An Angolan national sews pants using a sewing machine of a local shop owner in Guangzhou.

Oliver Mthembu, an African businessman who recently traveled for the second time to Guangzhou, Guangdong province, bought 35,000 pairs of sunglasses on his trip. Like Mthembu, more and more African businesspeople are going to Guangzhou to look for opportunities.

Guangzhou has the largest African community in Asia, and it often acts as a bridge between China and Africa. Most Africans in Guangzhou cluster around the Sanyuanli subway station, where eight large markets target tradespeople from African countries.

Africans like Mthembu have also driven local economies in Guangzhou. Restaurants offering African cuisines and logistics companies focusing on delivering goods to Africa are booming. As for influence on the African market, traders flying between China and Africa have benefited African consumers with cheaper and higher-quality goods made in China.

Africans living in Guangzhou

People from West Africa have possessed a growing awareness of products being supplied from Asia since the 1990s. Some pioneers like Mthembu have made a fortune, and more and more Africans are following in his footsteps.