The first books on China's presence in Africa appeared in the 1950s. When these are compared to studies published since 2005, both differences and continuing trends emerge. It becomes clear that China has been steadfastly pursuing its strategy of influence, even though the modalities it has used have evolved over time. A reading of recent works in the light of those written around the 1960s gives a fresh historical perspective on China's advance in the African continent, and shows that today, as much as in the past, Sino-African relations hold the same fascination, and produce the same negative reactions based on a lack of knowledge.