Archive for October, 2006
October 30, 2006 at 4:37 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences
Well I started my first, full-time, non-temporary job today. For the first time in my life, I have to go to work 5 days per week for 8 hours per day and it’s not limited to a 3 month summer vacation. Today is really a momentous day in my life.
Unfortunately, this means I’m going to have to put my Shop My Shanghai business on the back burner for awhile…at least until I find a trustworthy bilingual girl who has time to take foreigners shopping Mon-Fri. (If you’re available, or know someone who’d be interested, email me.)
I believe starting a new job is a bit nerve-racking for anyone and involves so many new names, new faces, and information. This is even truer in a hotel where there are 270 employees and where you need to become familiar with the uniforms, locker room, public v. private areas, procedures, etc. Being that I’m in a Chinese hotel, it’s all the more complicated.
Though I will go through a 2-week rotation/training period to the different departments of the hotel over the next 3-4weeks, I spent my first day in the sales office observing. Much to my concern, they only had 4 desks with 4 computers (None with internet!) for 7 or 8 people. I’m not sure how that’s supposed to work. I can’t function without internet! I asked them what they do all day and they said make banquet/wedding sales/reservations, but they do it by waiting for the phone to ring. Much as the Irish Operations Manager indicated, they lack a proactive approach to sales. He also said it has improved since he got there; I can’t even imagine what they did before!
In 1 week and 2 interview later, I went from being a minimal experience, recent college grad to Assistant Sales Manager, 3rd or 4th in line after the GM at a 4* hotel, having about 6 people under me, including a couple of 30-year old women who’ve clearly worked there longer than I have. Talk about a quick boost in status.
An easy way to recognize most the male managers on the property is by their purple ties. It’s interesting to me that even the senior level managers wear uniforms (though they are suits). At the JW Marriott in Hong Kong, the employees aspire to wear their own suits because it indicates they are managers and no longer staff. That’s not the case at this hotel–even at my position I’m required to wear a uniform, as is my boss. That means I’ll have to wear a skirt and nylons everyday, ugh! Well, at least it saves money on dry cleaning and buying new suits. And I’ll also be getting used to wearing and standing in heels all day long again.
I think spending a year plus working in a Chinese (government-owned) company, surrounded by only Chinese employees (there are only 2 other white men employed there) will be a very profound and unique experience.
So, as you may guess, between a full-time job, mandarin classes 2 nights per week, plus trying to start a new business with Rola, keeping up my Shop My Shanghai business, and exporting items to the US (and looking for a boyfriend 
), I’ll be rather busy. As such, I will likely not write on a daily basis anymore.
In other news…today I stopped a pick-pocket. As I was walking home a girl and a woman were walking towards me, then abruptly, the girl turned and started following the lady on the bike in front of me. I thought that’s a bit strange. Then the girl started getting closer to the bike lady…then she started trying to unzip her bag. And I was like, what the…! So I screamed ‘hey hey hey’ and to the girl, ‘what are you doing!’ She gave me an evil look like ‘get off, what do you care.’ Guess it just goes to show pick-pockets really do come in all shapes and sizes, and are in every city.
October 29, 2006 at 4:45 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences
On Saturday, my roommate and I went to the Shanghai Foxtown Outlets in the Songjiang District, the first by the Swiss group outside of Europe. After about an hour’s drive plus RMB25 in tolls we arrived at a rather stark, featureless white building. For all the advertising that’s been done, it was rather empty. She and I soon found out why. There weren’t very many stores and the prices were hardly those of factory outlets. For example: Adidas sneakers were about US$60 and New Balance running shorts were about US$25. I complained these were the full retail prices I’d pay in the US. My roommate explained that international brands are about 30% more expensive in Mainland China (as compared to Hong Kong) and therefore, these are actually discounted prices. However, I felt I could have gotten a better deal just going to places in Shanghai retailing these brands during the sale period. Another thing we found strange about the place is that we were in a store sellingvery high end brands, including a combination of Prada, DKNY, and a few other high-end designers when I pointed out a Furla purse to my roommate. As she used to work for Furla, she looked at it and then commented, ‘I think it’s probably fake. Furla doesn’t have any retailing agreements like this in SH. I don’t think it’s real.’ Not that I’m the expert on Furla purses but it looked pretty generic, like those seen at the markets and not like the Furla bags I’d seen in Singapore. After I started thinking about it, the Prada wallets looked pretty fake too. All-in-all the trip to the outlets was a bummer–we spent more time stuck in SH traffic than we did at the mall and neither of us bought anything. Hopefully, Foxtown will be able to get more brands to lease space in the mall and actually price stuff at factory outlet prices.
