Country Driving is Peter Hessler’s third book on China, following on from the award winning River Town (2001) and Oracle Bones (2006). The book is split into three sections, all loosely based around the theme of driving. In the first section, he drives a 4*4 across North China, tracing the Great Wall, both physically and historically. The second section documents the years he spent living in a small village two hours north of Beijing. In the third section, he spends time in an economic development zone in the southern province of Zhejiang, getting to know the people and the region.
For anyone who has read the previous two books, they will know Hessler is an elegant and meticulous writer, and Country Driving is another triumph. Trained at Princeton and Oxford, Hessler shows us again the refined style that is the hallmark of his work. For a book on China, this is another must-read, superior to many of these ‘where is China going’ or ‘cracking the enigma of China’ books. By just living there and talking to people and working hard on his stories, he understands a great deal about the country, and presents it in a fashion familiar to those with and without experience of living in China.
I find a lot of books about China tend to be quite ‘shouty’, where the author goes out of his way to look for things that can be exaggerated to show the difference and/or similarity with his own country. This tends to overplay or underplay certain issues. In what can be quite a manic country, Hessler’s writing has a tremendously calming effect, with no hyperbole and few sweeping and unfounded generalisations, producing a very nuanced and accurate appreciation of China and his subjects.
Besides the elegant prose, another feature of Hessler’s writing is the time he spent on his projects. He has certainly been there, done that, and got the T shirt. The book covers a period of around 6 years. As he rightly notes, for a foreigner looking to accomplish something in China, the biggest investment is time. He spent a long time in China, and knows his subjects extremely well.
In writing this type of book, it’s very easy to be judgemental, and Hessler is refreshingly free from such statements. He displays a meekness not generally associated with his countryman. His research on issues such as the Great Wall and the developmental zone in section three is thorough and sensibly arranged alongside personal stories. Statements such as ‘for some reason’, or ‘who knows why…’ do not appear in the book. Everything in the book is researched as much as possible. For example, speed cameras on Chinese highways - it might sound simple enough, but finding out the real deal in China is often time consuming and very difficult, but Hessler sticks at it.
Anyone who has been to a developmental zone in China might find it hard to write something interesting about it. However, Hessler delves deeper, beyond the faceless concrete and steel, to talk to the people involved, understand the behind-the-scenes, and produce a rounded account of this time spent there. This type of ‘fieldwork’, done with an open mind and sense of curiosity, is certainly very conducive to appreciating China (or anywhere else for that matter). He tends to steer clear of political issues. Yet, funnily enough, by taking a sort of anthropological, detached view of his subjects and speaking to them in depth, he actually has a very, very sound understanding of general trends in the ‘macro’ issues facing China today.
Like many Westerners in China, he also has an eye for the absurd, and tells stories such as meeting Chairman Mao on an aeroplane and the driving licence test questions in a fairly centrist fashion, allowing the reader to see the funny side for themselves. Many of his personal tales are presented in this low-key, matter-of-fact way, which allows the inherent interest of them to shine through. It’s not laugh out loud material, but certainly makes for fine reading.
There is nothing particularly ground breaking about this book. Anyone who has spent a long time in China and makes an effort to get to know people around him will identify with everything Hessler says. What Hessler does, though, is combine this knowledge with great writing. This book is a winner on all accounts.
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
Racism in China
I've just read a good article by an American woman who lived in Beijing on what she calls the 'racism' meted out to white Westerners in mainland China: http://tinyurl.com/33rfxoa (Wall Street Journal website).
The point made - that white Westerners get preferential treatment - is generally true. As a white Westerner, there's probably never been a better time to live and work in China than now. You can get a reasonably well paid job just by being white and speaking English. I've made appearances on TV. I've made company videos where I've pretended to be a scientist in a white coat. My main job in the company I work for is just being there, a sign of excellence (see previous posts). The majority of people are generally fairly friendly and respectful towards you, usually more so than they are to their fellow countrymen. All courtesy of my race (and to a lesser extent, nationality).
A lot of Chinese, apart from some 'up to date', savvy, younger ones, think all white foreigners are American, rich, work as engineers, scientists or lawyers, drive around in expensive cars, have a huge house with a big lawn and white picket fence, and generally live the life of Riley. I met a guy once when I was making a TV programme and he asked me if I was in Xi'an as a manager or an engineer. Being a lowly employee is not something that white people are supposed to do, particularly in China.
It can be a bit embarrassing at times, and it only adds to the ugly superiority complex that some Westerners, particularly Americans, have in China. Although to call it racism, with the negative connotations that word holds, is a bit misleading. When people shout 'laowai' (foreigner) as you're walking down the street, it's because of curiosity or they're trying to be funny, and is completely non-threatening. The last part of this paragraph from the article is a case in point:
"For some white people hired for this purpose, it's not an easy situation to deal with. Ms Swartz felt she was treated like a child and even a 'zoo animal' at the firm. But she needed the job to take care of her newborn baby. She didn't start taking on any real responsibility, such as overseeing clients, until a manager overheard her speaking Mandarin. 'They didn't even read my résumé,' says Ms. Swartz, who studied eight years of Mandarin before moving to China. But she also believes that it's good for white people to experience racism because most people on earth have to deal with it, and 'it doesn't feel good'."
