More than 50 years after the creation of China’s first African Institute under Mao, research on Africa in China has lost its ideological orientation and become an academic discipline open to questions that reflect contemporary issues. The background of China’s Africa experts has also changed enormously. Early experts only knew Africa through the books they translated, while Chinese experts now benefit from a wide range of financial and educational opportunities, and must deal with their sudden success ; however, their expertise remains incomplete. In the future, the development of Chinese research on Africa will depend on two things : the recruitment of experts from existing research centres, and the career choices of present-day students.