There’s another outdoor outlet mall on the outskirts of Shanghai that I’ve also heard has difficulty pricing according to the concept of ‘outlet mall,’ but based on the report, it sounds like it has a few more (international) brands and therefore may be worth the drive some other time.
On the way back home, I asked my roommate to drop me off at the Gubei Carrefour so I could buy a duvet for my bed, as its starting to get cold. Before I went to Carrefour, I walked around the mall a bit on a (seemingly never-ending) quest for a nice wallet and knee-high boots. For those ladies looking for larger shoes in Shanghai, I would recommend you check the stores around Gubei Carrefour. Although I didn’t actually ask about shoes, they seemed like they carried a few larger size shoes and also, other people have recommended looking there, too.
When I was looking for a duvet, I was completely overwhelmed and had to call my friend for advice. First of all, I’ve never purchased a duvet before and second I had forgotten the size of my bed. Without me even asking, the sales lady comes over to help me choose one (wow! service in Carrefour, its amazing). She kept recommending the ones that were the most on sale (ie originally RMB599, on sale for RMB199, so a discount of RMB400). I thought, ‘how is this good for sales at Carrefour?’ And she kept recommending wool, but after feeling the wool and calling and asking my friend, I knew I didn’t want wool. Both my roommate and friend suggested I spend about RMB200, so at least she was in the right price range. But she also kept telling me, ‘we’ve all bought these ones,’ ‘these are the ones we bought.’ After she said that, knowing the way my preferences differ from Chinese, I knew I definitely was not going to get that one. Aaaaaaah! Lost in an aisle of duvets that just don’t seem right, with the store lady making me touch all of them. Finally, I struck upon something that seemed right: a duvet filled with down! Again, she helped me touch that one, oh yeah! Down feels so nice. Yes, I like this one. I want this one and it’s even in my price range! But the lady insists, no, that’s not a good one. Don’t get that one. You have to get the wool one. Well, I was done with her advice; down it is, on to something else.
I’ve been searching for a yoga mat and since many of my Chinese friends recommend I do yoga, I figured yoga should be popular so it shouldn’t be too hard to find a yoga mat. Well, its more difficult than I thought. So today I decided I’d make the trek to 1 of 5 Decathlon stores in & around Shanghai. I chose the one at the Brilliance West Shopping Mall.
I’d been to this mall before and thought to myself how American and home-like it felt, despite the fact it was way out in the dirty, dumpy, 老百姓 part of town. It definitely felt like a mall from southern California (though it doesn’t really have many American stores, only Nike, Lacoste, Starbucks, and Papa John’s pizza), with its open-air style, wide spaces, and plaza/performance area in the center. As I was looking on the internet trying to figure out the bus to get there, I stumbled across another blog who explained why it felt so American: it was designed by someone from Las Vegas. And apparently I’m not the only one who appreciates and enjoys the feeling of this mall, this guy(!) just raved about it, too. (He has pictures, too, and recommends one of the restaurants). Despite the fact there’s not much I want to buy there (although I did buy a coat last time), its a nice place to hang out in good weather and would be a nice place to go eat with friends if it wasn’t so far away. And there are other white people there, so you won’t be stared at like an anomaly. The Brilliance West Shopping Mall is at Jianhe and Xianxia West Road. But I don’t recommend getting lost around there because the area is dirty and unappealing.
If you’d like more information on shopping around Shanghai, please visit my other website: Shop My Shanghai.com or contact me.
October 26, 2006 at 9:23 pm · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences, Business Climate
It’s very curious to look around Shanghai and marvel at the fact the cars are all old. Well to be accurate, the cars themselves aren’t actually very old. Since there weren’t many passenger cars in China before the 1970s or 1980s, there aren’t (m)any truly old cars. It’s just that the body styles are very old and the engineering is rather outdated. The body styles of cars here remind me of cars from the ’80s, with very square corners and box-like appearances. The interior/dashboard area is no newer–old radios with turn dials (unless the driver installed a new system). The only very new cars I’ve seen, I expect have been imported, such as a BMW convertible and a few Audis.
