Jobs for foreigners in China!!

Many of the foreigners want to move to china just for a thrill of living in other country.
But, those who don't have qualifications always fear about what kind of job they will do in China. well, there is no need to worry.

You don't have degree - never mind, no education - never mind, no skills- never mind!
You can still earn much more than local Chinese people provided you have "white face" (Not applicable for me :( 

China is a country where Face is more important than life itself, and for this "Face" chinese goes to great lengths. There are companies who enhance the value of this face hires foreigners for business events, meetings , product release etc.

Local people call it  "White Guy Window Dressing" or  "White Guy in a Tie" events, "The Token White Guy Gig," or, simply, a "Face Job."

Because Western countries are so developed, people think they are more well off, so people think that if a company can hire foreigners, it must have a lot of money and have very important connections overseas. So for this reason companies rent "foreigners" 

I read about a struggling American actor named - Jonathan Zatkin, who lives in Beijing, was asked to pose as the vice president of an Italian jewelry company that had, allegedly, been in a partnership with a Chinese jewelry chain for a decade.

The requirements for these jobs are simple. 1. Be White. 2. Do not speak any Chinese 3. Pretend like you just got off of an airplane yesterday.

Often they are jobs at a second- or third-tier city, where the presence of white-faced foreigners is needed to impress local officials, or to secure a contract or simply to fulfill a claim of being international.

Ocasionally companies want a foreign face to go to meetings and conferences or to go to dinners and lunches and smile at the clients and shake people's hands," read an ad posted by a company called Rent A Laowai (Chinese for "foreigner") on the online classified site thebeijinger.com.

Also, you can "Rent a Laowai" for filing police complaints in case you have lost something, as Police in China pays more attention to foreigners case.

`

   An add to "Rent a Laowai" for reporting crimes

I remember meeting a Russian who hardly speaks any english and was working as a English teacher. I asked him how he got the job, he told that he was approached by a English teaching school in China and when he told them the truth that he doesn't speak much english, the recruiter replied "Don't worry, Nobody cares as long as you have White Face"

Now I wish so badly that god has given me white skin :).. or better I fly to Korea to get a plastic sugery to get white face...

A tribute to Mao Zedong on his 120th Birth Anniversary!

When friends ask me what are the places you regret not visiting during your stay in China, its always the same place which comes into my mind for which I have most regret of not visiting. This place is neither a beautiful ancient town of China nor it is one of those sacred and mysterious five mountains of China (wuyue), far apart this place is just a small county in a province in Central-South of China. But this small county probably has biggest significance in China, because it is  birth place of  the most important individual in the in the modern world history: Mao Zedong.

 

Shaoshan, Mao's birthplace, now a major tourist destination within China.

Mao Zedong was a man who can not be introduced by mentioning the posts he hold (First Chairman of the Communist part of China) or just the titles he earned(Founding father of PRC) in his lieftime. His stature was much much more bigger than the titles or posts he held during his time. Mao was nothing less than a God in the world's most populous country. He also impacted the lives of more people than the lives impacted during the leadership of Hitler, Stalin and Lincoln combined.

Today (26th Dec 2013) is the day when Mao would have turned 120 if he would have been alive.

                              People's pay respect to Mao Gold statue in his hometown on his 120th anniversary.

Although the younger generation of China feign ignorance when being asked about Mao but how could anyone not know Mao in China when it is everywhere, his king size statue has been put in city squares all across china, his portait hanged in every 2nd house in China, and people in villages still wears "Mao's Suits" and "Mao's Cap".

                                 People's riding to work while we can see Mao's status in background, Sichuan province.

                                                      Mao's Statue in Liaoning province in China

                                           People in villages still wears suits and caps inspired from Mao


While during his lifetime, Mao was admired unequivocally by everyone in China,  but after his death over the years,  either through official pronouncements, or via books and western media accounts, Mao's human frailties and mistakes have been pointed out, casting aside the nurtured belief of his infallibility and god like nature.

Where as many people (both old and young) still admired him for his vision to see the future and gaining freedom for China and his determination to continue going after his goal – to overthrow the Nationalist government – despite being told it was an impossible dream. But, there are many in the young generation who considers him an "Evil" citing his initiative like "Great Leap Forward" and "Cultural Revolution" which caused the deaths of millions of innocent people and pushed China economy many years behind.