It might not feel great for some white people, but it's a lot better than the treatment dished out to black people. Black people get the hardest time of all. I went with a black friend to discuss making a travel TV programme once, and as we turned up at the door, the man looked at the black guy and his expression told the story very clearly: 'we want the nice looking foreigners'. The black guy left immediately. Black people have a reputation as being either poor, lecherous or both. Chinese men don't really like seeing a white man with a Chinese girl, but a Chinese girl with a black man is particularly galling. Indians, Pakistanis and South/South-East Asians also don't get the red carpet treatment as often as white people.
A couple of other points worth mentioning. Chinese people are very 'financialist', ie, if you're poor, we look down on you, and vice versa. This also applies to foreigners. If you're from a rich area - Western Europe, North America or Australia/NZ - you're good. If you're from a country poorer than China, you're not so good.
Also, a lot of Chinese people don't like to have dark skin. Dark skin shows you're a 农民 'nongmin', or farmer, and that you grew up or still live in the fields, have no 文化 'wenhua' (education) and can't speak standard Mandarin. Having pale skin shows that you're unaffected by the elements, you work in an office and have air conditioning - or for a girl, it means you have a rich husband so you don't have to go out and earn money. I have a friend who is insisting on having an operation to make her skin whiter. The worst insult you can call her is 黑蛋蛋 'hei dandan' - black egg. She always takes an umbrella out when the sun is out to stop herself from getting 晒死了 'shai si le' - tanned.
The point made - that white Westerners get preferential treatment - is generally true. As a white Westerner, there's probably never been a better time to live and work in China than now. You can get a reasonably well paid job just by being white and speaking English. I've made appearances on TV. I've made company videos where I've pretended to be a scientist in a white coat. My main job in the company I work for is just being there, a sign of excellence (see previous posts). The majority of people are generally fairly friendly and respectful towards you, usually more so than they are to their fellow countrymen. All courtesy of my race (and to a lesser extent, nationality).
A lot of Chinese, apart from some 'up to date', savvy, younger ones, think all white foreigners are American, rich, work as engineers, scientists or lawyers, drive around in expensive cars, have a huge house with a big lawn and white picket fence, and generally live the life of Riley. I met a guy once when I was making a TV programme and he asked me if I was in Xi'an as a manager or an engineer. Being a lowly employee is not something that white people are supposed to do, particularly in China.
It can be a bit embarrassing at times, and it only adds to the ugly superiority complex that some Westerners, particularly Americans, have in China. Although to call it racism, with the negative connotations that word holds, is a bit misleading. When people shout 'laowai' (foreigner) as you're walking down the street, it's because of curiosity or they're trying to be funny, and is completely non-threatening. The last part of this paragraph from the article is a case in point:
"For some white people hired for this purpose, it's not an easy situation to deal with. Ms Swartz felt she was treated like a child and even a 'zoo animal' at the firm. But she needed the job to take care of her newborn baby. She didn't start taking on any real responsibility, such as overseeing clients, until a manager overheard her speaking Mandarin. 'They didn't even read my résumé,' says Ms. Swartz, who studied eight years of Mandarin before moving to China. But she also believes that it's good for white people to experience racism because most people on earth have to deal with it, and 'it doesn't feel good'."
It might not feel great for some white people, but it's a lot better than the treatment dished out to black people. Black people get the hardest time of all. I went with a black friend to discuss making a travel TV programme once, and as we turned up at the door, the man looked at the black guy and his expression told the story very clearly: 'we want the nice looking foreigners'. The black guy left immediately. Black people have a reputation as being either poor, lecherous or both. Chinese men don't really like seeing a white man with a Chinese girl, but a Chinese girl with a black man is particularly galling. Indians, Pakistanis and South/South-East Asians also don't get the red carpet treatment as often as white people.
A couple of other points worth mentioning. Chinese people are very 'financialist', ie, if you're poor, we look down on you, and vice versa. This also applies to foreigners. If you're from a rich area - Western Europe, North America or Australia/NZ - you're good. If you're from a country poorer than China, you're not so good.
Also, a lot of Chinese people don't like to have dark skin. Dark skin shows you're a 农民 'nongmin', or farmer, and that you grew up or still live in the fields, have no 文化 'wenhua' (education) and can't speak standard Mandarin. Having pale skin shows that you're unaffected by the elements, you work in an office and have air conditioning - or for a girl, it means you have a rich husband so you don't have to go out and earn money. I have a friend who is insisting on having an operation to make her skin whiter. The worst insult you can call her is 黑蛋蛋 'hei dandan' - black egg. She always takes an umbrella out when the sun is out to stop herself from getting 晒死了 'shai si le' - tanned.
Friday, 16 July 2010
Foreigners from Botswana
A lot gets made in the newspapers about Chinese companies working in Africa. Our company is in on the act as well, with projects in Nigeria and Sudan. Such contracts are normally signed with major state-owned companies, who then sub-contract out various projects to other companies, such as ours.
Last Saturday, representatives from CEC, a Beijing-based state-owned company, and representatives of one their clients, the Botswana National Grid, came to Xian. The purpose, if the red banner hanging over the entrance was anything to be believed, was 'Visiting and Looking'.
As usual with our company, everyone only found out about it about a day or two beforehand. Everything runs through the boss, so only when he lets other people know, do we know. This meant that the day before, the translation department (including me) were busy hastily translating contents pages of manuals from Chinese to English. Preparation is, without exception, either rushed or non-existent every single time we have had important "foreign guests" visit. So I've given up trying too hard. Which is actually the best way to deal with it.
