I’d never dealt with African people before. At first just coming in contact with them made me feel uncomfortable, their skin is so black. But once you’re in contact with them you begin to get used to it. You realize it’s just a color.
-- Hao Shengli (Chapter 1 paragraph Page 17)

Importance: Howard French picked up on Hao’s racist views of Africans. He saw the same mindset among many of the Chinese emigrants he made contact with.

As China scaled up its presence on the continent, more and more Africans were working for its companies, and in the Copper Belt, where the newcomers were particularly thick on the ground, Chinese bosses had developed a reputation for rough and dangerous conditions, low pay and punishing hours.
-- Author (Chapter 2 paragraph Page 25)

Importance: Zambia was ahead of the rest of the country in terms of economic opportunities; however, Chinese employers were unfair to their workers. The other African nations would eventually catch...