  

                                             People starved to death during Mao's Great leap forward

                                         Execution and Torture of innocent people during Mao's cultural revolution

Despite Mao shortcomings and failures in his later life, attempts to ignore Mao would be considered a "foolish wishful thinking," as Chinese people even today still live under the great impact of Mao.
Otherwise how could you justify that while Deng Xiaoping is the individual mostly responsible for China’s astounding economic growth, Mao Zedong is the one whose preserved body is on display in the middle of Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
Any attempt to remove the status or portait of Mao from anywhere would probably caused the world war 3 in China ... While for some people remembers Mao for his contribution in the unification of China, there are others who are clinging to Mao's memories only because it is a lucrative business in current China.
According to China leading English Daily- South China Morning Post, even today Mao's legacy is a multi-billion Yuan business in China.
(Source: Businesses feed off growing nostalgia for Mao Zedong)

Although I don't fall in either of the categories ,  I rememeber reading somewhere that during Cultural Revolution many people used to chant - "Mao Zhuxi wansui, wansui, wan wansui!" , me and thousand others can feel glad that those wishes didn't came true.....

Chinese and iPHONE.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke (a British Writer) once said that "Any good technology is no different from magic itself".  Technology charms us , it dominates, fascinates and accelerates our lives.

This could not been more true since the introduction of first iPhone by Apple in 2008.

It was the first device of its kind which doesn't need buttons to press but works by our touch and it looks beautiful like a young model. Since then it has captured the fascination of everyone in the world , right from Fifth Avenue area in New York to old rustic city in India.

Recently when iPHONE 5 was about to release, around the world people starts lining up in the queue almost 48 hours in advance.

                            People queuing in a London store to buy iPHONE

Any ignorant person would assume after seeing such queue that the iPHONE is probably being distributed here for free.

But, no one in the world has become so obsessed with iPHONE than the young generation of China.
In China, it has a following equivalent to a religion,  those who can afford it doesn't thought for a second while purchasing the most expensive model the "Gold iPHONE".

                            Gold iPHONE (once it had a cult like following in China)

then there are other normal people with small pocket who restore to extreme measures to own an iPHONE.  
There was a news recently that a "Chinese couple sold their "infant baby" to buy the new iPHONE"
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/couple-in-china-sell-baby-daughter-for-iphone-20131021-2vwiq.html

Then there was another news last year that a young boy of 17 years of age sold his kidney to buy a new iPHONE and iPAD.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/10/wang-shangkun-kidney-ipad_n_1764335.html
This boy named Wang Shangkun came from Anhui province, a poor region in central China, where inhabitants frequently leave home to find better work.

iPHONE and other apple products which are often manufactured in huge complexes in China are still generally too expensive for members of the country's working class, 
It is the peer pressure from Society which forces these young people to take extreme meausres to get an Apple product.

The iPhone when launched in 2008 quickly became a status symbol product in Chinese social circles since its debut.
If someone wants to lubricate his "guanxi" -- relationship -- with an important person, these two products are often the gift of choice.  

In another news during the launch of iPHONE 4 that a young girl in China has offered her virginity in exchange for an iPHONE.  http://www.ibtimes.com/chinese-girl-offers-virginity-exchange-apple-iphone-4-consumerism-its- 

   

Hopeful Chinese customers wait outside an Apple store overnight before the mainland release of the iPhone 4S on Friday in Beijing. 

 Disappointed people who failed to buy the product threw eggs at the Sanlitun store in Chaoyang district in Beijing. Armed police were sent to maintain order and two lead scalpers were taken away from the Xidan store. 

Apple suspended its iPhone 4S sales in retail stores out of "security concerns" in Beijing and Shanghai only a few hours after sales were officially launched in China on Friday, due to the massive numbers of buyers.

You know you are in China when ...

For foreigners , China is one of the most mysterious country in the world. And China is so vast that it is impossible to tell foreigners what to expect during their stay in China. But, based on my experience you can expect the following when you are in China.

You are in China when - 

1. You get invited by your friend for a dinner and they ordered much much more dishes than they can eat just because they want to keep their "face". 

