Although China is a place of many things, one thing it certainly lacks is diversity. After having stayed here for almost three months, there have been many days when I haven't seen a single person of color. Before visiting, I was warned that I would get strange stares from the local Chinese and that people would want to take pictures with me, so most of what I have experienced was expected.

It never dawned on me that there may be some discrimination. I never thought to myself that simply because there were people in America who didn't like me because I'm black that there would be similar people in China. And I am glad these sort of thoughts didn't enter my mind when I came to China, because since I've been here I've experienced nothing of the sort.

I took to the streets to ask some other people of color how they've been treated by Chinese people here in Beijing, and I found their experiences to be quite different from my own. Melvin, a middle-aged Liberian, has found Chinese people to be not so fond of him. When asked if he thought Chinese people were nice and welcoming, his response was no. "Chinese people are not friendly, [when] you try to ask them something, they say they don't know. They are careless." Melvin has been here for six months and he finds it very hard to do simple things like hail a taxi or get help with directions. He also feels highly offended when taxi drivers smoke while he's in the car as if they don't care about his health or wellbeing. However, Melvin doesn't think he's discriminated against because of his skin color. "I don't think that it is a white or black thing. I think Chinese people just don't like foreigners." In light of current racial issues in America, I asked Melvin if he thought he would be treated better in America. He responded that he thought he would be because America is a democracy. However, I'm sure the two black men recently killed by police officers would beg to differ. Melvin is here learning Chinese and purchasing products to send back to his business in Liberia. Although, he wouldn't advise his family and friends to relocate to China, he said he would advise them to come for education or tourism.

Another African man living in Beijing shared a similar view of racism here in China. He says it isn't uncommon for a woman standing next to him to grab hold of her purse on a crowded bus or to move to another seat to stay as far away from him as possible. As a Nigerian who has lived here for a little more than a month, he has found it very difficult to find a job, which he thinks is mainly due of the color of his skin. He does not feel welcomed in China and is ready to return to his home country.

Denis, a 21 year-old from Uganda, has found his experience to be the complete opposite of Melvin's. He is here studying Chinese language at Beijing Normal University and has felt welcomed since he first arrived. He has made a few local friends, and they are always inviting him places and showing him around. He likes his professors and has found people in Beijing to be quite friendly. He has also become accustomed to the long stares and mini-photo shoots when visiting tourist sites like the Great Wall. Living in Beijing for 18 months has afforded him great experiences, and he is excited to move to Shenyang to complete his last two years of college.

If someone were to ask me if Chinese people discriminate against black people, my response would be no. I don't think the local people have a preference for white foreigners over black foreigners, or vice versa. However, I do think that some Chinese people welcome foreigners to the country more than others, but this is probably the case in any country. Although I don't speak Mandarin, when I go into restaurants, servers do their best to understand my "false" sign language. They even wait patiently as I look up words on my phone one by one. When I am lost on the street, people are nice enough to stop and do their best to help point me in the right direction. There are good people in the world and there are bad people in the world, but my time in China has introduced me to a lot of good people.

Mariah Breeze is an African-American intern from the US who recently graduated with a degree in international business.

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