Chinese Racism Talk Peaks as Obama’s Visit Approaches

Racial controversy is on the rise in China because of 20-year-old Lou Jing, a mixed Chinese girl, who won a very popular talent show, Go! Oriental Angel. Next week, President Obama is visiting China, so this racial controversy couldn’t come at a more awkward time.

Lou Jing had never experienced discrimination until this past August when she defeated thousands of other young women on a popular televised show. Lou, whose father is African-American, was exposed to all types of racial slurs. Some from angry Internet posters which called her a “black chimpanzee” and some even went as far as to call for all blacks in China to be deported.

This turmoil comes a week before the President, who is mixed as well, visits the country. Some of the Chinese attitudes regarding race have been deep-rooted for a while, but has since been heightened with the election of the first Black president in America. Many Chinese appeared stunned that Americans had elected a black man and since President Obama has been in office, China has seen increasing numbers in the amount of blacks that live there. It is expected that his visit will also increase the number of blacks that visit the country.

With changes in race and equality reaching across the world, it will be interesting to see how the Chinese will transform and descend into the new age and ever-changing ties related to racism and the world.