As I observed this, I thought to myself, why is this? (Can you tell I ask ‘why?’ a lot?) My reasoning is that car manufacturers don’t want to give away their newest designs. Let me back up and discuss some of the history of business in China. Prior to China’s accession to the WTO any business in China had to be part of a Joint-Venture (or a few other legal forms, but Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprises were definitely not allowed). The government made these requirements so that during the partnerships the foreign company could transfer technology and expertise to the domestic partner. In doing so, the government hoped local companies would use the technology and knowledge to build up local expertise and eventually undercut the foreign companies. As foreign car manufacturers were trying desperately to get into China’s market they agreed to these terms. They received benefits as well: low-cost labor and knowledge of and distribution in the domestic market. However, knowing the risks, foreign car makers wrote a provision into the contract that said their local partner (in the case of VW and GM, Shanghai Automotive Corp (SAIC)) couldn’t launch its own brand within a certain period of time. (I believe the period has elapsed and SAIC plans to launch its own brand within the next 6-12months). Now, my guess is, to further protect their interests, foreign car manufacturers decided to build outdated models of cars here. So that the local partner wouldn’t rip off the newest, most advanced technology, reverse engineer it, manufacturer it, and sell it for less on the global market, the foreign car makers only brought old styles here that weren’t being sold in any developed countries anymore. This seems like a genius plan to me. ‘Let’s give them engine technology and body styles that are from the 1980s and it will still seem fantastic for the poor, backward Chinese, while protecting our newest international models.’ It would not surprise me if some manager in those foreign car companies thought exactly that. It is my understanding, though, that the foreign car companies did fix defects that were in the originally released cars from the 1980s before they brought the technology to China; this way they would not be subject to any liabilities resulting from design defects.
Now the situation gets tricky. There is new legislation that has emissions standards set at a level stricter than those in the US (though, to my understanding, not quite as strict as the EU). You’ve got to wonder, is the government finally starting to care about the environment and the pollution? Or is this a legislative attempt to get more advanced technology from the foreign car companies just as the domestic companies plan to launch their own brands and sell on the international market? I would be curious to know how the foreign car brands are reacting and what they will do. Will they bring in newer body styles as well as more advanced engine technologies when they lower emissions? Or will they make only the most minor modifications to lower emissions?
October 26, 2006 at 7:06 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Tonight as I was walking home, I was noticing how bright the sky was and I couldn’t help but wonder, why… Since it was cloudy enough to be lightly raining, I knew it couldn’t be the brightness of the moon. And since it was already 9:30pm, I knew it couldn’t be sunlight (in eastern China). So I started looking around and realized that was light pollution! The two tall, very brightly lit towers know as Grand Gateway (about 20min walk from my apartment) were lighting up the whole sky due to their reflection by the low-hanging clouds. It was so weird–it was like twilight. Or like a solar eclipse.
October 25, 2006 at 9:35 pm · Filed under Knowledge and Experiences, Tourism, Traveling
As the UK, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, and most of the US (except HI, AZ, & parts of IN) prepare to set their clocks back 1 hour this Sunday, I’m wondering why China doesn’t. The sun rises here in Shanghai around 6am, which is fine. However, it is already dark by the time I get home from work around 5:30pm. This is annoying because it means I can’t go running after I get home. It seems very strange to me. I think they should also do Daylight Savings like the rest of the world so that the sun rises closer to 7am and sets around 6pm. This also seems to fit better with the nature of the people. For the most part, the Chinese are not early risers. Most of us are sleeping until long after the sun rises and therefore we are burning daylight (a sad thing). To be clear, generally the work day starts at 9am, not 8am, so there’s no reason not to have the sun rise a little later and also set a little later so that the workers can go home around sunset rather than in darkness. I think this would also help delay the constant construction that goes on outside my window at 4-5am. Perhaps the reason the government doesn’t support setting our clocks back 1 hours is because they don’t want to make it any worse for western China.
