I had been longing to visit China for a couple of years when I overheard two friends discussing their upcoming trip to Shanghai in 2006. I jumped at the chance to join them. With less than a week to secure my visa from the Chinese embassy and a tentative standby slot on my friends’ flight, the trip was meant to be as both came through just in time. A third friend also joined us, bringing our Shanghai crew to four.

Our flight arrived in Shanghai late in the evening, and two of us popped into a restaurant across the street from our hotel for dinner. To my delight, the restaurant owner, accompanied by her English instructor (and translator), came to our table and greeted us warmly. The friendly owner chatted with us and even ordered for us, which was thoroughly appreciated since I was unequipped to read the Mandarin menu.

Throughout our trip, the people we encountered made us feel like rock stars—welcome and appreciated! Then again, four black American women, even in this sprawling city of about twenty million, were an oddity—easily identified as tourists eager to learn more about the rich history of this cosmopolitan city.