Racial segregation

Lore & Background

In the Tang dynasty, laws enforced racial segregation of foreigners from Chinese. An edict in 779 forced Uyghurs to wear ethnic dress, banned them from marrying Han Chinese females, and prohibited pretending to be Han. In 836, Lu Chun, governor of Canton, banned interracial marriages and made it illegal for foreigners to own property, specifically targeting relationships with 'Dark peoples' or 'People of colour' such as Iranians, Sogdians, Arabs, Indians, Malays, and Sumatrans.

The Qing dynasty, founded by Manchus, implemented segregation between Bannermen (Manchu, Mongol, and Han Bannermen) and Han Chinese civilians. Intermarriage was later forbidden to preserve Manchu heritage and minimize sinicization. Han civilians and Mongol civilians were banned from settling in Manchuria and from crossing into each other's lands. However, Han Bannermen—who defected to the Qing—were treated differently and settled in Manchuria, and mass marriages between Han officers and Manchu women were arranged in 1632 to promote harmony.

In colonial societies, the Belgian Congo maintained anti-miscegenation laws, and between 1959 and 1962 thousands of mixed-race Congolese children were forcibly deported to Belgium. French Algeria maintained a 'quasi-apartheid' system, with a 1865 law requiring Arab and Berber Algerians to abandon their Muslim identity to gain French citizenship, described as establishing 'the formal structures of a political apartheid.'

Reader's Guide

Racial segregation has been a persistent feature of many societies, used to secure advantages for dominant groups. The source article highlights its enforcement in Imperial China under the Tang and Qing dynasties, where laws and policies separated ethnic groups through marriage bans, dress codes, and residential restrictions. In colonial contexts, segregation took on institutional forms, such as in the Belgian Congo and French Algeria, where legal frameworks created hierarchical racial orders. The article notes that segregation is generally outlawed today and can be considered a crime against humanity under international law. However, it also distinguishes between involuntary segregation and voluntary separation, such as minority-language education, which is not considered impermissible. Understanding these historical cases helps illustrate how segregation has been justified and implemented, and why modern legal frameworks seek to prevent it.

Did You Know?

• The Tang dynasty in 836 banned Chinese from forming relationships with 'Dark peoples' or 'People of colour,' including Iranians, Sogdians, Arabs, Indians, Malays, and Sumatrans.
• In the Qing dynasty, a 1648 decree allowed Han Chinese civilian men to marry Manchu women from the Banners with permission, but this policy was later done away with.
• Between 1959 and 1962, thousands of mixed-race Congolese children were forcibly deported from the Congo to Belgium by the Belgian government and Catholic Church.
• The 1865 French colonial law in Algeria required Arab and Berber Algerians to abandon their Muslim identity to apply for French citizenship, described as establishing 'the formal structures of a political apartheid.'