Africans in China: A Sociocultural Study and Its Implications on ...

There are two Tianen Export Trade Buildings. One is more recently built and is thus known as “New Tianen” by the locals; the other is called “Old Tianen.” Both of these buildings are directly across the road from Canaan and are occupied by retail (as opposed to wholesale) shops. There are not many stores in Old Tianen, which has two underground floors as well as a ground floor and first floor, where a few shops sell casual wear.

2.3. Methodology

The study began with preliminary visits in July 2006 to ascertain the area of study and to identify field locations and significant players in the community. Based on what I learned on this first visit, I created questionnaires, which I administered in December 2006 in a pilot survey. The report (Bodomo, 2007b) that was produced from these questionnaires indicated that I needed to correct and revise a number of items to create a better questionnaire.

The main surveys on which this chapter is based took place at various times, from May 2008 to the end of 2009, and were conducted by me and two research assistants. The study is comprised of three parts: a survey of about 350 questionnaires, 312 of which were valid; in-depth interviews with eight community members; and a detailed focus group meeting involving my research team and four leaders of the African community in Guangzhou.

The survey questionnaires consisted of 27 questions which pertained to the survey participants’ countries of origin; gender; age; sociolinguistic profiles (e.g., what languages they spoke in different places along with their communication patterns) and their sociocultural profiles (e.g., how closely connected they were to their host community). I then compiled detailed statistical reports based on the data collected.

The second part of the survey, the series of in-depth interviews, is a qualitative study that uncovered subjective but valuable facts about this