There was, he said, greater acceptance of Europeans because they were viewed as successful, but mixed Chinese/white European couples frequently attracted racist comment.
One leading actress, Jiang Ziyi (章子怡), who has an Israeli boyfriend, has routinely been accused of betrayal for consorting with a foreigner. A stark reminder of official racism came last year when Ding Hui (丁慧), of mixed Chinese and African parentage, was barred from representing his country in the national volleyball team.
TABOO
China officially lists 56 approved ethnic minorities within its borders, but discussion about ethnic differences is largely taboo. Racial tensions have recently broken out between the Muslim Uighur population, who look more like Europeans, and the “Chinese”-looking majority.
In the era of late Chinese leaderMao Zedong (毛澤東) there was much talk of China’s brotherhood with the developing world, which led to many African students arriving to study in Chinese universities and the export of many Chinese workers to Africa, to help with development.
Tsao said that although modern China invested in African raw material companies, it did not trust local workers and instead imported its own. Many Chinese remain unaware that certain forms of behavior and language are unacceptable in multicultural societies elsewhere.
Unsurprisingly shaken by the fallout from what was supposed to be a talent contest, Lou and her mother are contemplating legal action against a Shanghai newspaper that they claim fabricated an interview about her father. In two years she will graduate. After that she plans to study in Europe or the US.
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