2. You go into Supermarket and you found out the only item the shop sells is Fangbianmian(Instant noodles)

3. When such crowd becomes common during holidays.

4. When you are walking the street and you found people in Pajamas, or girls washing their hairs on the road or shop assistants cutting their nails outside their shop during their lunch break.

5. When people wants to carry everything on the Elevators in the mall , they probably don't know that lifts(not elevators) are designed for such things.

6. When every morning while going to office, you see the "laoban" (Boss) lined up all the staff in front of shops/restaurants and give them motivational talks and asks them to do dance or some sort of physical exercise to make them ready for the day.

7. Parents helping kids to take a pee in the middle of the road or in dustbins in shopping malls or even in Subway trains.

8. When you go to see a doctor and everybody else wants to look at your Medical reports and wants to gives you suggestions. 

Bàijīn zhǔyì (Money Worship) in China!

 Many of young generation of China today can hardly remember the middle-school textbook that taught them Mao's philosophy that capitalism bred the worship of money, from which originated many bad ideals, and therefore, such thinking was to be avoided.

Now, Chairman Mao would turn over in his grave after hearing that according to a recent poll (conducted by Reuters company) has concluded that in whole world , China has the highest percentage of citizens who agree "Money is the best sign of a person's success."

The drive for personal gain can partially explain China's fast economic growth in the past three decades, unparalleled in any other place in the world. 
When people were given the freedom to make money after the long period of a rigid planned economy, enormous vitality was released. 
As a result, China, once in the financial ruins, is now among the top three largest economies in the world.

But money is now thought of as having the utmost weight and power. Have a problem? Fix it with cash. From individual trouble to social problems, it is widely held that money can help find a way out.

Money has become so powerful in China that it can also buy you LOVE.

There was no surprise when a female contestant on a popular TV dating show, “If You Are the One,”(Fei Cheng Wu Rao) announced: “I’d rather cry in a BMW than smile on a bicycle.” It may sound arrogant but the contestant, Ma Nuo, now popularly known as “the BMW woman,” was merely expressing a social reality. 

Zhu Zhenfang, another contestant on the same show caused a stir when she refused to shake hands with a prospective suitor, saying he "must pay 200,000 yuan for the privilege." "Why 200,000 yuan?" she continued. "Because my basic criteria for my future boyfriend is that he must earn this amount of money each month." 


 

Zhu Zhenfang and Ma Nuo (both are now a celebrity in China)

Now a days in China, , true love is all about the numbers in your bank accounts. 
A potential suitor may have a good sense of humor and reasonable good looks, but what really matters is if he owns an apartment and how many square feet it is. A sizable bank account is also a must, and, some say, so is a luxury car. 
                                                                                    

Boys trying to please girls with expensive bags and an apartment.


Feng Yuan, a 26-year-old who works in a government education company, tried to set up a friend with a man she thought suitable.
“When she heard he didn’t own an apartment, she refused even to meet him,” recalled Ms. Feng. “She said, ‘What’s the point? Without an apartment, love isn’t possible.”’

What I personally feel is the woman who marries for love without money has "Good Nights" but "Sorry Days". 
Let me know what do you guys feel?


 

An experience in a Portuegese restaurant, Mexico City

Yesterday, I went with a friend for dinner in a Portuguese restaurant. It was the first time I tried Portuguese food and would like to share something about it.

The restaurant is located in Emilio Castellar street in Mexico city, the name of the restaurant is "Casa portuguesa" , which is Spanish for "Portueges House"

The location of the restaurant was perfect , they also have seats outside in the open and it is just opposite the Lincoln park, so I felt it is a perfect setting for a date.

Restaurant was just Across the Park

Casa Portuguesa

As soon as I got the opened the menu, I found that menu has a total of 6 pages and 4 out of them were filled with bacalhau dishes. I didn't know what Bacalhau was so I asked my friend who speaks Spanish to get more information from waiter.

Bacalhau (salted and dried cod fish) is the most commonly eat dish in Portugal, is it like what "Rice" to Chinese and what "Curry" to Indians.