That’s right. A surprising fact is that ALL of China is on 1 Time Zone! That means when its 6am in Shanghai, it’s also 6am in Inner Mongolia and Tibet and Xinjiang, etc! Therefore, if China were to have us set our clocks back 1 hour, though it would be appropriate in Shanghai, it would exacerbate the situation in western China. When I first heard this, I thought this was very curious. And I felt so bad for the people in western China who’d have to go to work in pitch black (essentially the middle of the night), but then someone told me that’s not the case. They just do everything on a different time schedule. For example, they go to work at noon and finish at 9pm and that is considered normal there. This situation is especially strange for travelers when they cross one of the borders of western China, such as India, Mongolia, or Kazakhstan, as they jump approximately 6 hours / time zones. You’ve got to wonder why the Chinese government does this. Is this an attempt to unify the country? I would think it would just cause resentment. Or is it just simply the need of the Chinese government to be authoritarian?
October 25, 2006 at 2:01 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences, Learning through Foreign Cultures
Today I was reading my email and received a ‘FW:…’ Normally when I receive those emails I just ignore them because its usually something I don’t have time for and neither do my friends when it says ‘Forward this to 7 friends for good luck’ or something like that. The other risk is, sometimes viruses are hidden in these types of emails.
However, today I decided to read one entitled ‘FW: Natural Highs.’ This email listed 45 things that make us feel good. As I was reading it, I realized some of them were very culturally Western (or even American) and others were more universal. I believe a look at the list will show that some of these ‘natural highs’ only make sense within their cultural context:
1. Falling in love
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts
3. A hot shower
4. No lines at the supermarket
5. A special glance. // After living in China, its hard to say what ‘A special glance’ is. I get strange glances from Chinese people all the time, but they just make me nervous.
6. Getting mail
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road. // When I read this one, I thought of a drive we took through the Chilean countryside and it did make me smile just remembering it. But I wonder if Chinese people (or Westerners living in China) would have the same feelings of fondness for this one. Even driving down pretty roads in China is, to me, marred by the constant honking that goes on.
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside. // If you’re from Seattle or some other place where it rains constantly, is this still enjoyable?
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer. // I like this one. Too bad there are no dryers in China, so I doubt many Chinese could have experienced the joy of this one.
11. Chocolate milkshake.. (or vanilla or strawberry!)
12. A bubble bath! // Few homes in China, and even fewer in Hong Kong have bathtubs. Ours, for example, is not big enough to sit in. I wonder if homes in Europe have bathtubs (I know my apts in Spain did not). Therefore, this too may be a strictly American enjoyment.
13. Giggling
14. A good conversation
15. The beach // If you live in Shanghai, I don’t know that the beach is that much of a pleasure. But I do know that even though Chinese and Japanese people don’t like sun, they do still like the beach; they just prefer it in the evening when they won’t get sun.
16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter. // Well since the largest Chinese note is RMB100 (~US$12), that’s not likely to happen in China. But hey, $12 is still good!
17. Laughing at yourself. // Can/do Chinese people laugh at themselves?
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours
20. Running through sprinklers
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all
22. Having someone tell you that you’re beautiful. // After (being me) living in China, this one starts to lose its luster. When people (both males and females) are constantly telling you, ‘you are beautiful girl,’ ‘you are pretty lady,’ or ‘hey beautiful girl, come here, come look at this’ it starts to feel like irony, like that found in The Canterbury Tales.
23. Laughing at an inside joke
24. Friends
25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you
26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep
27. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner)
28. Making new friends or spending time with old ones
29. Playing with a new puppy
30. Having someone play with your hair
31. Sweet dreams
32. Hot chocolate. // Although, probably tea in the case of China.
33. Road trips with friends. // I think this one must be very American. Although a few Europeans do take road trips, I’d say most Europeans, like most Chinese, would connect better with ‘Train trips with friends’ or ‘Vacations with friends.’ I was glad to share a road trip around California and Arizona with Chinese (HK) friends and European friends. Now we can all enjoy this one together. 
34. Swinging on swings
35. Making eye contact with a cute stranger
36. Making chocolate chip cookies. // This one is very American. Definitely don’t think any Chinese people (except for my Taiwanese roommate, Annie, who lived in the US for 8 years) have ever done this. I would also guess very few Europeans have done this either, as ovens are not very common in European households and chocolate chip cookies are even less common.