Being the company "vase", or token foreigner, I had to go along for lunch. The boss expects that my presence says "our translation department, and company in general, is high quality because we have a Westerner". Never mind that that's not true, it's perception that counts.
Lunch was to be taken in the Holiday Inn, a brand new, faceless hotel built on what five years ago was fertile farmland. We arrived quite early, before the others, so the boss got to ordering the food. With the customary rudeness and disrespect that rich people display towards poor(er) people, the boss barked his orders at, and made jokes at the expense of, a series of young waitresses.
Having dispatched them, he talked to me about his daughter. She likes cosplay, a Japanese invention where people dress up like videogame characters. Her parents forbid her from doing it, and expect her to take over the company when she is older. Obviously she is completely opposed to this, and the friction between her and her parents is typical of the huge generation gap. Not being an expert in parenting, I just nodded noncommittally to most of what he said.
Later the guests arrived: four Botswanans, two Germans and three Chinese from the contractor. Sideways glances and mild brow-furrowing suggested they were a bit surprised to see me, and it took an announcement five minutes into lunch to explain who I actually was and what I was doing there.
I spoke to the Botswanan engineer next to me about what he thought of China. He mainly noticed that it was very safe, which I've heard foreigners say many times before about China. He also marvelled at the economic development. I asked why so many African countries co-operate with Chinese companies in areas where technical quality is a requirement. The answer - cost.
At meals like these, there is always the problem of translating/explaining some of the dishes. And with broken English from our side and zero Chinese from their side, a lot of conversations drift into confusion, and jokes peter out into empty silence. The boss spent most of this time discussing "zhengshi" - real issues - with the representative from the contractor, leaving the chitchat to us underlings.
On my left was the "head of the business department", Mr Li Zhao. He is a middle-aged, slightly oily-looking man with a thinning side-parting and bad teeth, and he likes to carry one of these black briefcase-cum-handbags that are the preserve of unfashionable Chinese businessmen. He used to sell air conditioners. His supineness is the only reason he works here. (Only the boss has any real authority and power, hence the quotation marks around Mr Zhao's job title).
He said in Chinese to the girl from our business department "Why don't you tell everyone about the history of the dumpling". Perhaps aware of her own deficiencies in culinary history, she then cunningly said to everyone, in English, "Now Mr Zhao will tell you about the history of the dumpling". Then she said in Chinese to Mr Zhao, "I just said you will now tell us a story about dumplings, they are very excited".
The sweat beads started forming on his head as everyone looked expectantly in his direction. He first mumbled something about long history, different types of dumplings in different places, "the dumpling consists of an outside and a filling", and various other uninteresting pieces of bleedin' obvious information. Translating for him was quite awkward because his content was so weak. He said that the Italian pizza came into being when Marco Polo tried to make dumplings back in Italy, but couldn't do it and so just put the filling on top and called it a pizza. This might sound funny to Chinese ears, but the silence it was treated with let even Mr Zhao know that he was losing his audience.
Afterwards in the lobby, the translator from the contractor displayed some of the finest sarcasm I have ever heard from a Chinese person. "So Mr Zhao, I didn't realise you knew so much about dumplings, maybe next time you can tell us about the history of the noodle." Mr Zhao smoked his cigarette, content at the praise but being modest: "My actual speciality is Chinese history". "Wow, Chinese and culinary history, you know so much," came the reply.
In the afternoon, we held a small presentation about the company in the head office. During the Q and A, our boss displayed his skill at fending away very pertinent and direct questions from the German engineers. "Fobbed off" is I'm sure the feeling they felt the most. By the end, the head of their delegation was lamenting at the chaos and suggesting it was time to go to the simulation centre. But our company's relationship with the contractor is the only one that matters, so I don't think the boss is too fussed about what the 'laowai' (foreigners) thought.
The simulation centre is actually quite amusing. It is part of, and belongs to, the Xian Electrical College, and we just use it when we need to train some laowai. But we're very cunning. We put a battered old metal company sign on the door saying "XXX Company Simulation Training Center", and hey presto, it's ours! One Indonesian trainee asked me last year, pointing at all the dormitories on campus, "are all these students studying at XXX company?" Ahh, if only he knew.
The girl from the business department opened up a PowerPoint presentation to discuss the training plan. As soon as she opened it, the words "Trainin Scheduel" stared me in the face. As expected, at the first opportunity the Europeans asked me about the spelling. It should be highly embarrassing for me and the company, but I've already given up trying to make things better. It seems to me very obvious that anything like this should be checked (by me) first, and that if they don't give it to me, I can't check it.
But no one cares. It's interesting that it doesn't matter how bad the presentation is or how unprepared our project manager was, the boss never says anything. Keep your head down, speak when spoken to, don't give the game away, and you'll be fine.
Last Saturday, representatives from CEC, a Beijing-based state-owned company, and representatives of one their clients, the Botswana National Grid, came to Xian. The purpose, if the red banner hanging over the entrance was anything to be believed, was 'Visiting and Looking'.
As usual with our company, everyone only found out about it about a day or two beforehand. Everything runs through the boss, so only when he lets other people know, do we know. This meant that the day before, the translation department (including me) were busy hastily translating contents pages of manuals from Chinese to English. Preparation is, without exception, either rushed or non-existent every single time we have had important "foreign guests" visit. So I've given up trying too hard. Which is actually the best way to deal with it.
