Cultural Crossover

　　Being far from home didn’t put much of adamper on Muhammed Ceesay’s festive holidaycelebrations. The Ghanaian spent his Christmas Evewith his Chinese girlfriend at a Brazilian restaurantin Guangzhou， to celebrate the occasion as well asher birthday.

　　“She is beautiful and we are happy to be togethereven though there are some cultural differences，”Ceesay told ChinAfrica.

　　As an entrepreneur engaged in the tradingbusiness in Guangzhou， Ceesay is one of the manyAfricans who have forged a deep connection to thecity by having a relationship with and then marryinga Chinese woman.

　　A deep connection

　　Ceesay’s increasing comfort with his surroundingsis partly a result of Guangzhou locals’ growing acceptanceof foreigners， especially Africans. “[Localpeople] don’t keep their distance and look at theseguys with curiosity as they did in the beginningwhen just a few Africans came here， but are acceptingthem as part of the city now，” Nie Xiaohua，a local woman who married a Nigerian in 2010，told ChinAfrica. She now has two baby girls andruns a stall at Canaan Export Clothes Trade Centerwith her Nigerian husband， selling clothes to Africanretailers.

　　“I was proactive and took the initiativeto make friends with Prince [her husband]when we first met in 2008，” Niesaid， recalling that she was attracted byher husband’s honesty， diligence andsincerity.

　　In May 2011， she had her first babygirl. Living in a family with a Nigerianfather and a Chinese mother， the little girllooks African but is undoubtedly Chineseas well. “She speaks fluent Guangzhoudialect， but just a little English. Like otherchildren her age here， she likes to watch Chinesecartoons like Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf，” Niesaid.

　　While such interracial marriages like Nie’s areborn from love， it also gives Nie’s husband addedadvantages when it comes to business and gettinglong-term visas. “With my wife， I can have this business.

　　I can buy a house and a car. If I didn’t haveher， it wouldn’t be [so] easy，” Prince said in fluentChinese.

　　Cultural challenges

　　However it has not been easy for thecouple to establish their life together.

　　They had to overcome their parents’objections. “Believing in Chinesetraditions that a marriage should bebetween two families of similar cultureas well as matched social and economicstatus， my parents took an uncompromisingstand against our love，” said Nie.

　　For Felly Mwamba， a 38-year-oldtrader from the Democratic Republic ofthe Congo， cultural norms run againstthe idea of marrying a Chinese woman.

　　“My parents， especially my father， doesn’t want me tohave a Chinese wife because in our culture parentsexpect me to have more children，” said Mwamba， whoplans to spend the Spring Festival holiday in China toescape the many blind dates arranged by his parentsback home.

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