ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an authoritative survey of the historical evolution of the study of Africa within China and more recent trends in Chinese scholarship concerning the continent. It summarises the background, nature and recent trends in Chinese scholarship on Africa, together with applicable key Chinese publications. It finds that economics is the most studied subject, and South Africa the most studied state. While Chinese scholars have a long way to go in terms of developing African studies, it concludes by noting that Chinese scholarship on Africa is benefiting from better opportunities to conduct research in African contexts. This shows how much has changed in a relatively short space of time, and points to important changes underway in terms of expanding and deepening scholarly connections between China and Africa.
