China and the Spirit of Booker T. Washington: Applying Lessons from the Southern Black American Experience in Rural Republican China, 1920–1940

Abstract

Abstract:This article analyzes Chinese coverage of the African American experience from 1920 to 1940. It argues that through the transfer of news media, ideas, and the physical act of travel, African Americans’ lived experiences and advancement became a point of interest for Chinese students, scholars, and political actors who aspired to address the social and political challenges facing Republican China. These authors extracted broad lessons from Black America and did not focus exclusively on African American bondage. While several studies have shown how African Americans in the twentieth century first looked to the Empire of Japan and then the People’s Republic of China as sources of inspiration, this article reveals a broader story of exchange. By reversing the aforementioned flow of information and ideas back across the Pacific, this article highlights how Black America, beleaguered as it may have been, also served as an object of emulation.