Line Out Music & the City at Night

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Black China Girl

Posted by on Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 11:30 AM

Just in time for Obama's visit to China:

20090901blackgirl011.jpg

Lou Jing sings Shanghai opera and speaks fluent Mandarin, but when she competed to be China's next reality TV pop star, it was not her voice that was criticised — it was her black skin.

The daughter of a Chinese mother and an absent African-American father, 20-year-old Lou caused a media storm when she was named one of Shanghai's five finalists for "Let's Go! Oriental Angel," an "American Idol"-style show.

But her fame has been for all of the wrong reasons, after her appearance sparked a vigorous and often vicious nationwide debate on whether she was even fit to be on Chinese television because of the colour of her skin....

Even though Obama is wildly popular among the Chinese people and the country is rapidly expanding its ties with Africa, commentators said Lou's story exposes deep racism in China, where the ethnic Han are in a vast majority.

China, welcome to the future of the world. It's not where you are; it's still here, the racially diverse North America.

 

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Her features do look a little Chinese. Her skin tone might be the first thing people see, but the Chinese side is also visible, to me at least.
Posted by allie ballie on November 17, 2009 at 7:51 PM

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