Olympics Prep: Blacks Banned in Beijing Bars

(Beijing, China) According to a 7/18 report in the South China Morning Post (sub. req'd), Beijing bars have been instructed by the government not to serve black people.

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. "Uniformed Public Security Bureau officers came into the bar recently and told me not to serve black people or Mongolians," said the co-owner of a western-style bar, who asked not to be named. [...]

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.

They have been allowed to keep copies of all the pledges except those relating to blacks, implying that the authorities are wary of charges of racism. "I am appalled," said a black British national who works in Beijing. "I understand that the government is trying to stop certain illegal activities, but I don't think blanket discrimination is going about it the right way.

But the story doesn't end there. Yesterday, interviews with bar owners indicate that the ban targets blacks and Mongolians but only at certain nightspots.

Police in Beijing's popular Sanlitun bar district deny they are conducting a racist campaign ahead of the Olympics, as another bar owner revealed he had been ordered not to let in blacks.

"They made us sign and chop a document saying we would not allow black people in [during the Olympics]," the owner said. "But no one is willing to say so because we'll all get deported ... and have our business shut."

Asked yesterday whether they had told landlords not to let blacks in bars, an officer at the Sanlitun police station had a one-word answer: "No."

The bar owner said police had given landlords a list of dos and don'ts during the Olympics. "We simply can't let them in [during the Olympics], it's what I was told," he said. "It's [the restrictions on blacks] definitely happening. It will all happen in 24 hours."

His revelation comes after the Post reported yesterday how another bar owner had been verbally warned by Public Security Bureau officers not to serve customers of Mongolian and African descent, while other bars had been ordered to sign chopped pledges to keep to curfews, not allow the illegal sale of drugs, and refuse certain customers.

"They [local police] call meetings, and everyone has to go, or else ... If you don't go, they'll come back and shut you down," he said. Further investigation found that not all bars in the newly revamped area known for its nightlife had been ordered to refuse black customers, suggesting police are targeting specific bars.

"Black guys can come in and drink as long as they have valid visas," another bar manager in Sanlitun said. "But we have been told to watch out for black guys acting suspiciously, such as constantly talking on their mobile phones. The aim is to crack down on drug dealing."

From another source who actually talked to a number of bar owners, it appears that the police met with bar owners and asked them to monitor black patrons for possible drug activity but no blanket order was issued not to serve blacks.

Furthermore, there is some confusion regarding the Chinese translation of "black." In the mix of Chinese dialects, "black" often refers to criminal elements as opposed to skin color. Therefore, if police asked business owners to look out for people involved in drugs, prostitution, extortion, etc., the guidance could easily be interpreted as "black people."

In summary, Chinese authorities purport to be proactive in criminal profiling, however, available evidence seems to indicate that blacks are being racially profiled for discrimination. Either way, though, it doesn't explain a blanket discrimination against Mongolians. In any event, I suspect the ChiComs will try to put a lid on this story.


[Update 7/22/08]

According to the Shanghaiist, the South China Morning Post is being strongly questioned regarding the story. All reporting by the SCMP is based on anonymous sources which cannot be verified. Consequently, commentary has largely concentrated on SCMP's journalism style rather than the likelihood of Africans and Mongolians being banned from bars.

Looking at the circumstances from 12 times zones away, I frankly think a bar ban targeting black and Mongolians would be exceedingly stupid and illogical if the Chinese want to put on a good face to the rest of the world. It seems highly unlikely that a rational person in a position of authority would order the ban.

So, one must wonder whether the reporting in the SCMP was fiction or whether there is some substance. I lean toward there being something to the allegations for one reason. It wasn't simply a ban on blacks but also Mongolians.

Mistranslation might explain confusion regarding the term "black" but not so for "Mongolian." And, I suspect that the government has the ability to go to extraordinary lengths to protect its public image in a potentially incendiary episode such as the alleged bar ban.