The weather has got really damn hot over the last few days, and for the first time this year It’s uncomfortably hot and i’m finding it hard to sleep at night. I have finished my job and are now free to do whatever I want, which is great as last month I didn’t have one day off.
I have now moved to another place – and with the help of a few friends – it was surprisingly easy. My new place is cheap, very cheap. For only 500元/30pounds a month it’s a decent place – I don’t plan to stay there long it’s primarily for storage. and so I have no net access at home, which is a bummer as I’ve become so reliant upon it over the last few months and I hate the smoke in the internet cafes. Here’s the rest of the post:
Written in the heat of the moment, might annoy some people.
Almost finished the semster, just one more day left. Been busy marking exams and getting all the final grades sorted out, ready to hand to my boss in exchange for my last salary.
So I arranged to meet the landlord on Saturday, for him to give me back my deposit and to sort out exactly when I will leave etc…
This proved to be troublesome, and soon bacame a shouting match – well more of one sided match, I wasn’t going to stoop to his pathetic level. As a race the Chinese are loud (just go to any busy restaurant), and when they get angry they shout even louder and the the Chinese language is a great argueing language.
Essentially he wanted ME to give him the remainder of the deposit (2100yuan); in what could only be considered an attempt to steal the money from me. Of course this shocked me, afterall I was expecting him to pay me back what I am owed since – the contract is about to end.
The problem is that I am forgetting where I am, and that I am gageing things from a Western perspective. I must remember that whether a persons actions are right or wrong is not important; I should have been more cynical in dealing with the landlord, as the more he said, the more clear it became that he is not going to see 1 fen of my deposit back.
What can I do?
Nothing, zero, nil, zilch.
However I have a plan.
I will take measures into my own hands, by siezing assets roughly equlavent to the value of 900yuan. Unfortunatly there isn’t much worth taking, most of the stuff here is a few years old or too big or heavy to move. So to recoup my losses the only thing woth taking is the washing machine, worth 1500yuan new (now worth 200yuan second hand re-sale value). I believe this tactic will give me leverage – I don’t want a washing machine anyway – and the landlord will have no choice to give me the deposit back.
This keeps on happening to me here. Maybe it’s my own fault , maybe I’m just unlucky. But whatever the reason, there have been three constants to all of my troubles:
- I am in China
- I am a foreigner
- Money
It is now clear to me that some Chinese believe it is their duty to cheat the foreigner. Many exercise double standards – one for us one for them – sadly, of course, this is still being propogated through mis-education and furthermore, is perpetuated by the government. This does work both ways, sometimes the foreigner is given unwarrented special treatment – it should be a level playing field.
I also beleive that many Chinese think from the assertion that foreigners are plain stupid and don’t understand. (i’m not just talking about language). That we are incapable of doing things for ourselves, without (Chinese) assistance – hense the shock from my students when I actually tell them that I don’t have a translator and that I can do things for myself. University students – not uneducated people unexposed to other influences – I’ve lost track of the amount of times i’ve been asked ‘ when you go out how do you buy things?’ ‘what do you do?’ People asking me if ‘I know how to get home’ after i’ve told them i’ve lived here for over a year – the list goes on. Maybe it’s a lack of a way of thinking, not joining the right dots together to get a complete picture…
Furthermore, I have come to the rather stark conclusion that China is a nation of many racists. I am not usually a fan of such sweeping statements, but I believe this is the only explanation. I used to think it was a question of curiosity, interest, and nosiness. I think I was misguided (too considerate, too naive) it’s not about interest or curiosity, it’s about mockery, sneering, to make fun of, and maybe even disdain or contempt. This does not apply to everything, but i think if money is involved then it is safe to assume such. In the western sense of the meaning, there is much discrimination or prejudice based on race, in transactions that involve money.
Another thing I have learnt is that being the nice guy here gets you nowhere. If you are polite and honest the Chinese think you are weak and so will try to screw you; unless they are a good friend or family. You will be taken advantage of.
On the other hand, if you are firm, loud and obnoxious, and insulting (by western standards) people will pay respect to you, because they think you are tough, and strong willed.
As much as this may seem difficult to believe, It is the conclusion I have come to. One may say it’s a cultural difference, I used to think this too, but I don’t buy it anymore.
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Hey David, just thought I’d let you know that I’ve started writing a guide to Changchun over here at http://changchunguide.livejournal.com/ If you have any tips or feedback, definitely let me know! Thanks!