Being the company "vase", or token foreigner, I had to go along for lunch. The boss expects that my presence says "our translation department, and company in general, is high quality because we have a Westerner". Never mind that that's not true, it's perception that counts.
Lunch was to be taken in the Holiday Inn, a brand new, faceless hotel built on what five years ago was fertile farmland. We arrived quite early, before the others, so the boss got to ordering the food. With the customary rudeness and disrespect that rich people display towards poor(er) people, the boss barked his orders at, and made jokes at the expense of, a series of young waitresses.
Having dispatched them, he talked to me about his daughter. She likes cosplay, a Japanese invention where people dress up like videogame characters. Her parents forbid her from doing it, and expect her to take over the company when she is older. Obviously she is completely opposed to this, and the friction between her and her parents is typical of the huge generation gap. Not being an expert in parenting, I just nodded noncommittally to most of what he said.
Later the guests arrived: four Botswanans, two Germans and three Chinese from the contractor. Sideways glances and mild brow-furrowing suggested they were a bit surprised to see me, and it took an announcement five minutes into lunch to explain who I actually was and what I was doing there.
I spoke to the Botswanan engineer next to me about what he thought of China. He mainly noticed that it was very safe, which I've heard foreigners say many times before about China. He also marvelled at the economic development. I asked why so many African countries co-operate with Chinese companies in areas where technical quality is a requirement. The answer - cost.
At meals like these, there is always the problem of translating/explaining some of the dishes. And with broken English from our side and zero Chinese from their side, a lot of conversations drift into confusion, and jokes peter out into empty silence. The boss spent most of this time discussing "zhengshi" - real issues - with the representative from the contractor, leaving the chitchat to us underlings.
On my left was the "head of the business department", Mr Li Zhao. He is a middle-aged, slightly oily-looking man with a thinning side-parting and bad teeth, and he likes to carry one of these black briefcase-cum-handbags that are the preserve of unfashionable Chinese businessmen. He used to sell air conditioners. His supineness is the only reason he works here. (Only the boss has any real authority and power, hence the quotation marks around Mr Zhao's job title).
He said in Chinese to the girl from our business department "Why don't you tell everyone about the history of the dumpling". Perhaps aware of her own deficiencies in culinary history, she then cunningly said to everyone, in English, "Now Mr Zhao will tell you about the history of the dumpling". Then she said in Chinese to Mr Zhao, "I just said you will now tell us a story about dumplings, they are very excited".
The sweat beads started forming on his head as everyone looked expectantly in his direction. He first mumbled something about long history, different types of dumplings in different places, "the dumpling consists of an outside and a filling", and various other uninteresting pieces of bleedin' obvious information. Translating for him was quite awkward because his content was so weak. He said that the Italian pizza came into being when Marco Polo tried to make dumplings back in Italy, but couldn't do it and so just put the filling on top and called it a pizza. This might sound funny to Chinese ears, but the silence it was treated with let even Mr Zhao know that he was losing his audience.
Afterwards in the lobby, the translator from the contractor displayed some of the finest sarcasm I have ever heard from a Chinese person. "So Mr Zhao, I didn't realise you knew so much about dumplings, maybe next time you can tell us about the history of the noodle." Mr Zhao smoked his cigarette, content at the praise but being modest: "My actual speciality is Chinese history". "Wow, Chinese and culinary history, you know so much," came the reply.
In the afternoon, we held a small presentation about the company in the head office. During the Q and A, our boss displayed his skill at fending away very pertinent and direct questions from the German engineers. "Fobbed off" is I'm sure the feeling they felt the most. By the end, the head of their delegation was lamenting at the chaos and suggesting it was time to go to the simulation centre. But our company's relationship with the contractor is the only one that matters, so I don't think the boss is too fussed about what the 'laowai' (foreigners) thought.
The simulation centre is actually quite amusing. It is part of, and belongs to, the Xian Electrical College, and we just use it when we need to train some laowai. But we're very cunning. We put a battered old metal company sign on the door saying "XXX Company Simulation Training Center", and hey presto, it's ours! One Indonesian trainee asked me last year, pointing at all the dormitories on campus, "are all these students studying at XXX company?" Ahh, if only he knew.
The girl from the business department opened up a PowerPoint presentation to discuss the training plan. As soon as she opened it, the words "Trainin Scheduel" stared me in the face. As expected, at the first opportunity the Europeans asked me about the spelling. It should be highly embarrassing for me and the company, but I've already given up trying to make things better. It seems to me very obvious that anything like this should be checked (by me) first, and that if they don't give it to me, I can't check it.
But no one cares. It's interesting that it doesn't matter how bad the presentation is or how unprepared our project manager was, the boss never says anything. Keep your head down, speak when spoken to, don't give the game away, and you'll be fine.
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Harmony in a sentence
Last week at the entrance to my apartment block appeared this rather striking red banner:
It reads "Peace and stability is the lasting theme of people's happiness". Maybe something happened that meant we needed to be reminded to not 'naoshi' - cause trouble. The woman who reads the electricity and water meters probably knows, but it probably doesn't do to ask more questions than is necessary.
