Hatred of blackness and black blood is not just confined to the shores of America, as the following article shows.
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Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 | by J. Baker
Lou Ching is an all-around normal and attractive 20-year-old girl from Shanghai who likes clothes, (presumably) boys, the mall and has big dreams of becoming a singing superstar. So big that in August she became a contestant on China’s Let’s Go! Oriental Angel, a televised talent contest much like our beloved American Idol. So what’s the big deal? Lou is Black.
To clarify, Lou Jing is biracial. The product of an extra-marital affair between her Chinese mother and an African-American man, naturally the circumstances surrounding her birth make for great TV, which the show’s producers have played up, and playing Lou in the process. A baby born out of an affair is hardly news in any country, but the simple fact that her mom slept with a Black man and Lou was born has made the girl the focus of a rapidly growing debate about what it means to really be Chinese. Lou’s birth and upbringing in China, and pretty much her life until now, has been disregarded by many simply due to the fact that she has Black blood in her veins, something that I suspect would be different if her father was White. Naturally, she and her mother have their fair share of haters, some just displaying outright racism and disrespect towards both of them, hidden by the cloak of the internet. Seen over at China Smack:
Lou Jing’s mother had a husband, then had an extramarital affair with a black man, then gave birth to Lou Jing, and then after her birth divorced.
And that black devil, after fucking ran back to his home in Africa.
It is unimaginable how that Shanghainese man [husband], excited and anxious to see his own “daughter”, must have felt when he saw that she was black…
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and while strolling through the comments, presumably made by Chinese readers:
There is nothing wrong with the daughter, but her mother is indeed a bitch/slut, married but still getting involved with a black person, probably for the great “love” too. Too bad the black man treated her as a toy. Chinese girls, please have a little more self-respect.
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Black people actually have a pretty high standing internationally, many famous fashion models and stars are all married to black people.
However in China, this kind of thing is a little embarrassing/shameful.
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I think this mother is still very great/admirable.
Willing to face her own mistakes, I ask how many TF here would dare to face [such mistakes].
A single mother able to bring up a daughter is already very difficult/impressive, much less one with a different skin color, the difficulties are imaginable.
Everyone has the ability to analyze what is right, what is wrong. Everyone think about it, don’t be so immature, opening your mouth to hurl abuse without thinking. Be a bit more understanding with other people.
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I think Lou Jing should not be condemned, she herself did nothing wrong, and if her father was an American white person, she probably would not be discriminated against. In the end, it is still racism.
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Black people’s tools/weapons are big! Her mother must have been very satisfied! Even having the audacity to go on television! Probably hoping that Africa can see [the television show], and [the father] will come to recognize his daughter, haha!
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I wonder, if Lou’s father was Chinese and had married an African American woman, would she and her mother be vilified in such a manner? It would be too easy, and too long (for this piece), to explore global perceptions of African and African American men and women, as well as double standards of male and female infidelity, so remind me to do that later.
Here in America, Lou probably wouldn’t so much as spark a flint of controversy, since bi-racial people are a part of our country’s DNA, but it seems that the outrage expressed over Lou in China brings to light the country’s awkward attitude toward it’s biracial population. And they are not alone, Japan just got around to making citizens of its estimated 20,000+ mixed-raced children, which is surprising given it’s post-WWII boom of biracial children. This is not to say that all biracial children in Asia are the victim of such attacks. Still, many suspect that children of Asian and non-Caucasian unions are often targeted more than their half-Caucasian counterparts, partially due to the fact that Caucasian standards of beauty are far more accepted in Asia, right down to the eyelids. Ironically, while Lou has been a catalyst in what seems to be an overdue debate, in America she would be seen as a Black girl, due to that wonderful “One Drop Rule” that dictated that anyone with African ancestry was black. But is that fair to her? Does that make Americans any better than the Chinese?
Seeing that American, unlike Asian, society is not homogeneous, even if some of us would like it to be, Lou Jing isn’t so newsworthy because of her skin tone, but more because she is an example of what the world’s future holds, and to some it is a scary prospect. As people of all colors and cultures increasingly open themselves up to travel and international living, naturally we will have to be willing to accept children with dual ethnicities and cultural sensibilities, no matter where they are. With increased immigration into EU, Asia and South America, from the Middle East and Africa, it’s no longer as simple as Black and White…or Asian.
Through it all, don’t think Jing is going down without a fight, she posted a response for her critics:
I am DragonTV Angel Lou Jing, and here I make a statement!
1. My father is American, not African.
2. I am a born and bred Shanghainese person.
3. I should not have to bear my parents’ mistake, I am innocent!
4. Sternly but strongly protest some people’s racism, my skin color should not become a target of attack!
I reserve the right to take legal action!
Word to Lisa Wu.
3 Comments
October 23, 2009 at 10:07 PM
The cherry picked quotes by China Smack doesn’t seem to be representative of the opinions in China. I searched the girls name and found as much, if not more, comments against racism:
“洪晃：我们凭什么歧视混血女孩娄婧” – “Hong Guan: what right do we have to discriminate against mixed blood girl Lou Jin”
“娄婧没有错，对娄母也应多宽容” – “Lou Jing is blameless, her mother deserves understanding too”
“看中国男人怎对娄婧母女发邪火” – “observing Chinese male-chovanism againt Lou mother-daughter”
“娄婧的呼声感人肺腑” – “Lou Jing’s appeal [to find father] moved me to the core”
“娄婧天使舞台证明自己和大家一样” – “Lou Jing’s stage presence proves she is the same as everyone”
“并不是因为她有着奥斯卡影后上海“哈利贝瑞”的称号。而是娄婧切身的故事” – “not because she resembles Halle Barry, but because of her life story”
“勿以肤色论英雄” – Shouldn’t judge by skin color
” “黑珍珠”娄婧证明自我” – “black pearl” Lou Jing proves self-worth
“娄婧比模特儿更美” – Lou Jing is more beautiful than models
“大家多谅解她吧” – people should cut her some slack
“娄婧是个小天使，这与她的肤色无关” – Lou Jing is an angel, matters not what skin color
“黑色只是普通的肤色” – Black is but a normal skin color
“很佩服你的勇气” – I admire your [Lou Jing's] courage
“自认为一番高论的鸟语,首先让我感到你真丢我们炎黄子孙的脸” – your [racist] self-righteous BS made me feel you’ve lost face for all Chinese
“应该让我们所有的人值得同情” – they deserve all our sympathy
October 23, 2009 at 10:08 PM
BTW, Lou has since stated in an interview that she would not be so vindictive to write a response like that; someone else forged her name.
November 28, 2009 at 9:50 AM
How beautiful she is!!!