Hey David, just thought I’d let you know that I’ve started writing a guide to Changchun over here at http://changchunguide.livejournal.com/ If you have any tips or feedback, definitely let me know! Thanks!
hi there,
as a chinese girl,really sorry to read ur blog..i grew up in Changchun,and study in Beijing.
i dont know how to say..yes,some chinese people are bad,but not all.i have a lot of friends here are very nice.
everyone has difficult when they live in a strange city/country.i remembered the 1st time i lived in Beijing alone,rent is 2300yuan, i lived with two Germans,i paid for 800.up to May,my friends help me found a apartment there’re 2 rooms 1200yuan/yuan,i moved out and then lived with myself ;)when u in trouble,friends can help u..
i said that,just wanna tell u,it is not coz some Chinese believe it is their duty to cheat the foreigner or Chinese think foreigners are plain stupid and dont understand..
i hope u are still happy in Changchun or other city in China,dont mind the people who are not good..
take care^^
Jing
hi there,
as a chinese girl,really sorry to read ur blog..i grew up in Changchun,and study in Beijing.
i dont know how to say..yes,some chinese people are bad,but not all.i have a lot of friends here are very nice.
everyone has difficult when they live in a strange city/country.i remembered the 1st time i lived in Beijing alone,rent is 2300yuan, i lived with two Germans,i paid for 800.up to May,my friends help me found a apartment there’re 2 rooms 1200yuan/yuan,i moved out and then lived with myself ;)when u in trouble,friends can help u..
i said that,just wanna tell u,it is not coz some Chinese believe it is their duty to cheat the foreigner or Chinese think foreigners are plain stupid and dont understand..
i hope u are still happy in Changchun or other city in China,dont mind the people who are not good..
take care^^
Jing
Of course there are many good people who are great, and would go out of there way to help you – it’s just I tend to write more about the bad things than the good things that happen to me- as the bad things tend to affect me more.
I still believe that some chinese think this, especially when there is any amount of money involved.
An example is:
Many traders will not lower their prices to the same level (chinese price) if they are dealing with a foreigner (foreign price)
It’s understandable from the sellers perspective; the stereotype being the foreigner won’t know the actual price, won’t be able to communicate, let alone bargain, and he’s foreign – so he must be rich. So
Many (not all but many) shopkeepers would rather lose the sale (money, profit) than sell it for the Chinese price to the foreinger.. Simple as that. I’ve even heard shopkeepers say this.
For me that’s not a cultural difference, that’s discrimination based on the fact i’m not Chinese.
Taken from dictionary.com:
rac·ism
n.
1.The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.
Of course there are many good people who are great, and would go out of there way to help you – it’s just I tend to write more about the bad things than the good things that happen to me- as the bad things tend to affect me more.
I still believe that some chinese think this, especially when there is any amount of money involved.
An example is:
Many traders will not lower their prices to the same level (chinese price) if they are dealing with a foreigner (foreign price)
It’s understandable from the sellers perspective; the stereotype being the foreigner won’t know the actual price, won’t be able to communicate, let alone bargain, and he’s foreign – so he must be rich. So
Many (not all but many) shopkeepers would rather lose the sale (money, profit) than sell it for the Chinese price to the foreinger.. Simple as that. I’ve even heard shopkeepers say this.
For me that’s not a cultural difference, that’s discrimination based on the fact i’m not Chinese.
Taken from dictionary.com:
rac·ism
n.
1.The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.
im stay here,reading ur comment,i have nothing to say..just sad, really sad…
im stay here,reading ur comment,i have nothing to say..just sad, really sad…
i dont know why i left comments in ur website,
just wanna explain chinese people are nice,
we are not as bad as u said,but ..
maybe im wrong,..
my words are poor when i try to explain how nice we are..
im an usual girl,i cant changed anything,
just self-examination..
best wishes.
Jing.
200600713
i dont know why i left comments in ur website,
just wanna explain chinese people are nice,
we are not as bad as u said,but ..
maybe im wrong,..
my words are poor when i try to explain how nice we are..
im an usual girl,i cant changed anything,
just self-examination..
best wishes.
Jing.
200600713
David, I understand how you feel. After having spent almost three years in China, I can honestly say that many Chinese people often make me feel ashamed to be of Chinese heritage. The kind of things I’ve seen, heard and experienced when I am out with other foreigners often make me shake my head in disbelief. Don’t feel unlucky, you are not the only foreigner in China experiencing these treatments. Definitely do not feel it’s your own fault. If anything at all, it is perhaps of your upbringing and/or personality making you vulnerable and an easy target. You are right, most of those Chinese who cheat foreigners are probably the ones who either think that foreigners are rich enough not to mind being cheated, or that the foreigners are too stupid to realize they are being cheated.