37. Having your friends send you homemade cookies. // Since no one has an oven in China, guess they don’t send any homemade desserts. I wonder if they do this in Europe? I guess in China store-bought Moon Cakes for Mid-Autumn festival are the closest they get.
38. Holding hands with someone you care about. // This one almost seems non-American as many other cultures tend to be a lot more touchy and affectionate than Americans. For example, in China, female (and even guy) friends often hold hands or link arms as they walk down the street. As these people all must be on natural highs, maybe they know the real secret to happiness and closeness.
39. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change
40. Watching the expression on someone’s face as they open a much desired present from you
41. Watching the sunrise
42. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day
43. Knowing that somebody misses you. // Since I’m so far away, I think that means a lot of people miss me…
44. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply. // Looking forward to Mom, Bob, and Grandparents’ arrival. Will expect big hugs from all of you then!
45. Knowing you’ve done the right thing, no matter what other people think. // This one is perhaps the most culturally limited of all of them In the US, we can appreciate ourself when we do the right things. However, more often, in China, its better to protect your family and close friends than to do the right thing. In China, what other people think is far more important than doing the right thing. This is because ‘face’ is sooo important in Chinese society.
I enjoyed this list and I hope you will enjoy it for its emotional boost, too. I hope that then you will take a second look and see how much of it is rooted in American culture.
To my Chinese friends, I would love to hear what small things make you happy. What is culturally significant that gives you a natural high?
October 23, 2006 at 7:09 pm · Filed under Knowledge and Experiences, Tourism
Yesterday I was reading my friend Stephanie Cheng’s blog and she talked about a friend of hers having a goal to visit a country that started with each letter of the alphabet. My goal has always been to go to every continent, but why not also check the alphabet and see how I’m doing.
She questioned whether places like Macau and Hong Kong are considered countries or dependent territories. Also, similarly can you count England and Northern Ireland separate from the UK? I came to a different conclusion than she did (source: en.wikipedia.org): the parts of the UK are not separate but Macau and Hong Kong can be counted separately. But when you have countries like China, do you list it under [P] People’s Republic of China or [C] China? I’m going to list them by their common name, rather than the formal name.
A: Austria (Republic of Austria)
B: Brazil (Federative Republic of Brazil)
C: China (PRC), Czech Republic, Canada, Croatia (Republic of Croatia), Chile (Republic of Chile), Cambodia (Kingdom of Cambodia)
D: Denmark (Kingdom of Denmark)
E: Estonia (Republic of Estonia)
F: France (French Republic), Finland (Republic of Finland)
G: Greece (Hellenic Republic), Guatemala (Republic of Guatemala), Germany (Federal Republic of Germany)
H: Hungary (Republic of Hungary), Hong Kong (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China)
I: Italy (Italian Republic)
J: (I’ll have J on Christmas Day)
K:
L: Laos (Lao People’s Democratic Republic)
M: Mexico (United Mexican States), Malaysia, Monaco (Principality of Monaco), Macau (Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China)
N: New Zealand, Norway (Kingdom of Norway)
O:
P: Portugal (Portuguese Republic), Poland (Republic of Poland)
Q:
R: Russia (Russian Federation)
S: Singapore (Republic of Singapore), Spain (Kingdom of Spain), Slovakia (Slovak Republic), Sweden (Kingdom of Sweden)
T: Taiwan, Thailand (Kingdom of Thailand), Turkey (Republic of Turkey)
U: United States (USA), United Kingdom (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
V: Vatican City (State of the Vatican City)
W:
X:
Y:
Z:
Well it seems like I need a trip through Africa and the Middle East to finish my list. But 38 countries so far and only 8 letters to go is pretty good. Is there even a X country? According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries, NO. But then again, it seems to me they forgot Zaire. With no X country, that means I actually only have 7 letters to go, and 6 after Christmas. Anyone up for a trip around the Middle East? Maybe I should go visit Stephanie…
By the way, en.wikipedia.org is where I got all the full titles. So guess what that means! Luke was right: en.wikipedia.org is unblocked in China! I wonder if its unblocked because Taiwan is listed as part of PRChina. ? ? Interesting…
October 23, 2006 at 6:42 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences
Today I decided to go shopping. No, not ‘research,’ actually shopping. And I’m not sure why I decide to cause myself frustration as I go to the same place to look for shoes in my size when multiple times previously they haven’t had my size. I kinda feel like the ugly, gangly step-sisters in Cinderella trying to fit into the too small shoes. Just a little more, maybe if I just squish my heel in, or stretch out the shoes, or well, lets just cut off a few toes. Haha. It wasn’t actually so bad. I did buy 2 pairs, but I must have looked at thousands of pairs and asked about 20 and tried on at least 6 pairs. And this is even after I know the likelihood they’ll have my size is minimal, at best.
