1. Welcome to My
Presentation!
Jie Huang
21st October, 2010

2. The Influences of African Community
on Chinese Urban Economic
Development : A Case Study in
Guangzhou, China
Author: Jie Huang

3. Thesis
 With the development of Chinese economy,
immigrant communities have been appeared
in some cities of China, such as Korean
community in Wudaokou of Beijing, Japanese
community in Hongqiao of Shanghai and
Middle Eastern communities in Yiwu City (Li
et al. 2008, p. 207).

4. Thesis
In the meantime, a large number of
Africans are coming to a southern major
city of China – Guangzhou.
Guangzhou City Africans in Guangzhou

5. Thesis
 This paper provides an analysis of the influences
the African communities bring about in terms of
urban economic development in the city of
Guangzhou.
 It is believed that the influences of black
communities on Guangzhou’s urban economic
development are positive.

6. Background
Guangzhou is the
3rd largest city of
China.
It is the economic
and transportation
centre of southern
China.
Photos of Guangzhou

7. Background
Guangzhou is a vital port city for foreign trade
since 2000 years ago (Li et al. 2008, p. 208).
Guangzhou
Harbor, 1850

8.  More than 11 million
people living in
Guangzhou (GZ
Government 2010).
 It is near Hong Kong
and Macau.

9. Background
 From 1957, China Import and Export Fair or Canton
Fair started to be held in Guangzhou twice a year (Jin
& Weber 2008, p. 222).
 The Canton Fair has a significant function which has
improved Chinese imports and exports, and in the
meantime tens of thousands of overseas business
people come to Guangzhou every single year (Jin &
Weber 2008, p. 228).
Canton Fair, 2008
 For example, in 2009, one hundred and forty
thousand foreign buyers came to Guangzhou and
spent more than 20 billion US dollars on buying
Chinese goods (MOFCOM 2009).
Foreign Businessmen

10. Background
So, foreigners started agglomerating in
Guangzhou, because its:
 Economic advantage
 Location advantage
 Huge import and export trade

11. Background
 In Guangzhou, the annual growth rate of
African travellers was 37.9% which was far
above the average rate of growth in foreign
population which was 11.5% (Li et al. 2008, p.
209).
 Some scholars (Zhen et al. 2009) estimate that
with the annual growth rate of 30%~40%, the
number of African residents in Guangzhou
would reach two hundred thousand in 2010.

12. Africans in Guangzhou
Source:
DavidView.com
2009

13. Analysis
 Positive Influences
1. Accelerate the process of urbanization
2. Prosperity of real estate market
 Different Opinions
1. Counter urbanization
2. Relatively lower property prices

14.  The agglomeration of Africans in Guangzhou is
promoting the urbanization of the city (Zhang
& Dai 2009, p. 28).
 Some areas used to be of no vitality had been
developed well and even would become city’s
highlights of economic development (Zhang &
Dai 2009, p. 29).

15.  Many Africans in Guangzhou are living in urban
villages or suburbs around the city since such areas
are relatively lax management, cheap but very
convenient (Li et al. 2008, p. 210).
 These places were neglected in a long period as most
local citizens prefer to live in the urban areas of
Guangzhou.
 With more and more Africans started to agglomerate
in these un-urbanised areas and commence to run
their businesses, the embryonic form of urbanisation
in these areas has appeared (Li et al. 2008, p. 210).

16.  The agglomeration of Africans have made
positive impacts on local real estate market.
A large number of Africans made some
areas used to be out of people’s concern
become hot real estate markets.
 However, this does not just happen in less-
urbanised areas. The influences of Africans
on Guangzhou’s local real estate market are
wide and comprehensive (Li et al. 2008, p.
212).

17. Historical Average Monthly Housing Rent of Xiaobei Road (a black community)
Yuan
(Chinese
currency)
Source: Xinhuanet 2010
Year

18. Counter Urbanization
 Blacks exerted important impacts on
counter urbanization which mainly
promoted the development of counter
urbanization in the United States
(Halfacree 2001, p. 403).
 Some scholars such as Tao & Liu (2010, p.
72) are worried about the same situation is
happening in Guangzhou.

19. Counter Urbanization
 The levels of development in China and
the United States are significantly
different.
 There are big differences in urban
structure and the composition of the
urban population between China and the
United States.

20. Relatively Lower Property Price
 The reason of lower property prices in
African living areas contains more subjective
factors than physical ones (Ghosh 2010).
 This situation will be changed in the near
future when more and more local citizens
realise the agglomeration of Africans is
helpful and valuable to Guangzhou’s urban
economic development and local real estate
market.

21. Conclusion
 In a word, African community in Guangzhou
is playing a significant role in urban
economic development and simultaneously
the city is experiencing a positive change
from it.
Africans in
Guangzhou

22. References
Ghosh, P. R. 2010, African Immigrants Gravitating to China, International Business Times (on line),
Available: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/43475/20100816/china-africa-immigration.htm
(5 September 2010).
Guangzhou Municipal Government (GZ Government) 2010, Planning and Development in
Guangzhou: 2011-2015, GMG, Guangzhou.
Halfacree, K. 2001, ‘Constructing the Object: Taxonomic Practices, Counterurbanisation and
Positioning Marginal Rural Settlement’, International Journal of Population Geography, vol. 7,
No. 6, pp. 395-411.
Jin, X. & Weber, K. 2008, ‘The China Import and Export (Canton) Fair: Past, Present, and
Future’, Journal of Convention & Event Tourism, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 221-34.
Li, Z.G., Xue, D.S., Lyons, M., Brown, A. 2008, ‘The African Enclave of Guangzhou: A Case
Study of Xiaobeilu’, Acta Geographica Sinica, vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 207-18.
Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China (MOFCOM) 2009, Daily Average
Turnover Reaches Two Billion RMB in the Canton Fair, MOFCOM (on line), Available:
http://newspaper.mofcom.gov.cn/aarticle/guojsb/200911/20091106602241.html (1
September 2010).
Tao, X. D. & Liu, J. D. 2010, ‘Africans Changing Guangzhou’s Local Town Planning’, Urban
Issues, vol. 28, No. 5, pp. 69-73.
Xinhuanet 2010, Guangzhou’s Real Estate Price Doubled in 5 Years, Xinhuanet (on line), Available:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/house/2010-01/21/content_12847663.htm (6 September).
Zhang, D. L. & Dai, Y. 2009, ‘Africans Seek Their Dreams in China’, Chinese Overseas, vol. 15,
No. 7, pp. 26-32.
Zhen, J. H. 2009, ‘Black Africans in Guangzhou’, NanFengChuang, vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 15-18.