Red banners such as this are a popular form of 'propaganda' in China. They originated from ancient Chinese scroll writing, and have been a favourite of the Government over the last 60 years. Over 95% of Chinese were illiterate in 1949, and so they were an extremely effective way of getting key messages across in simple language.
I went to a town near Xian last year and red banners formed guard of honour-like arches at every set of lamp posts all the way down the main street. The majority of them, like the banners in most places, exhort the need to be law-abiding, reminding us how good a stable and peaceful life is, and what the consequences will be if we we're not 'harmonious'. Universities like to use them as well, to remind us to study hard and become a useful member of society. Sometimes you'll see them on the sides of the street, telling us that "Xian is our home, tidiness relies on everyone" (it sounds better in the original). They're not nearly as ominous as a western journalist would make them out to be, and they seem to be accepted as part of the city decor as much as anything else.
It's not just the government that uses them. Companies use them when starting up or welcoming guests. Because of the way the Chinese is written, they usually get translated into something like "Welcome to Leaders from ABC Company Ltd for Visiting and Gyiding" [sic]. Our company has quite a few of these, and they're difficult to translate into something like natural English.
There are more examples of slightly less threatening "hengfu" at the often-interesting China Smack website: http://www.chinasmack.com/2010/pictures/funny-rural-chinese-advertising-depressing-propaganda.html.
It reads "Peace and stability is the lasting theme of people's happiness". Maybe something happened that meant we needed to be reminded to not 'naoshi' - cause trouble. The woman who reads the electricity and water meters probably knows, but it probably doesn't do to ask more questions than is necessary.
Red banners such as this are a popular form of 'propaganda' in China. They originated from ancient Chinese scroll writing, and have been a favourite of the Government over the last 60 years. Over 95% of Chinese were illiterate in 1949, and so they were an extremely effective way of getting key messages across in simple language.
I went to a town near Xian last year and red banners formed guard of honour-like arches at every set of lamp posts all the way down the main street. The majority of them, like the banners in most places, exhort the need to be law-abiding, reminding us how good a stable and peaceful life is, and what the consequences will be if we we're not 'harmonious'. Universities like to use them as well, to remind us to study hard and become a useful member of society. Sometimes you'll see them on the sides of the street, telling us that "Xian is our home, tidiness relies on everyone" (it sounds better in the original). They're not nearly as ominous as a western journalist would make them out to be, and they seem to be accepted as part of the city decor as much as anything else.
It's not just the government that uses them. Companies use them when starting up or welcoming guests. Because of the way the Chinese is written, they usually get translated into something like "Welcome to Leaders from ABC Company Ltd for Visiting and Gyiding" [sic]. Our company has quite a few of these, and they're difficult to translate into something like natural English.
There are more examples of slightly less threatening "hengfu" at the often-interesting China Smack website: http://www.chinasmack.com/2010/pictures/funny-rural-chinese-advertising-depressing-propaganda.html.
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Interviews, interviews, interviews
During the last 12 months, I have probably interviewed over a thousand potential translators. It's a fairly boring process, mainly because of the 'sameness' of the applicants and because I know the good people won't come to our company - only some of the people who scrape through will.
Recently, my first question has been "Hi, how are you?". A fair percentage of responses are "My name is ***", "I'm 23", or "What?". After I manage to extract a "I'm fine thank you, and you?" textbook answer, I ask them if they have an English name. Some of the names leave a little to be desired: Cherry, Summer, Daisy, Coffee, Mervin, Betty, Henry (a girl, and she had no idea what Henrietta was). Yesterday I was graced with the presence of someone called King Rick. King of what, I failed to ascertain.
I sometimes ask them "Why did you come here this morning?". The usual response (if they understood the question) is a "Durrr, how stupid are you?" face and the answer "Because I want a job". Then I ask "But why this job?". Then they say "Because my major is English and I love my major". From the ensuring conversation, it usually transpires that most people are so in love with their major they forgot to actually learn it.
Sometimes, before I even get the first question out, I get treated to an 'impromptu' speech. "Firstly, thank you for see me today, I am honoured to come to your great company, I want challenge myself, I think here I can do this. Thank you." Okay, lovely.
One person - it might have been our old friend Henry - said "thank you" at the end of every answer. "Where are you from?" "Xian. Thank you." "Why do you have a boy's name?" "I like. Thank you."
Most people who come here have depressingly bad English (because the good people go to other companies). It tends to be the people with foreign friends, work experience or confidence who actually speak better English. Whether someone has Zhuan Ba, a supposedly authoritative English exam certificate, is almost entirely unrelated to their ability to speak and understand English.
As for the CV, most of them are long on platitudes and short on experience, particularly for new graduates. A lot of Chinese university students are still seen as children, and most of them will not do any form of paid work until after they graduate. Almost no one will pay their way through university themselves, relying exclusively on parents and some occasional scholarships and government support.
Some people like to prepare an English CV and personal statement. King Rick - for it was he - prepared this moving letter. How he didn't pass will remain a mystery.
"MR (Miss),
"I prefer to recommend myself to your group rather than any other firms because I feel this job will be a challenge and I like to take challenges. Nowadays almost all the employers are asking for the experience. And to be honest, I'm just an unexperienced undergraduate from a college which is not famous, But I still want to tell you some advantages of mine so that u will not miss a talent. I have learned my main subject of journalism for four years, and there's really no need for you to worry about my sense of time and capacity of editor. I have been teaching my Israeli girlfriend Chinese for one year. Well, it was hard in the beginning, but now I'm sure I can handle it anytime. There is no smooth road in this world, but if we always keep learning, we can make all the impossible possible.