I was very pleased though as I think I figured out a new, more effective way to avoid being followed around and asked: ‘What you want to buy lady? Shoes? Watch? Bag? Louis-Vuitton, Gucci, Prada? DVD? I got it for you. … What you look for missy? … Lady, I your friend. I help you find it.’ Ignore them! and look completely exhausted (or seem deaf) when they talk to you. They get over the game real fast when they realize they’re talking to themselves. I found this method to be much more effective (at this location, at least) than telling them, ‘不要。 我不要买。 我不要你帮我。 我 不要你陪我。’ Basically, I don’t want it. I don’t want you to help me. Although, after they’ve been following me for about 30-40minutes and I get so fed up that I start yelling loud enough and in good enough Chinese that other shop keepers can hear and then the follower loses face. So they don’t continue to lose face in front of others, they disappear very quickly. What’s the point of having these touts offer to find you stuff and then drag you around the shopping area? It defeats the purpose of shopping and enjoying looking yourself. Anyway: IGNORE THEM! Good plan.
Today as I was paying for things I had bargained pretty aggressively for, including walking away multiple times, I was told ‘阿,你很厉害。 你比中国人很厉害。’ That means you are very fierce or you’re very strong. Basically that I bargain hard. On lady even told me that I bargain harder than Chinese people. Yay for me! Guess that means I got a good deal. All the more reason you need me to help you Shop My Shanghai! In the early stages of learning to bargain in SH, you feel that when the woman starts out at over RMB 400 for a pair of shoes, there’s no way she’ll ever get down to an acceptable price range (RMB50-120). But after my experience at Yu Garden, I know it’s possible. (Yu Garden: Offered ‘Two Ming Dynasty, hand-painted bowls’ for RMB400 each. After leaving and walking around for another 45minutes, then casually passing the location again, I was offered them for RMB10 each. What a discount!) Eventually the shoe lady did get down to a reasonable price range, but by then she had tried my patience too much and I wasn’t going to support her attempt to rip off foreigners.
Its funny being a foreigner who speaks Chinese because you know when they’re talking about you as you understand key phrases like ‘lao wai’ or ‘waiguoren’ and then your ears perk up. As your Chinese becomes more advanced, you can actually understand what they’re saying about you. I can’t wait till the day when I can understand the entire conversation and give more than just a look but rather a full, accurate, curt remark. Until then, I’m stuck saying, ‘Yes, I’m a lao wai. I’m from the US. I speak Chinese.’
It rained over the weekend, which is always nice because after the rain, the air is cleaner and the sky is clearer. This time, I think we made a serious turn towards winter. Today, despite a very sunny day, there was a definite chill in the air. People were donning everything from t-shirts to full winter jackets and scarves. I admit I wore a sweatshirt for the first time since arriving and it was quite nice.
Enjoying the cool weather, my new purchases, my Mandarin ability, and my lihai bargaining skills…
October 22, 2006 at 12:02 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences
This is the third set of my pictures from Shanghai. This set ranges from September to October 2006 and includes many dinners with friends, specifically Derya’s farewell dinner, Mid-Autumn festival dinner with colleagues, and many others. During this period, I also went to Yu Yuan Garden for the first time and to Qibao watertown. There are also pictures of Pudong, namely the traffic of Lujiazui and Jinmao Tower.
