Recently there were many news articles that highlighted several instances where bars in Beijing were rejecting Africans and other people of dark skin because they (the bars) didn't want to "get in trouble with the authorities." While I highly doubt that most bar owners actually have any serious grievances with black people, it is very disturbing to see how racist elements and comments flow freely in this society. Although highly respected African Americans like Quincy Jones, athletes, and actors have all spent time in China and worked on projects with the Chinese government and businesses-and are very respected here-there are still widespread resentments against people of dark skin in many parts of the country here. Especially in Guangzhou, where African "towns" of exporters and importers and their families live, are regarded by many Chinese citizens here as "off limits." They view these areas as the places where (in the words of a Chinese colleague of mine) "they live and we don't go there because of crime and especially never at night." While I am not speaking of all Chinese people, or all people in Guangzhou for that matter, the fact that many Africans are restricted to living in certain high rise buildings and quadrants of the city by the government is clearly a policy of segregation which has only reinforced a negative stereotype of dark skinned individuals by many different segments of the Chinese population. I can only hope that in a country of 1.2 billion similar faces, those who come from afar and bring with them hope to make a decent living in this country would be met with kindness and tenacity over negligence and indifference.