"Your company really attracts me. And every time I see it, I feel all the passion striking my mind. This is really amazing to stimulate my brain. I will have so much honor if I can join you.
"With all my heart, I truly hope that one chance will come soon. Appreciate it so much that you take your time to read my resume, and hope you'll see my potential standing in front of your.
"King Rick"
Recently, my first question has been "Hi, how are you?". A fair percentage of responses are "My name is ***", "I'm 23", or "What?". After I manage to extract a "I'm fine thank you, and you?" textbook answer, I ask them if they have an English name. Some of the names leave a little to be desired: Cherry, Summer, Daisy, Coffee, Mervin, Betty, Henry (a girl, and she had no idea what Henrietta was). Yesterday I was graced with the presence of someone called King Rick. King of what, I failed to ascertain.
I sometimes ask them "Why did you come here this morning?". The usual response (if they understood the question) is a "Durrr, how stupid are you?" face and the answer "Because I want a job". Then I ask "But why this job?". Then they say "Because my major is English and I love my major". From the ensuring conversation, it usually transpires that most people are so in love with their major they forgot to actually learn it.
Sometimes, before I even get the first question out, I get treated to an 'impromptu' speech. "Firstly, thank you for see me today, I am honoured to come to your great company, I want challenge myself, I think here I can do this. Thank you." Okay, lovely.
One person - it might have been our old friend Henry - said "thank you" at the end of every answer. "Where are you from?" "Xian. Thank you." "Why do you have a boy's name?" "I like. Thank you."
Most people who come here have depressingly bad English (because the good people go to other companies). It tends to be the people with foreign friends, work experience or confidence who actually speak better English. Whether someone has Zhuan Ba, a supposedly authoritative English exam certificate, is almost entirely unrelated to their ability to speak and understand English.
As for the CV, most of them are long on platitudes and short on experience, particularly for new graduates. A lot of Chinese university students are still seen as children, and most of them will not do any form of paid work until after they graduate. Almost no one will pay their way through university themselves, relying exclusively on parents and some occasional scholarships and government support.
Some people like to prepare an English CV and personal statement. King Rick - for it was he - prepared this moving letter. How he didn't pass will remain a mystery.
"MR (Miss),
"I prefer to recommend myself to your group rather than any other firms because I feel this job will be a challenge and I like to take challenges. Nowadays almost all the employers are asking for the experience. And to be honest, I'm just an unexperienced undergraduate from a college which is not famous, But I still want to tell you some advantages of mine so that u will not miss a talent. I have learned my main subject of journalism for four years, and there's really no need for you to worry about my sense of time and capacity of editor. I have been teaching my Israeli girlfriend Chinese for one year. Well, it was hard in the beginning, but now I'm sure I can handle it anytime. There is no smooth road in this world, but if we always keep learning, we can make all the impossible possible.
"Your company really attracts me. And every time I see it, I feel all the passion striking my mind. This is really amazing to stimulate my brain. I will have so much honor if I can join you.
"With all my heart, I truly hope that one chance will come soon. Appreciate it so much that you take your time to read my resume, and hope you'll see my potential standing in front of your.
"King Rick"
Power industry Chinglish
I used to feel a bit guilty about laughing at Chinglish. But I now realise it's not a one-way street. The Chinese like to laugh at foreigners when they butcher Chinese, so we should enjoy Chinglish with a clear conscience. Below are a couple of attempts at translation by an intern student in our company. She has since been taken off translation and is now in charge of ordering lunch...
Exhibit 1
"Indonesia north of sudan project now is in the construction item of equipment and has left the stage, the review are all construction units to many still not solved the problem of the staff are called "crunching a bone project". in order to ensure that the toc, the general handed over to the task particularly contractor to review and asked me to do our best to finish this job well. In June, review the professional’s tried this way and tries as a result, the timely..."
Exhibit 2
"The report about check that shows every thing at present running normally but the performance in each profession have so many difference and the normally instance is done too much work to remember. So it affect the overall image, the system on the wall and sanitation clean out, as well as part of the instruments and use of the performance. We believed that if we hard working and always change the mistakes in works, we could be standardization, scientization and institutionalization."
Exhibit 3
"To ensure effective leadership by the secretariat and the national audit office and the training class, the participants in each class needs the signature or get the handout in that day to identify . That can guarantee the attendance and supervision. After the training, we can participants from various professional and interpretation of the secretariat in response that the personnel involved in the training initiative is far greater than was at first anticipated. Many personnel are not only in time to the professional training but also active in other professional training. There is few people have participated in all 18 training and the publishing the exam. From the situation at the last examination and to make an encouraging for him, it was all very good for the training, it’s successful and effective."
Exhibit 1
"Indonesia north of sudan project now is in the construction item of equipment and has left the stage, the review are all construction units to many still not solved the problem of the staff are called "crunching a bone project". in order to ensure that the toc, the general handed over to the task particularly contractor to review and asked me to do our best to finish this job well. In June, review the professional’s tried this way and tries as a result, the timely..."
Exhibit 2
"The report about check that shows every thing at present running normally but the performance in each profession have so many difference and the normally instance is done too much work to remember. So it affect the overall image, the system on the wall and sanitation clean out, as well as part of the instruments and use of the performance. We believed that if we hard working and always change the mistakes in works, we could be standardization, scientization and institutionalization."