Yes, often those ha-lo’s we hear are nothing more than mockeries or just some dumb-ass kid trying to show off his half-assed English skill to his buddies. Other times they are from idiots who think it’s funny. Next time, return the favour by pointing at them and say to your fellow foreigner, “Zhongguo ren, zhongguo ren!” then say “ni hao ma” and giggle. See how THEY feel!
As for the ignorant questions, I guess you can either look at them as being idiotic brainless questions, or an expression of hospitality. After all, we are in the heartland of northeastern China where the people pride themselves as being friendly and very hospitable.
As far as Mainland Chinese being racists, that is what I have observed also though I wouldn’t go as far as considering all of them racists. If anything, maybe it’s their nature to discriminate. People from northern China look down on people from southern China, and people from inner city look down on people from rural parts of the city. I know that even the Taiwanese discriminate against non-Taiwanese. It’s just a simple fact: Chinese people discriminate against anyone they don’t consider to be their own kind.
Yes, being a nice guy in China often gets you nowhere. I have personally experienced that anger, a harsh or loud tone of voice would yield better result. That said, you should be aware that in the Chinese culture, people who express anger openly are considered ill-mannered and ill-cultured. Therefore, in order to prevent the Chinese from getting to a hasty and false conclusion that all foreigners are brutes, you have to know when to show anger and when not to. In case you didn’t know, in northeastern China, the people don’t get into a shouting match. They often resort to physical violence and they will use whatever is closest without thinking twice, be it a big rock or a beer bottle. 😉 My advice is to learn some Chinese swear words. I’d be more than happy to teach you some. 😉
It sounds like you are coming down with a case of Bitter Westerner Syndrome. Hang in there, just look at the positive side of things and try not to think too much about the negatives.
To Jing: Yes, many Chinese are nice. But there are also many, MANY who are very, VERY bad.
David, I understand how you feel. After having spent almost three years in China, I can honestly say that many Chinese people often make me feel ashamed to be of Chinese heritage. The kind of things I’ve seen, heard and experienced when I am out with other foreigners often make me shake my head in disbelief. Don’t feel unlucky, you are not the only foreigner in China experiencing these treatments. Definitely do not feel it’s your own fault. If anything at all, it is perhaps of your upbringing and/or personality making you vulnerable and an easy target. You are right, most of those Chinese who cheat foreigners are probably the ones who either think that foreigners are rich enough not to mind being cheated, or that the foreigners are too stupid to realize they are being cheated.
Yes, often those ha-lo’s we hear are nothing more than mockeries or just some dumb-ass kid trying to show off his half-assed English skill to his buddies. Other times they are from idiots who think it’s funny. Next time, return the favour by pointing at them and say to your fellow foreigner, “Zhongguo ren, zhongguo ren!” then say “ni hao ma” and giggle. See how THEY feel!
As for the ignorant questions, I guess you can either look at them as being idiotic brainless questions, or an expression of hospitality. After all, we are in the heartland of northeastern China where the people pride themselves as being friendly and very hospitable.
As far as Mainland Chinese being racists, that is what I have observed also though I wouldn’t go as far as considering all of them racists. If anything, maybe it’s their nature to discriminate. People from northern China look down on people from southern China, and people from inner city look down on people from rural parts of the city. I know that even the Taiwanese discriminate against non-Taiwanese. It’s just a simple fact: Chinese people discriminate against anyone they don’t consider to be their own kind.
Yes, being a nice guy in China often gets you nowhere. I have personally experienced that anger, a harsh or loud tone of voice would yield better result. That said, you should be aware that in the Chinese culture, people who express anger openly are considered ill-mannered and ill-cultured. Therefore, in order to prevent the Chinese from getting to a hasty and false conclusion that all foreigners are brutes, you have to know when to show anger and when not to. In case you didn’t know, in northeastern China, the people don’t get into a shouting match. They often resort to physical violence and they will use whatever is closest without thinking twice, be it a big rock or a beer bottle. 😉 My advice is to learn some Chinese swear words. I’d be more than happy to teach you some. 😉
It sounds like you are coming down with a case of Bitter Westerner Syndrome. Hang in there, just look at the positive side of things and try not to think too much about the negatives.
To Jing: Yes, many Chinese are nice. But there are also many, MANY who are very, VERY bad.
Hi David
I’m sorry to hear about some of difficulties you’re having there. It sounds like you need a holiday – make sure you get organised to come home for holiday in August.
Love, Mum x
Hi David
I’m sorry to hear about some of difficulties you’re having there. It sounds like you need a holiday – make sure you get organised to come home for holiday in August.
Love, Mum x