You'll quickly understand that the Portuguese love “bacalhau” (salted and dried cod fish). They actually say that there are 365 ways to cook bacalhau - one recipe for every day of the year! (Surprising is that Cod Fish it is not even caught in Portugal, but shipped over from Norway)

2 of the most popular Bacalhau dishes are  Bacalhau à Brás" and "Bacalhau com Natas" (which translates to "Cod Fish with Cream").

 Bacalhau à Brás 

 "Bacalhau com natas" 

is one of the most popular cod dishes that you'll find served at traditional Portuguese restaurants and households.

Bacalhau com Natas is like a lasagna made of cod. It includes layers of cod fish, onions, dices fried potatoes, and lots of creamy deliciousness.

Another surprise for me was when I noticed a dish named  - "Peri Peri Chicken" , this was one dish that brought me back memories of year 2009 when I was in Kuala Lumpur, I have eaten hundred of times that dish and it was one of my favorite dish there but I never realized it is a Portuege dish.(who said ? "Ignorance is bliss")

Anyway, without wasting any further time, I ordered it immediately and it turned out better than what I expected.

   "Peri Peri Chicken" served in Portuege restaurant.  (Peri Peri is the name of sauce which is spread across grilled chicken and which gives its a unique taste, this sauce is made from chillies only found in portuegese).

"Nando's" are South african chain of restaurants in Kuala Lumpur which also sells Peri's Peri's chicken

Now, it was time for deserts, although there were usually options in the menu like ice creams, chocolate cake but we decided to go for Portuguese specialty.

So, we ordered "Pastel de Nata"  which is the most famous deserts in Portugal, we didn't know what it was. But when we saw it , we both were surprised to see that it is nothing but "Egg Tart Pastry" which we both (separately) have eaten couple of times in Macau, China.

Portuegese sweet dish "pastel de nata", nothing but Portuegese Egg Tart Pastry.

My Chinese friends can have a taste of authentic portuegese food in Macau, which was a Portuegese colony for around 350 years.

Fu Er Dai

Fu Er Dai is Chinese term for 'second generation wealthy kids'. 

These are the kids enjoying the wealth that their parents had accumulated through judicious use of government connections and business savvy when Chinese economy was opened by Deng Xiaoping in 1978.

Many of these kids drive expensive car like BMW, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches...even Bentleys and Rolls-Royce. 
In early 2000, cars were very rare in Shanghai and all you could see that time was old buses on Shanghai roads and beaten up old taxis. Now a days, BMW's are as common as the beaten up old taxis of a few years ago. 

Half of these cars are owned by Chinese entrepreneurs – people that have opened a factory in Wenzhou and cashed in by making things as mundane as zips or light switches or shirt buttons.  
But half of these cars are also owned by the Fu Er Dai, those spoiled 2nd generation rich kids.
                                                                                                                                       

 

 

Above is the picture of some of the Fu Er Dai kids

                "FuErdai" Zhang Jiale poses with a friend in front of a private plane.

Many of these kids don't even bother with the dreaded gao kao (the ultra-tough university entrance exam in China) as they probably take a look at all the wealth their parents are generating and see it as a waste of time. 

Many of these kids actually don't see much of their parents anyway.  

So what do they do?  Drive around in highly-expensive cars, sleep with lot of partners and buy and throw expensive clothes. I wonder Isn't that what we all would do in the same position? 

In 2012 in Singapore , an accident involved a "fu er dai" from China who while driving Ferrari in a very high speed caused an accident killing 3 people.  (source: http://shanghaiist.com/2012/05/16/ferrari-crash-singapore.php )

 

                                   Ferrari accident in Singapore killed 3

But honestly, I would like to become friend with a bunch of these Fu Er Dai kids.  Not because I am trying to extract money from them,  neither to hang around with cashed up rich boys like a panting Shanghai Princess – but just to talk to them about their lives, what they think about life in general, what they want out of life.  

The Chinese have a saying '富 不 过 三 代'(Fù bùguò sāndài)

– which could roughly be translated as 'people can only be rich for three generations'.  I have no idea if this is true or not, but from what I see it seems in modern-day China that they are rich for just two generations.  Mum and Dad make the cash, then they spend it on themselves and give their kids unlimited cash to spend on themselves too.