Exhibit 3
"To ensure effective leadership by the secretariat and the national audit office and the training class, the participants in each class needs the signature or get the handout in that day to identify . That can guarantee the attendance and supervision. After the training, we can participants from various professional and interpretation of the secretariat in response that the personnel involved in the training initiative is far greater than was at first anticipated. Many personnel are not only in time to the professional training but also active in other professional training. There is few people have participated in all 18 training and the publishing the exam. From the situation at the last examination and to make an encouraging for him, it was all very good for the training, it’s successful and effective."
The essence of my company
I have worked for power engineering services company SE Energy for over a year and a half now. As my contract draws to a close, I'm going to try and get across what is the essence of the company.
It is a 夫妻店 (fu qi dian), a 'husband and wife shop'. This term normally refers to a small business run by a married couple. Our company, with hundreds of employees and which is involved in the export of Chinese skilled labour to developing countries, should not, by my western way of thinking, be a fu qi dian. Such a big company, my natural instincts tell me, needs qualified, experienced and skilled managers and engineers to ensure all the things mentioned on the website - "Customer Orientated, Professional Services, Safety First" and so on and so on - can actually be achieved, thereby improving company performance, securing more clients, expanding, and generally becoming more prosperous and 'better'.
It took me the best part of a year to realise that this is not true. And, if anecdotal evidence from numerous friends is anything to go by, this type of large-scale fu qi dian is very common. There's nothing inherently bad or evil about it, but for people who like to 'do something properly or not at all', a fu qi dian will turn your hair grey. For our company is merely a vehicle by which the boss and his (second) wife can earn as much as possible while doing their level best to suppress outgoings. Whether things are done properly or not is entirely beside the point. Make as much money, register empty companies that don't actually do anything and spread around the profits so they're not all in one basket.
Chinese companies like to have four-character phrases as the company motto. The unofficial one for one company is pianyi jiu xing 便宜就行, which a colleague came up with and I translated as Keep It Cheap. Nothing else matters, just do it as cheap as possible. I have it written on official company paper on the back of the bookshelf in our office.
What comes across as bad management and decision-making to a western person is actually, from the point of view of the boss and his wife, a good decision. Why? Because it keeps costs down.
The boss' wife is in charge of finance, HR, translation and administration departments. She is, by western standards, completely unqualified to be a director of anything, and her impressive collection of apparently bizarre and stupid decisions is huge. My favourite instance was when we were late for a recruitment meeting because she was asleep in her office. She blamed us, demanding to know why we did not wake her. This year's new translator recruitment has been a complete cock-up from start to finish. The 'flow' of people in and out of our company is very high, because of the low salary. Our best translator had her salary cut last month because of her new salary system. And, mostly because of decisions made by the wife, the quality of the translation department has actually declined over the last six months.
This, however, is irrelevant. It's all about saving money. This year, no one on an annual salary got a New Year's bonus, almost unheard of for a company with lots of projects like ours. The fact that it caused two senior engineers to leave is immaterial. It saved them money, which can be put towards either their children's British education or one of their other companies. Also, with the company being completely owned by them, they see paying wages and salaries as 'giving' employees money, and look for constant ways to get an extra few RMB back off their staff.
Forty-year-old Mr Shi is the other member of our two-member 'Translation Quality Group'. While he might not be everyone's cup of tea with his fondness for talking about countries he's worked in, he's quite a gossip, which is conducive for me learning some interesting things. He asked me what it would take for me to sign a contract extension. I said the boss' wife would have to leave and go and enjoy her money. But this is the one thing that will never happen.
It might indeed improve company performance. But the key point is, if you get an outsider in to run things, there is a very high chance of someone running off with the company's money. Something similar happened in the company in 2008, and similar things happen all the time. The fact is, the boss' wife is qualified by the virtue of being the boss' wife and therefore the safest pair of hands.
It's all about money and trust. "Who can we trust with the money? Only us two. So we'll control everything."
The 28-year-old female manager of HR is a reasonably nice person, but is also a spineless lackey who works here because a) she would not have the title of HR manager in any other company and b) she probably has some 'guanxi' with the boss' wife despite denying it. She told me before that "everyone here is doing temping work". It struck me as odd for the manager of a large company to say this, but it is true. Many Chinese people would rather be "the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix", ie, they would rather have their own business and be in charge of it than earn money for people they have no connection with. While in practice this is often hard to implement, certainly a large number of people think this way. Having been here for a while now, I have a lot of sympathy with this.
As for their decision to employ me, a native English speaker, it may seem like a desire to improve the translation department. This was the initial brief I was given. On my second day in the company, the boss requested that I find co-operation opportunities with large European companies. It petered out and came to nothing, but over the course of the next year, I was asked four times to work in the business department. I gently and indirectly refused each time, initially because I wanted to improve the translation department, and afterwards because I didn't want to be to close to the boss, and the chances of this company working with major European power companies are precisely nil.
A large part of my role here is a 'huaping', a vase, a facade. "Look, we have a foreigner, we're a good company." Last October I went to Indonesia for a week. The sole purpose was a one-minute 'ambushing' of the Vice Governor of Shaanxi province who was in Jakarta at the time and was leaving a meeting. The boss' brother is a big cheese in the provincial trade department, so he helped set it up. (It didn't bother me, I got a free holiday to Indonesia.) Whenever important clients come to the company, I get wheeled out to do the interpreting - or more importantly, to just be there.
