Black in China

Black in China tells the dynamic story of Aaron A. Vessup, a Black American teacher who, after decades of living in the shadow of America’s racism, makes the radical decision to travel 8,000 miles to find a new future as an educator in China. Aaron’s story spans the gulf between the crooked streets of South-Central LA and the crowded lanes of modern Beijing, providing a rich and intimate view of China today through the eyes of a Black man. Aaron grapples with issues of race and history in both America and China, exploring why he would prefer to be “Black Chinese”, not “Black American.”

Aaron Anthony Vessup was born in Los Angeles, California, the second oldest of sixteen children. He won state recognition as a poetry writer while still at elementary school, and later became a college speech champion, first for California and later Nebraska. After graduating from Nebraska Wesleyan University, he worked for decades as a teacher in universities and schools across the United States, including Elgin Community College in Illinois. He received the Elgin City Martin Luther King award five years in a row for “Outstanding Cross-Cultural Cable TV Programming.” He moved to China is 2004 to continue his teaching career in a fresh environment. In China, he has lived and worked in three different regions and taught communications and culture classes at a number of schools, colleges and universities. He is a prolific writer and an award-winning photographer and one of his passions is contributing travel essays and photographic work to Chinese magazines. He now lives happily in Beijing.