie.

Hi, I am also dark-skinned, hehe. I am a Nigerian. i have read about scores of Nigerians in Chinese cells but those are the lawbreakers. If they do what they did here in Nigeria they would also be in jail. Truly Chinese schools don't want to employ dark skin people, even Americans. But I have managed to teach in some schools and universities here until I gave up teaching because of the 'problem' of being dark. It is good to really understand Chinese before making any conclusions though. I worked in a school where a white American was rejected and I was retained. So schools reject people for different reasons. I am now with a Chinese company that makes and exports wall/floor tiles. If you want me to offer advise based on my experience in China, please get in touch.

G.O. wrote:

Hi, I am also dark-skinned, hehe. I am a Nigerian. i have read about scores of Nigerians in Chinese cells but those are the lawbreakers. If they do what they did here in Nigeria they would also be in jail. Truly Chinese schools don't want to employ dark skin people, even Americans. But I have managed to teach in some schools and universities here until I gave up teaching because of the 'problem' of being dark. It is good to really understand Chinese before making any conclusions though. I worked in a school where a white American was rejected and I was retained. So schools reject people for different reasons. I am now with a Chinese company that makes and exports wall/floor tiles. If you want me to offer advise based on my experience in China, please get in touch.

If you were an American Chinese, you would also have difficulty finding a job teaching English here in China. A Chinese girl born in UK has told me the same discrimination he has encountered.

The General Chinese people in China have no way to tell whether you have a good knowledge in English so the convenient and easy way for these, say, recruiters, is to judge you by your race. To a typical Chinese living in China, a person who knows good English = Caucasian living in USA or UK. Period.

I quite understand. It may not really be a discrimination issue. I have seen a white American who was asked to dye his hair before he was given a teaching job in China. I have also seen many Chinese who were surprised to hear that a black man was from America. They were also surprised that there are white Africans. Personally, I have nothing against schools' decision to employ from whichever country they please.

Hi,

I'm Nigerian also. I'm an entrepreneur with a Hong Kong registered company with a Guangzhou office presence for efficient coordination of our sourcing and procurement business.

I've been commuting between both countries since 2004 and each stay lasts about three to five weeks and won't really say I've been discriminated against.

Once I was involved in fisticuffs on the train from Shenzhen to Guangzhou when some chinese guy insulted me because I ignored his inquiry about my origin.

In all I can say the chinese are generally very accommodating and tolerant.

They could often end up annoying or frustrating you while trying to be very helpful.

In summary, I will advise that you be open and experience things from a dispassionate and unbiased perspective.

Perhaps having a few expatriate friends can help relieve the boredom and loneliness.

Hope you enjoy your stay

Hi，Dear aleigh. Welcome to China firstly. My name is Ella, I am a Chinese. I have read all the words which other members described above. It is quite true. Regarding teaching jobs in china, Schools will make their final decision depends on many aspects, but mainly the comprehensive abilities. My university also has two black female teach English there for many years before. And if I saw any foreigners in the street need help, I would give him/her a hand no matter he/her is black or not.  However, congratulations to the above guys that they find their job or doing business well in China. And I hope and believe you will also find a job and live well in GZ, any thing you need help, you can feel free to contact me.  My contact is:
MB:13926142558     QQ:2414864455  Email:[email protected]