If things get out of control these kids could easily develop drug habits or get more involved in drunk-driving cases which either kill them or pedestrians.  

Deng Xiaoping may have been right about saying "zhìfù guāngróng: To get rich is glorious!", but in Shanghai getting rich seems to create a life of emptiness and meaningless.

What do you say??

wǒ bàbà shì lǐ gāng

wǒ bàbà shì lǐ gāng (my Father is Li Gang) (我爸爸是李刚) became the most popular catchphrase in China in 2010.

It was a phrase used by a young boy in China when he in a drunk state ran over his black VolksWagen over 2 innocent girls in Hubei university. One of the girl died on the spot whereas the other girl injured her leg.

When the young boy (named - Li Qiming) was stopped by police, he shouted out: "Go ahead, sue me if you dare. My dad is Li Gang!"

Li Gang turned out a deputy director of Police in Public security bureau. The boy behaviour reflects the arrogance of the offsprings of government officials (the so-called G2-official) that they could easily get away with any mistake or crime that they have committed.

 

                                                     Wo baba shi Li gang!

The phrase has since become a popular internet catchphrase and meme within China, frequently seen on various forums and message boards, and in similar competitions using ad slogans and song lyrics, and used ironically in conversation by speakers trying to avoid responsibility.

In many ways, the Li Gang case, as it is known, exemplifies how China’s propaganda machine — able to slant or kill any news in the age of printing presses and television — is sometimes helpless in the age of the Internet, especially when it tries to manipulate a pithy narrative about the abuse of power. 

There are lot of funny pictures and slogans that can be found in China which mimicks this phrase.

                   The above sign says "Friends, slow down a bit, your father is not Li Gang"

 

Mock advertisement for a “government official father.” Includes a number of references to Internet jokes that end with the punchline: “my father is Li Gang.”

                                                 Another joke about Li Gang!

Finally, In January of 2011, Li Qiming , the culprit and son of Li Gang was arrested and sentenced to 6 years in prison... In the end Justice prevailed in Mao's China.

Eating in China - Part 2

In my earlier post, I talked about "Etiquette while Eating in China", in this post we would focus more on table manners when gets invited to a Chinese banquet dinner.

The way Chinese people get seated is also an interesting part of the etiquette.

Yes! This might surprise you that a typical seating arrangement is a sign of etiquette in the Chinese culture. Therefore, it is ensured to leave the best place on the dining table for elders. If a group of people is having meal, the respectable members are given the place at the head of the table while the rest take their seats accordingly.

If the dining table is rectangular, the elder member sits on the shortest side with his face towards the front door. The rest of the people would get seated in the descending order of their ages. However, if you are dining on a round table, the elder member should be seated on the inside seat.

                          The first seat that is given to the most respected person of the family gives the best view of the room.

The next rule that governs in the seating plan is linked with the ‘social ranking’ of a person. This rule will be applied even if the dinner is of family get-together. They do it to maintain closeness between the family members and the host of the dinner.

The person with the highest rank gets a closer seat to the ‘guest of honor.’ However, there is no fixed ranking between the seats on the left side and right side. This provides a huge flexibility to the guests.


It is not only the duty of the host to offer the dishes to the fellow members but it is regarded as good manners if you make an offer of a particular to your partner before you take a share for yourself. This indicates that you have come from an educated background and know how to socialize around.


Most of the dining tables in China are round (Yuánzhuō) and rotating.

  

                               Most commonly used tables in Chinese restaurant

The idea behind these tables is to ensure that all the participants have equal extent of accessibility to the served meal. Since the disc can be rotated only if it is round, you would find circular shaped dining tables in most of the Chinese people. The basic purpose of these tables is to make everybody realize that each one is honored. This is one of the signs of hospitality and equality.

During the meal, you should not rotate the table for yourself when someone else on the table is serving himself from the main bowl. It is recommended to wait until he gets himself the sufficient quantity of the dish so as to show respect.

Eating in China!

Chinese people regard food as being most important in a man’s life, they do not greet each other with “How are you?” but instead they usually ask, “Have you eaten?”(ni chi fan le ma?)

