It’s not easy being black in China. For that matter, it’s not easy anywhere in the world. Modernity seems inherently polarized against people of color, whether in the United States, Africa or the streets of Sanlitun in Beijing, where people with black skin risk being hassled. At the risk of sounding like a bad Hallmark card, the four people we met in our Black in China story were pretty inspiring. They have a higher bar to cross than most expats and they do it. Everyday. With flair.

"I ’ve never been more connected to a city than I am to Beijing,” enthuses Blake Stone-Banks, the new senior editor of the Beijing Entertainment Guide. Previously a communications director for an environmental NGO, Blake has enjoyed trying on his new City Weekend editorial uniform. “A part of me still feels strange about leaving a job that discouraged irresponsible consumer practices for a job that encourages nearly every form of consumerism, but I can't imagine a better way to get to know Beijing, and that's my ultimate goal this year. Since taking the reins at CW, I've been connecting with the people who make this awe-striking megalopolis what it is. Beijing is a puzzle with 15 million pieces, and I can sense the larger pieces finally locking into place.”

"I never thought we’d go so deep,” says Brandon Zatt who covered the African-American experience in China. “I guess I assumed it'd be pretty superficial. But the issue of race was on the table from the start and the people I interviewed had very serious, and I believe, legitimate concerns that needed to be aired.” Although we all know racism exists, we tend to forget until we hear the stories of those affected by it. “Half the time, I found myself so outraged that people could be so stupid as to judge each other by the color of their skin,” Zatt says. “The other half, I was awed by the magnanimity, broad-mindedness and perseverance of those I interviewed.”

Art lover and freelance writer, Elyse Singleton, wrote the eArts festival piece for the Shanghai entertainment guide. A self-proclaimed “technophobe,” Singleton is excited about the upcoming festival, though awed by the marvels of technology. “It's pretty amazing what is possible nowadays,” she says. “What really interested me was the whole idea of the festival aiming to open up people’s minds to new concepts in art and technology,” Singleton reflects. A smidge traditional when it comes to her art, Singleton normally likes a Bacon oil or a Cartier-Bresson photo, but is planning to brave the crowds at Xujiahui to interact with the huge video screens via her mobile phone, once she works out how to use it, that is.