African Expats in China Meet Opportunites and Discrimination

With an African expat population estimated at 200,000 and increasing by 30-40% each year, the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou now hosts the largest African community in Asia, known to locals as "Chocolate City." Large and and growing African expat communities may also be found in Shanghai, Beijing, and other Chinese cities, mirroring China's growing presence in Africa. Lured by lucrative business opportunities or study at Chinese universities, Africans in China also meet racial prejudice and discrimination. Chinese netizens express sympathy as well as hostility toward their African guests in comments reported at ChinaSmack (see also NetEase, QQ, ifeng).