No Blacks, Mongolians Allowed At Beijing Bars: Report

Hong Kong's English newspaper The South China Morning Post reported Friday that Chinese authorities have issued a secret ban on blacks, Mongolians and other "social undesirables" from Beijing's bars during the Olympics.

As the content on South China Morning Post's site is for subscribers only, here is an excerpt of the article c/o the Beijing drinking blog Beijing Boyce:

Beijing authorities are secretly planning to ban black people and others it considers social undesirables from entering the city's bars during the Olympic Games, a move that would contradict the official slogan, "One World, One Dream".

Bar owners near the Workers' Stadium in central Beijing say they have been forced by Public Security Bureau officials to sign pledges agreeing not to let black people enter their premises....

Security officials are targeting Sanlitun, which Olympic organisers expect to be a key destination for foreign tourists looking for a party during the Games.

The pledges that Sanlitun bar owners had been instructed to sign agreed to stop a variety of activities in their establishments, including dancing and serving customers with black skin, they said.

China's preeminent English-language media analysis site Danwei didn't lend credence to the SMCP report, calling the high-level ban "unlikely." However Jeremy Goldkorn writes on Danwei that "it is highly plausible that some low level cops have issued such instructions, especially with the current state of high alert in Beijing making officials and government agencies paranoid and very nervous about foreigners."

Further investigation by Beijing Boyce, who interviewed Beijing bar owners on the alleged ban, found that low-level Beijing cops have been visiting the capital city's watering holes and warning owners and employees to keep their eye on black patrons. According to an update Saturday on Beijing Boyce:

An owner said police met with Sanlitun bar reps and told them to monitor black patrons. He said the police told the reps that drug dealers are predominantly black in the area. He said the police did not ask bar owners to ban blacks.

Comments

[Merckx]

Well the Mongolians can be a bit of rough crowd.

[sixletters]

There are black people in China?

[Kazembe]

Now... if the bars in Beijing had issued the ban on Jews... I wonder if the Obama campaign would go through with its purchase of $5 million in advertising. My guess is "No." The world would be outraged. But because it's a slight against Blacks... who cares, right?

I really seriously question the integrity of his campaign.

[2cntswrth]

I'm not sure why you would think the Obama campaign somehow endorses racism against blacks by the Chinese. I'm not following the logic. (Especially since you don't seem to dole out any of the blame towards McCain). In fact, this article doesn't seem to have much to do with either candidate. But is does say a lot about racism. Racism, is indeed an ugly blight upon those who perpetrate it, regardless of where it comes from. Sadly to say, often foreign countries take their cues from how blacks are treated and regarded here in America. What would really address the problem is if we all would stop buying anything with a "Made in China" label. But then, there wouldn't be anything to buy since that's how Walmart and others stock their shelves and clothing racks.

[OlDirtyHastert]

Oh sure, it’s easy for you politically correct types to complain about discrimination and all that, but I bet none of you has ever had to deal with Mongols in your bar. You let even one in, and pretty soon they’re bringing their Tatar and Tuvan friends, and before you know it, the entire place is overrun with Merkits, Naimans, Bahkirs, Yakuts, Tanguts, Samoyeds, and Uyghurs. Not to mention the Buryat Forest Peoples, the Nomadic Horsemen of the Irkutsk Oblast, and the Tungusic Tribes of Northeastern Siberia. Pretty soon you’ve got the entire Kipchak Khanate in there, and they take over the whole damn place. They start doing shots of Yak’s milk and throat singing, one thing leads to another, and then one of them flashes a Horde sign, causing a Scimitar fight to break out in the Men’s room between the Blue Horde and the White Horde. And the next thing you know, they’ve trashed the entire place before you can even call the Cossacks. Then you’ve got to read in the papers the next morning about how they’ve sacked the Khwarezmid Empire and burned Kiev. So No Thanks! Stay at home in your yurt where you belong, Tamerlane. Your kind isn’t welcome here!

[baronmerlot]

Great post! Had me rolling!

[stepintothelight]

I am amazed at all the apologizing and excusing going on here for China. Let the white people think they have slid by another edge on the Karma Blade. Meanwhile .. your dogs, cats, babies are all being well taken care of. Poison juice drink anyone? Freshly shipped in from ... You guessed it!!!

[SilkySoul]

You will not see the western media reprint the official response from an official Chinese
spokesperson denying this total fabrication.Google it you'll get 1 hit,google this l/i/e above
and get 317,000 hits.....
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/21/content_8741843.htm

[j0em0mma]

Finally! Our own nation is starting to treat us like the Chinese treat their citizens! Honestly, Silky, don't you find your statement about not seeing news stories in the US compared to China just a tad ironic?

[11907281]

Wow the G0vernment pr0paganda arm says it's not true so it must be a l/i/e. If Chin@ allowed freedom of the press then we might bite, but if you call the dali lama a very dangerous man ... you get laughed at and called out on the fr@uds you are.

[j0em0mma]

They probably feel like this is way less drastic than killing Tibetans, what's the big deal?

