New family adventures should be wonderful, unique and special, and that’s the way I’d always like ours to be! But while the vast majority of trips have been, venturing to Shanghai proved that there’s just some things you cannot prepare for.
Although Shanghai is widely regarded as mainland China’s most cosmopolitan and modernised city, cultural diversity felt non-existent here.
We were amazed at how much unwanted attention we received from local people when out and about who were clearly fascinated by our glowing visible difference.
What started off as light-hearted flattery, from curious intense stares and smiles to being pointed at and photographed, soon became an overwhelming and frustrating experience.
So, if you’re Black and planning a trip to Shanghai any time soon, here’s an insight into what you might experience during your stay, and a heads-up on Shanghai’s ‘warm’ welcome.
I hope you find the tips useful and you navigate Shanghai with ease and comfort.
Please note that the following points raised are based on our personal experience of visiting Shanghai only. Understandably, experiences may vary significantly by individual, location and daily interactions. And while some of my friends have spoken only of positive interactions, others have encountered frustrating and overbearing situations like ours.
1.You are likely to be the only Black family in many spaces, making you highly visible and creating high levels of curiosity over your skin colour and Afro hair.
2. Someone might reach out to touch your hair- be prepared to firmly set boundaries with anyone who does this. My daughter often styles her natural hair half up and half down and it attracted a lot of unwanted attention. She became so annoyed she eventually put her hood up to prevent people from touching it.
3. You might be asked to take photos frequently which could feel a bit intrusive. While some locals thought it was ok to snap photos of us as a family without asking, others rushed over to us and asked for a selfie posing with the whole family! One woman even pulled my daughter’s arm to pose for a photo with her.
4. You will receive compliments on your appearance. A polite ‘thank- you’ will do. (or you can say ‘xie xie’. This is thank you in Mandarin.) But at times, the constant compliments felt extremely excessive. Other interactions made us feel exoticised like a tropical fruit.
5. Stereotypical questions, such as “Are you from Jamaica?” were common. A woman asked my husband if he was a rapper! Although rarely malicious, most enquiries stem from local people who have had limited exposure to Black people outside of entertainment and the media.
The big question you probably want to ask is – would you visit again? Yes, I certainly would! It would be interesting to visit China’s capital city Beijing and some of the historical and cultural landmarks such as The Great Wall of China and Summer Palace.
For now, have fun and be safe!
Check out my other articles of our time spent in Shanghai.