Shanghai Pictures Part 3 - Sept-Oct’06
Pictures from SH Flickr Meetup - Oct’06
Shanghai Pictures Pt 2 - July-Sept’06
Nanjing Pictures - Aug’06
Black Eyed Peas Concert in SH - July’06
Shanghai Pictures Pt 1 - July’06
October 21, 2006 at 4:13 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences, Entrepreneurship & Business, Business Climate
Today I interviewed with a Chinese company, and not just any Chinese company, a government-owned, Chinese run, 4* hotel. As you might expect, it was not like any everyday, American-style interview. First, a guy came found me when I was standing outside, trying to tame my hair after the rain messed it up (oops, that’s embarrassing). Then I got a property tour (common in hotel interviews). Then I found out this guy has nothing to do with the hiring, he’s just the greeter and a translator. Then I met the female assistant (don’t know whose assistant). Then I met the boss of the consulting company. He only spoke Chinese. He’s worked in hospitality for many years and now has been hired as a consultant by this hotel to improve their staffs’ service level and also hire foreigners so that in the next 2 years this hotel can move from a 4* hotel to a 5*. After I drank tea and chatted with these 3 for awhile, a 4th guy showed up. He didn’t say anything, so I didn’t know if he spoke English or Chinese or both. Then I was called into the General Manager’s office and the 4th guy turned out to be the translator. A GM who doesn’t speak English when over 60% of the guests are foreigners? How does that work?
At interviews in China, where the Chinese person is interviewing a foreigner to work in a Chinese company, the foreigner is well-regarded before the interview even starts. The interviewer typically holds foreigners in high-regard and so tends to judge them less than an interviewer would in the US. This helps to put the interviewee at ease, initially, until the interviewee realizes s/he then has to live up to these standards. Indeed, there seems to be greater expectations of foreign candidates than of local candidates, so foreigners are required to perform. However, the curious thing is the interviewer talks for about 70-80% of the interview. I don’t think I’ve ever been to an hour-long interview and talked so little. I’m not sure if this is because of the translator, or the preoccupation of the Chinese person with himself, or simply the attempt to impress the foreigner. I’m not basing this story solely on my experience today, but also on my previous interviews and reports from other foreigners who interviewed with Chinese companies.
For companies specializing in teaching English or other (Chinese) companies that are used to hiring foreigners, the interview process is slightly smoother, though in many ways just as curious. Depending on the company, situation, and position, you may find your interview as casual as a meeting at Starbucks, or as formal as a full-scale presentation to the company on your strengths and where you can contribute. In China, you’re much more likely to meet ‘the boss’ during your first interview than you would in the US. This is because employers or ‘the boss’ usually take a very hands-on approach to management and consider each person on their staff part of their family.
So my advice for interviews in China is, don’t expect to talk much but be ready to impress and exceed even the highest expectations when you do get your chance.
As for employment contracts (of course, teaching excepted), almost all contracts in China (at least for foreigners) come with a 3 month training/probationary period. Generally this is also true for everyone in Hong Kong, as well. During this time, you will likely receive only a portion of your agreed salary (in my case, 80%). After the 3 months, assuming both you and your employer are satisfied, you will continue working, but start receiving your full salary.
There’s also an interesting twist to the employment contract discussed for me today. I have to pay 50% of 1 month’s full salary within 3days of receiving my first paycheck to the consulting company. After asking a number of local and foreign friends they all agreed it’s rather strange for the employee to pay the consultants fee. The consultant explained it as the compensation for him finding us the job. But even with head-hunting firms, the employer who has signed the contract with the head-hunting firm pays the fee, not the new employee. The employee only pays if they hire a personal consultant to help them improve their package, marketability, and select appropriate employers. I’m not sure how it works with temp agencies, but I would still doubt that the new employee pays a fee to an agency for finding them an employer.
In my current teaching contract, there’s another interesting clause which says the employer will withhold 10% of my salary until I have finished the teaching contract; therefore this accumulates each month. This seems reasonable to me as it’s a very small percentage and it encourages you to finish the contract and not force them to change teachers partway through the teaching period. But it’s still frustrating when you expect a certain income each month and then feel shortchanged when you get 10% less. But in the end, it turns out to feel like a nice little bonus for completing a job well done.
Anyway, in accepting employment contracts in China, beware of these clauses that may shrink your monthly salary. Make sure you know the company will actually pay you before you start working and make sure there’s mutual trust so that issues can be resolved. With very little employment law, and even less enforcement of contract law in China, you have no recourse should something go wrong. Therefore, mutual trust is the only way you will get what you are owed. (Note* This primarily applies to working for Chinese owned and managed companies, and not for MNC)
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