Boycott the Chinese Olympics NOW. Probably ought to start boycotting the toxic exports, too, including the concept that capitalism can work without some form of Democracy. Can anyone hear that incessant, burmish ticking emanating from Asia?

[moodyring]

Disgusting. Deplorable. And the worst part is how few people give a damn.

[schicklett3]

Tell me again WHY the olympics are in China???????????????????

[stepintothelight]

I think the word you are looking for is appeasement!!!

[american2008]

Sounds like certain parts of Alabams and Mississippi.

[MyTake]

The 1934 Olympics saw the Nazi's do the same thing. Hitler shook hands with the white guys and wouldn't even look in the direction of "persons of color" who won the race events. Now the Chinese Communist are are sweeping "persons of color" out of the public view.

Congratulations to the Olympic Committee for selecting a non-democratic country for these events. In fact, with the bulk of the athletes either using or having used performance enhancing drugs, the Olympic Committee should just close down operations.

In fact, I still have not gotten over that large jumbo jet that China flew around the World with that "extinguished" Olympic Flame inside. It left a carbon footprint of enormous proportions, not to mention the grief, anxiety and protests made against these Communist thugs.

It is good that the G8 leaders show up. It tells the world that they will do business with any cabal of criminals that invite them in.

They should host a post Olympic contest on the Internet to pick the names of the elite athletes that are most likely to admit to using performance enhancing drugs!

[TerryWrist]

all what a whinger know is whinging whenever and wherever
the world really will better off without whingers

[edtastic]

I am black, and I lived in China for many years. The Chinese people are not racist. China has had a long standing relationship with Africa. Any tensions between Chinese and other ethnic groups stems from a general xenophobia or more so a sense of caution in dealing with people from outside the Chinese culture. Being that Chinese culture is fairly homogeneous across a enormous swath of the population, it is reasonable the people would be unaccustomed to living with people with different attitudes. Nonetheless, the Chinese have proven rapacious consumers of cultural diversity.

Blacks in China are accepted as African, or African American. In my time their I did not see overt discrimination against one or the other with the exception of image conscious companies or schools who seek to higher "Professional Looking People". In a White male dominated world, that would be a White man. Outside of that their was no double standard of treatment. Blacks were embraced and in some way less feared because historically Whites have been the exploiters and even the average Chinese is aware of fighting of white foreign invasion. In that sense you could say Chinese feel some solidarity with the victimized colored people of the world.

To sum it up, Chinese are not racist i feel very loved in China by the Chinese people and they are arguably some of the best people I ever met (even if boring at times).

[Jasel]

I've talked to blacks who lived in China and while most of them described their experiences as positive what you're saying sounds like some alternate reality. They definitely dealt with a lot of issues in China because they were black but they didn't let it ruin their entire view of Chinese or China.

[thankulord13]

So what you are saying is it is not much different then life in America for Black people, in fact one might even venture to say that it is a tad better...

[TerryWrist]

Chinese like black people especially these blacks who play good basketball

[DedicatedDiva]

I can only add my most recent experience. My Fiance is a Nigerian permanent resident alien who has lived in the U.S. since his was 18 and arrived at college in Florida in 1980. Last month he was invited by a Chinese manufacturer that his U.S. company was negotating a contract with. He was told by the consulate that due to his Nigerian passport he would not be allowed into China until after the Olympics. I don't think the article was off base at all.

[edtastic]

The ignorance I see here is appalling. As a black person living in China for many years I know Chinese are not RACIST. The Chinese are kind, respectful, tolerant, warm hearted toward all the people that come to their shores in peace. If anything as black person living in China I felt I was treated better than I have ever been treated anywhere in my life. I have black friend from Beijing to Shanghai and they speak of no racism. The respect the Chinese people show highlights the injustice in America if anything. These people from half way around the world see us as people, where as Americans are still debating whether or not they can vote for a person of African decent.

China is NOT EXPLOITING AFRICA, China is investing in Africa. Africans are quite welcome in China and make up the overwhelming majority of blacks their. Africans own factories, do trade, and run very successful businesses. Africans are also represented in the entertainment industry as singers, DJ's , dancers, and Musicians.

I don't know who I am ashamed of more. The people trying to discredit China and its great people, or the Editors whose ignorance about the wider world perpetuates unfair stereotypes of non western countries.

[ebanks84]

I'm sure that you're aware that your experiences might not be that of every other black in China. I just read another's experience (an African) who reports quite the opposite of yours. So you must speak for yourself only.

[jnik]

Forget Edtastic. He's a Chinese plant. Look at his lack of pronouns.

[blueskybigstar]

You did not mention the allegations. Are you a Chinese plant? What have they done for the Sudan that has helped solve the conflict there? Investments that kill people don't count. The fact that you don't mention the main allegation of the story and ignore Darfur makes me question you. Sorry if you are real.

[thankulord13]

What has America done to Iraq? It's not like our sh** don't stink! We can go around in circles all day about whose country is the most corrupt and I think Bush and Company would lose!

[stepintothelight]

Got Indoctrination???

[laylahb]

Berlin 1936..