So, only learning to use chopsticks (kuaizi) DOES NOT make a foreigner expert about Chinese food etiquette. Using kuaizi is just a tiny portion of China eating culture, if you are lucky enough to get invited to a Chinese banquet(yanhui), you must remember following etiquettes in mind.

1. Do not put your chopsticks vertically in Rice.
Reason:
The sight of two upright chopsticks in a bowl is reminiscent of the incense sticks that the Chinese traditionally burn in veneration of deceased loved ones.

                                    Always put your chopsticks horizontally on the rice bowl.

2. Never turn over the fish 
Reason:
In Chinese restaurants, the standard is for a fish to be served whole.
After working your way through the tender top side, it may seem logical to simply flip the fish and continue. Unfortunately, doing so has an unforeseen consequence.
Actually, in China, The fish symbolizes the boat and turning over the fish implies you turned over the boat of Fishermen's.

3. Never cut the noodles.
In Chinese traditions, during birthdays girls and boys slurp a bowl of noodles as a celebration of the many years ahead because noodles symbolizes longevity.A long strip of noodle is a metaphor for the long walk of life.If you cut the noodle , it symbolizes cutting your life off.

                                                   Eating long noodles on Birthday
4. Tea Tapping is a must

A tea cup should never be allowed to run dry. Your host, or members of your dinner party, will regularly refill the cups of those around them, who  tap the table in response. Go ahead and follow suit.

Tea tapping is a show of thanks. According to legend, there was once an emperor who regularly impersonated a commoner in order to get acquainted with his people.

One night, while at a teahouse, the emperor poured tea for his accompanying servant.

“Traditionally, the servant would have kneeled down to show respect, but that would have betrayed the emperor’s identity,” explains Lo. “So he tapped the table instead.”

                                          Tapping 2 fingers is a gesture of thanks.
 5. Never finish all the food
If someone invites you to dinner, you will no doubt be faced with a banquet of food that would seem impossible to consume considering the number of diners. What in other countries can seem wasteful, in China is the show of a generous host. So if all the food is eaten, you will notice that dishes just keep coming, and they won’t stop until there is a decent quantity of food left on the table. This means the host has done his job to properly feed you.

 Food left-over in a Chinese restaurant table is a common cultural thing, Although I personally feel, this is a total waste of food.


6. Always order an even number of dishes
For regular meals, you’d always order an even number of dishes, because an odd number is usually only ordered at a funeral meal.

7.  Lunch is at 12pm and dinner is at 6pm. 
The Chinese eat at very specific times, and allow very little flexibility in these timings. Furthermore, they see these as necessary time outs, so don’t suggest a working lunch meeting – I did, and learned very quickly this was taboo. Similarly, don’t suggest a dinner at 8pm…the Chinese will be too polite to tell you and will most likely have eaten before coming or arrive famished and grumpy.

8. Always offer to pay the bill
Even if someone invites you as a guest, it is polite to offer to pay the bill. The proper etiquette is to offer thrice, and accept the final no, allowing the host to pay. Why? Because if you pay allow your host to pay without arguing, then it implies to everyone that the host somehow owes you something and has the potential to compromise his / her “face” (honour). On the other hand, if you are very insistent, and refuse to allow the host to pay, then this is also considered poor etiquette, signalling to others you think the host cannot afford the meal…thus also potentially compromising “face”.

Few more things to keep in mind:
It is socially acceptable in China to spit bones on the table, belch, slurp soup and noodles and smoke while eating.

Don't feel offended if you find Chinese people in a restaurant spitting on the floor, or smoking a cigarette or talking very loudly, this is all part of China culture.

Also  while eating with chopsticks, do not point chopsticks towards other person, do not use them to beat the bowl or table, do not 'dig' or 'search' through one's food for something in particular in the dishes. This is sometimes known as "digging one's grave" or "grave-digging" and is extremely poor manners.
 
Rice can be eaten by raising the bowl to the mouth and shoveling the grains in with the chopsticks in a rapid fanning motion, even though this may resemble a Beijing duck force feeding itself.

Chinese banquets commonly have 12-20 courses in succession and can last for hours, but the dinner is over when the host stands up and offers the final toast; one is expected to leave immediately thereafter.

In my next post, I would share the table seating manners during a big dinner in China.


                                                                                                    ....continued..