Interesting. I was going to say I’ve always had the complete opposite experience in the country pub environment. Friendly chat, those with dogs asking you if it’s ok that their dog wanders around while they enjoy a drink with their friends etc.
Funny how our experiences can be so different. But kind of shows how the perception of the topic lies.
I’ve been to China when I did a Great Wall of China trek challenge.
On my day off in Beijing city centre, there was a moment when I was treated a bit like a celebrity, a group of people came up to me wanting to take group selfies with me in the centre, putting their arms around me, etc.
I laughed it off at the time after being a bit confused, and they did similar with my blonde friend on a different day 
But I was mentally prepared to stand out, so it made that a little easier. I learnt more about them too in terms of what they are exposed to.
That’s a gradual process.
I like to see the good in humans and for most parts, wherever I have been (granted it’s not to many places) people are nice, especially if you are a tourist.
Experience as a resident could be wildly different for sure.
Treated fine. I mean the Chinese do have a kind of inbuilt race hierarchy, but they are obsessed with viewing things through a racial lens. If anything I always felt they were more racist against themselves though, as they will treat white and black people like celebrities, whilst treating themselves like shit.
I think for many Chinese when they play with a black persons hair or ask a white ginger women if she has ginger pubes (yes that happened to someone I knew of) it’s because they haven’t seen a foreigner before plus have a low education. It’s the same as the British countryside except we have a better education so instead of pube questions it’s looking at you.
Yeah, do they?
Oh yeah. If you spend time in China expect some dreadful questions. My female Chinese boss once told me that of course I have little secrets (meaning secret lovers) because I’m white.
I think he was asking if ginger women do indeed have ginger pubes lol
Trion, it varies.
I really don’t think it’s that controversial. I moved to Ramsgate 6 years ago a heavily white area (still is) and I think the most striking factor is the locals lack of interaction with ‘different people’ is way less than you think (Many times non-existent). Even among young people I spoke with (small sample size I know) I was surprised at how many said they’ve never seen a black/mixed person at their schools or even made friends with one. With no personal experience to draw from, you rely on preconceived notions.
I didn’t really receive much staring but even conversing with locals was an…‘unique’ experience, my mother who is black got a lot of stares even talking through the town centre when I was with her or just doing shopping. Some people were very anxious and uncomfortable speaking towards minorities. Some have just never seen one in real life ever. Most find out we’re just like them. It all improves over time. I do remember a lady on my street who was repulsed at the sight of us when we tried being friendly and greeting and shut the door on our face. Can’t please racists, but that’s how it goes.
So yeah it definitely an daunting experience, one that I can definitely see not everyone signing up for. I don’t think it’s anything malicious what happened to me or mother though, the racists were obvious (racists are shite at hiding their racist tendencies) a lot people really just don’t know any better and breaking down those barriers take time…and effort because it takes two to tango on this.
My gran is a great example of how it just takes some experience.
If you spoke to her normally you’d probably think she was a massive racist with the outdated expressions she uses etc. But she actually really likes black people, again she’ll express it in a way that sounds racist, but she genuinely means it because black American soldiers were nice to her during the war and she’s never forgotten that.
Couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve had friends go out there and speak of the horror experiences they had. Crowds of people around them taking photos, being refused service in certain places and treated disrespectfully in others.
My friend studied medicine out in China and pretty much dealt with episodes of racism the entire 5 or so years she was out there.
Let’s be honest, it would be foolish of a black person to move base to Asia. They would be so isolated and alone. The treatment won’t be bad but making friends would be very difficult, especially if you arrive as an adult
Its usually going up the country for me and the further north you go the more that hate southerners and Essex people especially 
hahah
That fucks me right off.
They’ll be asking if it’s OK to have a pissing section in a swimming pool next
I think the 2 things are a bit different, no?
A dog harmlessly wandering around at the consent of those around him vs a dog pissing in a swimming pool.
Why would they be anymore alone then say me? There are plenty of people to make friends with. An entire country of millions.
Can I ask where they were?
I’ve had black and Arabic friends in China and they were happy, had friends, and were treated as well as I was. Having crowds of people wanting your photo is, from a certain viewpoint, a nice thing to receive. That’s happened to me literally hundreds of time. Worth also noting some of the privileges we foreigners get in China, better work rights and salary, women falling over you, people wanting to pay for your meals and give you gifts, invites to places. The only people who I know who struggled in China were Asian Americans because the Chinese, not all obviously, but employers mostly, refuse to accept you’re American because you look Chinese. Marrying into a Chinese family as a foreigner can be difficult, I was lucky on that score.
That’s a very white thing
No it’s not.
yeah agree, a good example is a dude I became friends while I lived there who is from Ghana who worked there. It was very apparent how liked he was by the community (he was also the only one around who was interested in watching football games with me in the middle of the night lol), both hanging out with him for half a year and seeing how people treated him on a daily basis in various places and environments and talking to him about it, his experience was that it was better there than most places he had been. It was mostly things like what you point out, getting the celebrity foreigner treatment we all got here and there, people pointing staring and giggling, that kind of stuff.
If you were capable of being nuanced you could often tell a clear difference between the typical infected historical political equality fight team-ideology-clash-crap we work with here to try and reach equality and unaffiliated individuals being uneducated and/or naïve displaying silly ignorance and insensitivity not having thought about it much and knowing little about the world outside their bubble, which is what he mostly said he experienced there. Not saying it doesn’t exist, just that most of it was of a different nature.
Yeah, totally agree. It would be so easy to assume racism if unfamiliar with China. Rude service is a great example. But the rudeness is ingrained into Chinese service and it happens to everyone, especially to Chinese themselves. Or someone not serving you as pointed out by @SRCJJ. Just as likely the Chinese person has assumed they cannot possibly communicate with you and so have gone into shut down mode. A good old…I.AM.SPEAKING.CHINESE.TO.YOU.ARE.YOU.LISTENING.TO.ME usually solves it.
On small scale stuff China is as you say just bubble mentality. On bigger issues I found China to be one of the least racist places I’ve ever experienced. Not once in a decade did I hear of any racial assault or racial harassment.