The South China Metropolis / By Gordon Mathews, Lin Dan, and Yang Yang

In the cosmopolitan city of Guangzhou, people from all corners of the globe seek business opportunities, new beginnings, and a renewed sense of self. Among these new migrants are numerous small-time African traders who procure cheap or counterfeit branded goods in China, subsequently shipping them back to their homelands for sale. This book explores how Guangzhou has transformed into a nexus of "low-end globalization," illuminating this significant global human commercial and cultural dynamic. The author presents a detailed ethnography, chronicling the commercial relationships and operational processes that exist in a grey area, built on personal trust rather than formal contracts. How are these relationships forged between Chinese individuals and sub-Saharan Africans, who share no common language, culture, or religion? And what unfolds as Africans begin to establish roots and build families in Guangzhou? The book's unforgettable characters and narratives offer vivid case studies of globalization, providing an intimate look at the rich details of intercultural and interracial exchange within this South China metropolis. ISBN: 978-988-237-086-9 Binding: Paperback Language: Traditional Chinese Pages: 272 Dimensions: 229 x 152 x 18 mm **About the Authors** Gordon Mathews is the Chairman and Professor in the Department of Anthropology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His other works include *Ghetto at the Center of the World: Chungking Mansions, Hong Kong*, *Global Culture/Individual Identity: Searching for Home in the Cultural Supermarket*, and *What Makes Life Worth Living? : How Japanese and Americans Make Sense of Their Worlds*. He has also co-edited several books, including *Globalization from Below: The World’s Other Economy*. Lin Dan holds a PhD in Anthropology from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and is a lecturer at the Institute of Anthropology, School of Sociology and Population Studies, Renmin University of China. Yang Yang holds a Master's degree in Anthropology from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her publications include chapters in *Economic Globalization from Below* and *China-Africa: Merging Relations*. Her translated works include *Chungking Mansions, Hong Kong: The Ghetto at the Center of the World* and *Stanley Internment Camp: Three Years and Eight Months in the Land of Death (1942–1945)*. **Praise** This scholarly work employs rigorous social science research methods and extensive empirical data to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth examination of the African business community in Guangzhou, exploring significant academic issues such as the nationality, social adaptation, and inter-ethnic interactions of foreigners in China. The book offers a novel perspective, presents a clear logical structure, and is highly readable. It possesses not only theoretical significance but also tells an engaging story of foreigners pursuing dreams and seeking fortunes in China. —Min Zhou, Director and Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies, and the Walter and Shirley Wang Endowed Chair in U.S.-China Relations and Media, East Asian Studies Center, University of California, Los Angeles Through extensive fieldwork among primarily African expatriates living in Guangzhou, Gordon Mathews and his research team provide nuanced insights into this group and the city’s increasingly diverse and globalized character. In the authors’ view, globalization encompasses not only the familiar flows of capital and information but also the transnational movements of people, whether legal or "illegal," that evoke varied emotions and attitudes, thus aligning closely with the concept of "low-end globalization" proposed in Mathews’ previous work, *Ghetto at the Center of the World*. This book helps readers recognize and comprehend the increasingly complex and diverse socio-cultural phenomena under the trend of globalization. —Ke Fan, Professor of Anthropology, Nanjing University This book, filled with fascinating stories of bribery and business competition under low-end globalization, serves as an excellent sequel to Mathews' *Ghetto at the Center of the World*. *The South China Metropolis* is rich with tales of interethnic experiences, immigrant aspirations for success, and the relationships between expatriates, predominantly African traders, and local Chinese. —Nicole Constable, Professor of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh I continually marvel at Mathews’ ability to draw on local knowledge over the long term with skill, while still communicating with a broad readership. This book has given me insight into the human side of Guangzhou and low-end globalization, and into the world today. —Ulf Hannerz, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, Stockholm University