2026/03/24 by Flair Donglai Shi
Social Sciences · #China's Ethnic Minorities and Relations #China's Global Influence and Migration #Diaspora, migration, transnational identity
paper · doi:10.1017/asr.2026.10204
crossref issued 2026/03/24 · crossref published 2026/03/24 · crossref published-online 2026/03/24 · openalex publication_date 2026/03/24 · crossref created 2026/03/24 · openalex created_date 2026/03/25 · crossref published-print 2026/06/01 · crossref deposited 2026/07/16 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/17 · crossref indexed 2026/07/30
Abstract Over the past decade, an increasing number of athletes of mixed Chinese and Black/African heritage have become public figures, often labeled as the “hope for the nation” by online Chinese media. By collating and analyzing online media discourses on the best-known figures among them, this paper attempts to theorize the Chinese term, “ zhongfeihunxue (literally ‘China-Africa mixed blood’).” It demonstrates that underneath the seemingly positive affect of hope, the racial niche carved out for these mixed athletes by such discourses is underpinned by a complex form of Chinese racial nationalism characterized by heightened expectations, reinforced stereotypes, and intersectional anxieties.