Chinese, with brown skin
Photo credit: ImagineChina
Lou Jing, a pretty young woman from Shanghai has sparked considerable controversy in China with her appearance on an American-Idolish show entitled Go! Oriental Angel.
The controversy? Jing is multiethnic; her mother is Shanghainese and her father is African-American:
In many ways, Lou Jing is a typical young woman from Shanghai…But there is one thing that distinguishes this 20-year-old from her peers, something that has made her the unwitting focus of an intense public debate about what exactly it means to be Chinese: the color of her skin.
Lou’s ethnicity has been the subject of a relentless barrage of criticism, some of it crudely racist. Many think she should not have been allowed to compete on a Chinese show, or at least not selected to represent Shanghai in the national competition. She doesn’t have fair skin, which is one of the most important factors for Chinese beauty.
via Could a Mixed-Race Contestant Become a Chinese Idol? – TIME.
This is not the first time that such a controversy has erupted. Earlier this year Ding Hui, of Hangzhou, caused a stir when he made China’s national volleyball team. Hui’s father is South African father; his mother is from Hangzhou.
The most heart-wrenching story is that of Zhu Junlong, a baby boy found abandoned in a field in Shanghai with a note attached to him in 2000. In Chinese society, where male babies are prized, the reason for his abandonment is obvious—his skin color. Junlong appears to be of Chinese and African ancestry. He was taken in by Zhu Shuibao, a Shanghainese woman then in her fifties. Julong is allowed to attend school because of the generosity of school officials. But without any proof of his ancestry, he is not entitled to education or healthcare. He is a young boy who is viewed as having no nationality. These challenges are compounded by the fact that a sizeable number of multiethnic children are raised by single mothers, adding more societal stigmas.
There is hope for the future. Hines Ward, a NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers is of African-American and Korean parentage, and has brought significant attention to the plight of multiethnic children in South Korea. Ward was born in Seoul and raised in the United States. He returned to Seoul in 2006 to a hero’s welcome, and used the opportunity to raise awareness of the challenges facing multiethnic people in South Korea. Hopefully more of such initiatives will occur.
But some things haven’t changed: both Jing and Hui report that they are frequently asked why their Chinese language abilities are so good. The answer? Because they are Chinese.
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Tiger woods!
His parents are each 25% Chinese and he’s pretty much Thai (besides being African-American).But unlike Hines he hasn’t embraced the Asian side of the fam.
Another person worth inquiring about would be TJ Houshmandzadeh, WR, in the NFL. He’s half-Iranian and half African-American. I wonder what issues, if any, he’s dealt with.
You have a cool blog. The ‘hyphenated’ theme…
Oh. My bad. Your blog only deals with women of color =) So no Tiger or TJ.
In response to another comment. See in context »Good call on TJ; I’ll see if I can find some information on his story. Not sure what Woods has done in terms of charitable work in the Asian community–will have to check.
My primary expertise is in women of color, but on the blog I also address issues related to women, and people of color generally. Thanks for the heads up.
In response to another comment. See in context »Um, I am an American, and people in America think it’s okay to routinely ask me why my English is so good. It makes for a lot of awkward doctor’s appointments and interactions with neighbors.