Also on: https://medium.com/@yixuanheatherli/whats-chica-chi-na-africana-fd1baf90f50c
If you’ve found yourself stumble upon on this blog out of everything else you could’ve been browsing on the Internet, WELCOME, and thank you for joining me on a crazy ride!
I knew you probably didn’t know what to expect since you just got here. Don’t worry, I’m not too sure neither just yet. So that makes the two of us.
But in case you are not too familiar with the Spanish terms in the title, “Chica, Chi-na, Africana” could be simply interpreted as “the Chinese-African girl.”
It is my hope for this blog to serve as a space where I document my journey as and attempt to understand better of my own identity and find my voice in a fast-paced world that constantly moves from one distraction to the other, especially as a Chinese girl, in relation but not limited to the African, and pan-African communities surrounding me, and moreover, as a global citizen.
If you have been somehow following my journey since I returned to Beijing in July, 2017, you might have been curious about the fact that I’ve seemed to have been quite plugged in to a very diverse community, with a quite noticeable presence among my peers in a number of different “African”(aka black, even though these two terms are definitely not interchangeable) communities. In fact, I’ve been approached quite a few times by someone asking me both directly and indirectly about the reasons behind it.
To be honest, I’ve often wondered the same question.
How did I, an ordinary suburban Chinese girl with little to no exposure of people from other cultures until travelling overseas for the first time at the age of 18, get here just over the last couple of years?
What has a Chinese girl to say about race?
Like, isn’t China a mostly mono-cultural society?
As the discussion of race has occurred predominately in a western context in the past, it might have been strange to see a Chinese girl would wanna write about it, especially since it's about communities that’s not even her own.
While my first encounters with the issue of race have undoubtedly been inspired by my experience in America, it has definitely been enriched through my interactions with people from different communities around the world later through more international travels, and to my surprise, being brought to a whole different level ever since I returned to China.
Never would I have thought that I would have been able to reach people from all nations at my finger tips, both figuratively and quite literally, by coming back to Beijing, a city I call home, which has changed so much in the past few years that it almost feels like a brand new adventure for me this time.
I’ve been constantly amazed by the diversity of the internationals living in my city today, the depth of the cross-cultural exchange happening every day, and the openness people hold when so many different communities were almost pushed to live in such proximity in a city of 20 million people.
As a result, the issues related with race have unquestionably become more and more relevant and prominent each day, with so many factors contributing to the complexity of it under the unique Chinese context, but at the same time, creating tremendous opportunities.
The problem I have about race is that I would often find myself caught in a paradox. As my experience keeps adding layers to my understanding about race, somehow, the expectations from the world around me seem to have stayed flat. It's one of those things, where experience and knowledge, don't always add up to clarity.
But if the issue of race is so intertwined with so many aspects of reality and has real impact to my own and lives of friends that are so dear to me, then why wouldn’t I have anything to say about it?
In this sense, this blog is less about me trying to break out from this cycle, but more about adding my little piece into the puzzle.
Why Africa?
Back when I was 18 years old, finding myself alone in a foreign country for the first time ever in my life, I decided to make the most of my time. Although it did take me at least a year before I worked out my courage to really step out of my comfort zone, I have never regretted the time I spent on getting to know someone or engaging with a community of a different culture, ( which all contributed a fuller cultural lens for me and further shaped my identity as a global citizen).
My participation in African and pan-African communities might has been inspired by a series of seemingly-coincidental and personal events. But as I’m getting more comfortable with my friends referring to me as the “Chinese-African girl who was born on the wrong side of the world,” I’ve decided that maybe it wasn’t so coincidental after all.
Chinese reactions to African and pan-African culture have always been something quite interesting and unique, but only rise to catch international attention fairly recently with the occurrence of few events.
(Links to a few existing commentaries: https://blacklivitychina.com/2018/02/16/racism-with-chinese-characteristics-how-blackface-darkened-the-tone-of-chinas-spring-festival-celebrations/; http://www.sixthtone.com/news/1001881/can-black-panther-change-chinese-attitudes-toward-race%3F)
If you have read some of my previous articles and had personal discussions with me in the past, you know that I’ve come a long way.
As I keep reflecting on my past experience and embracing new opportunities with open discussions and fresh findings, I’ve finally come into peace with the fact that, maybe it is time for me to acknowledge the uniqueness of my own perspective, and start writing about race as a way for me to process, instead of accepting passively the side society automatically assigns me each time.
In this sense, this blog is solely a collection of thoughts based on my own personal experience as I continue seeking to educate and understand myself. It’s by no means intended for taking the weight off of anyone else’s experience, but with the hope of shedding a light from me. I’ve also recognized the fact that although I might relate to some of the challenges faces by the African and pan-African communities with my own experience overseas, but my views will of course still be limited as I certainly don’t identify with the deeper roots in history.
Speaking of which, I have actually yet to travel to the continent of Africa myself; but without a doubt, it will definitely be a cool eye-opening experience for me when I do get the opportunity hopefully in the near future. Fingers crossed! ❤
Above all, I deeply believe in the ONE LOVE that binds us all together as the human race, which will unquestionably set the tone for this blog no matter how far it goes.
Special thanks go to “the Mighty Hill Sisters”, especially to Chrysta, my sweet Liberian-American sister who is an aspiring screen-writer based in L.A. and a big source of support for me since the moment we said hello to each other once upon a time in London, England.
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