Mapping the New African Diaspora in China: Race and the Cultural Politics of Belonging

213 Pages·2017·3.97 MB·English

by  Shanshan Lan

Mapping the New African Diaspora
in China
When one thinks of African diasporas, it is likely that one’s mind will automati-
cally drift to locations such as Europe and America. But how much is known
about the African diaspora in East Asia and, in particular, in China, where race
is such a politically sensitive topic?
Based on multi- sited ethnographic research in China and Nigeria, Mapping
the New African Diaspora in China explores a new wave of African migration to
South China in the context of the expansion of China/Africa trade relations and
the global circulation of racial knowledge. Indeed, grassroots perspectives of
China/Africa trade relations are foregrounded through the examination of daily
interactions between Africans and rural-t o-urban Chinese migrants in various
informal trade spaces in Guangzhou. These Afro-C hinese encounters have the
potential not only to help reveal the negotiated process of mutual racial learning,
but also to subvert hegemonic discourses such as Sino/African friendship and
white supremacy in subtle ways. However, as Lan demonstrates in this enlight-
ening volume, the transformative power of such cross- cultural interactions is
severely limited by language barriers, cultural differences, and the Chinese
state’s stringent immigration control policies.
This book will appeal to scholars and students in the fields of China/Africa
relations, race and ethnic studies, globalization and transnational migration, and
urban China studies, as well as those from other social science disciplines such
as political science, international relations, urban geography, Asian Studies,
African studies, sociology, development studies, and cross- cultural communica-
tion studies. It may also be of interest to policymakers and non-p rofit organiza-
tions involved in providing services and assistance to migrant populations in
China.
Shanshan Lan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at
the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Routledge Research in Race and Ethnicity
9 Race and Class Distinctions 15 Blackness in Britain
Within Black Communities Edited by Lisa Palmer and
A Racial-C aste-in- Class Kehinde Andrews
Paul Camy Mocombe,
Carol Tomlin and Cecile Wright 16 The End of Black Studies
Conceptual, Theoretical, and
10 Making Diaspora in a Empirical Concerns
Global City Clovis E. Semmes
South Asian Youth Cultures in
London 17 Contemporary African
Helen Kim Amer ican Families
Achievements, Challenges, and
11 A Moral Economy of Empowerment Strategies in the
Whiteness Twenty- First Century
Four Frames of Racializing Edited by Dorothy Smith- Ruiz,
Discourse Sherri Lawson Clark and
Steve Garner Marcia Watson
12 Race and the Origins of 18 Return Migration and
Amer ican Neoliberalism Psychosocial Wellbeing
Randolph Hohle Edited by Zana Vathi and
Russell King
13 Experiences of Islamophobia
Living with Racism in the 19 Mapping the New African
Neoliberal Era Diaspora in China
James Carr Race and the Cultural Politics
of Belonging
14 Immigration, Assimilation, and Shanshan Lan
the Cultural Construction of
Amer ican National Identity 20 Doing Violence, Making Race
Shannon Latkin Anderson Mattias Smangs
Mapping the New African
Diaspora in China
Race and the Cultural Politics of Belonging
Shanshan Lan
First published 2017
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 Shanshan Lan for © 2017 Taylor & Francis.
The right of Shanshan Lan to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-1-138-67306-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-56216-2 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
To the many African and Chinese migrants who are struggling
to make it in Guangzhou

Contents
List of Figures viii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Becoming Africans, Becoming Blacks in
China 1
1 South China as the New Promised Land for African
Migrants 20
2 Chinese Internet Representation of African Migrants in
Guangzhou 45
3 Issues of Credibility and Trust in Grassroots Trade
Activities between Chinese and Africans 72
4 Chinese State Regulation of Undocumented Africans in
Guangzhou 94
5 Status Mobility, Community Networks, and Translocal
Belongings 119
6 Between Guangzhou and Lagos: Business and Family
Strategies of Chinese/Nigerian Couples 143
7 Negotiating Religious Freedom in China 165
Conclusion: China as a Key Site of Transnational Racial
Knowledge Production 185
Index 201
Figures
1.1 Fieldwork in China and Nigeria 26
1.2 African Markets in Xiaobei and Sanyuanli 35
1.3 Names and Addresses of Various Wholesale Markets in
Guangzhou, Written in Chinese, English, and Arabic 38
1.4 Map of Guangzhou’s Metro System Distributed in the African
Markets in Xiaobei 39
1.5 African Restaurant Near Sanyuanli 40
3.1 Poster in a Cellphone and Music Shop Run by a Chinese Petty
Trader in Tangqi Market 75
4.1 Community Office of Foreigner Assistance Near Sanyuanli 99
4.2 Poster in a Chinese Realtor’s Office 100
5.1 Canaan Market Near Sanyuanli 123
5.2 Advertisement for a Live Music Show in a Nightclub
Frequented by Africans 134
5.3 Campaign Poster of a Nigerian Politician in Guangzhou 136
7.1 Flyer for Afro- Asian Cultural Night Event 179
7.2 Gospel Tract Handed Out at the End of the Afro- Asia Night
Event 181
Acknowledgments
This project followed my migration journey from the United States, where it was
conceived, back to Hong Kong, where it was developed and funded; and to
Mainland China, where the ethnographic research was conducted; and to the
Netherlands, where the manuscript was finally completed. I owe a debt of grati-
tude to so many people that it is impossible to list all their names here.
First of all, I want to thank the many African and Chinese migrants who
kindly shared their personal life stories with me. Without their support, this book
could not have become a reality. For reasons of safety and privacy, I cannot
mention some real names here. In particular, I want to thank Kevin and Lisa,
who played critical roles in introducing me to the world of undocumented Nige-
rians in Guangzhou. Youssef, a Chinese Muslim migrant entrepreneur, who
kindly received me as a volunteer interpreter in his shop for three weeks, also
deserve a special mention.
In Guangzhou, my friend Yan Li and her family provided unconditional help
for my research in every possible way. I cannot thank them enough for their hospi-
tality and enthusiasm for this project. Jihong Li, another old friend, sacrificed her
free time searching for Chinese language articles on Africans in Guangzhou in her
university’s database. I will always remember her friendship and the many deli-
cious meals of fish and tofu she prepared for me. My previous mentors and friends
at Sun Yat-s en University: Ou Hong, Yanni Lei, and other members in the English
Poetry Society, have shown great interest in the progress of this project. I thank
them for keeping me relaxed with joyful conversations and pleasant dinner gather-
ings during some of the stressful moments of my research in Guangzhou.
For my research trip in Lagos, Nigeria, in summer 2013, I would like to
acknowledge the kindness and hospitality of my friend Charles Ifedi, who
offered me all kinds of practical help in time of need. Mr. Elvis Emecheta, the
national president of the Nigerian-C hinese Chamber of Commerce, kindly
invited me to his house as a guest and shared many of his fond memories of
China. I thank Ekeji Christopher and C.K. for accompanying me to different
markets and for arranging informal interviews with traders who had experiences
traveling to China.
For my research trip to Yiwu and Jinhua in November 2014, I would like to
thank Yang Zhou, Xiao Hui, Viola Rothschild, Jamie Monson, and Wei Xu for