On completion of my Chinese language learning in summer of 2008, I wanted to find a job in a 'typical' Chinese company, and I was extremely lucky to find just such an opportunity. But I think I have reached the limits of what I can do here. So it's time to move on.
It is a 夫妻店 (fu qi dian), a 'husband and wife shop'. This term normally refers to a small business run by a married couple. Our company, with hundreds of employees and which is involved in the export of Chinese skilled labour to developing countries, should not, by my western way of thinking, be a fu qi dian. Such a big company, my natural instincts tell me, needs qualified, experienced and skilled managers and engineers to ensure all the things mentioned on the website - "Customer Orientated, Professional Services, Safety First" and so on and so on - can actually be achieved, thereby improving company performance, securing more clients, expanding, and generally becoming more prosperous and 'better'.
It took me the best part of a year to realise that this is not true. And, if anecdotal evidence from numerous friends is anything to go by, this type of large-scale fu qi dian is very common. There's nothing inherently bad or evil about it, but for people who like to 'do something properly or not at all', a fu qi dian will turn your hair grey. For our company is merely a vehicle by which the boss and his (second) wife can earn as much as possible while doing their level best to suppress outgoings. Whether things are done properly or not is entirely beside the point. Make as much money, register empty companies that don't actually do anything and spread around the profits so they're not all in one basket.
Chinese companies like to have four-character phrases as the company motto. The unofficial one for one company is pianyi jiu xing 便宜就行, which a colleague came up with and I translated as Keep It Cheap. Nothing else matters, just do it as cheap as possible. I have it written on official company paper on the back of the bookshelf in our office.
What comes across as bad management and decision-making to a western person is actually, from the point of view of the boss and his wife, a good decision. Why? Because it keeps costs down.
The boss' wife is in charge of finance, HR, translation and administration departments. She is, by western standards, completely unqualified to be a director of anything, and her impressive collection of apparently bizarre and stupid decisions is huge. My favourite instance was when we were late for a recruitment meeting because she was asleep in her office. She blamed us, demanding to know why we did not wake her. This year's new translator recruitment has been a complete cock-up from start to finish. The 'flow' of people in and out of our company is very high, because of the low salary. Our best translator had her salary cut last month because of her new salary system. And, mostly because of decisions made by the wife, the quality of the translation department has actually declined over the last six months.
This, however, is irrelevant. It's all about saving money. This year, no one on an annual salary got a New Year's bonus, almost unheard of for a company with lots of projects like ours. The fact that it caused two senior engineers to leave is immaterial. It saved them money, which can be put towards either their children's British education or one of their other companies. Also, with the company being completely owned by them, they see paying wages and salaries as 'giving' employees money, and look for constant ways to get an extra few RMB back off their staff.
Forty-year-old Mr Shi is the other member of our two-member 'Translation Quality Group'. While he might not be everyone's cup of tea with his fondness for talking about countries he's worked in, he's quite a gossip, which is conducive for me learning some interesting things. He asked me what it would take for me to sign a contract extension. I said the boss' wife would have to leave and go and enjoy her money. But this is the one thing that will never happen.
It might indeed improve company performance. But the key point is, if you get an outsider in to run things, there is a very high chance of someone running off with the company's money. Something similar happened in the company in 2008, and similar things happen all the time. The fact is, the boss' wife is qualified by the virtue of being the boss' wife and therefore the safest pair of hands.
It's all about money and trust. "Who can we trust with the money? Only us two. So we'll control everything."
The 28-year-old female manager of HR is a reasonably nice person, but is also a spineless lackey who works here because a) she would not have the title of HR manager in any other company and b) she probably has some 'guanxi' with the boss' wife despite denying it. She told me before that "everyone here is doing temping work". It struck me as odd for the manager of a large company to say this, but it is true. Many Chinese people would rather be "the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix", ie, they would rather have their own business and be in charge of it than earn money for people they have no connection with. While in practice this is often hard to implement, certainly a large number of people think this way. Having been here for a while now, I have a lot of sympathy with this.
As for their decision to employ me, a native English speaker, it may seem like a desire to improve the translation department. This was the initial brief I was given. On my second day in the company, the boss requested that I find co-operation opportunities with large European companies. It petered out and came to nothing, but over the course of the next year, I was asked four times to work in the business department. I gently and indirectly refused each time, initially because I wanted to improve the translation department, and afterwards because I didn't want to be to close to the boss, and the chances of this company working with major European power companies are precisely nil.
A large part of my role here is a 'huaping', a vase, a facade. "Look, we have a foreigner, we're a good company." Last October I went to Indonesia for a week. The sole purpose was a one-minute 'ambushing' of the Vice Governor of Shaanxi province who was in Jakarta at the time and was leaving a meeting. The boss' brother is a big cheese in the provincial trade department, so he helped set it up. (It didn't bother me, I got a free holiday to Indonesia.) Whenever important clients come to the company, I get wheeled out to do the interpreting - or more importantly, to just be there.
On completion of my Chinese language learning in summer of 2008, I wanted to find a job in a 'typical' Chinese company, and I was extremely lucky to find just such an opportunity. But I think I have reached the limits of what I can do here. So it's time to move on.
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