the black China hand

Speaking of childhood memories — this 1978 Shaw Brothers flick featuring five kung fu fighters with supernatural fighting abilities also rocked my world.

Jerry Chan (of the now defunct Gangstalean) has it so right…childhood memories are what power future actions. Indeed, one of the major catalysts for more interest in China and Chinese culture was the martial arts flicks that I use to watch when I was coming up in New Jersay…back in those days every Saturday afternoon on Channel 5 they had the “Drive-in Theater” which broadcast a new kung fu flick from Hong Kong every week. It was during that time that I was able to see some of the best martial artistry ever put to film in a span of four to five years…I was so into them that I used to audio tape them (no Tivo, VCR or Bittorrent in those days) and then play them back over and over again on my Walkman until I memorized all the key parts (and of course the sound effects.) One of my all time favorite KF flicks is the above mentioned “Five Deadly Venoms.” In recent months, I’ve been searching everywhere for a copy but have yet to achieve any success. If any of the few that read this blog have any leads on where I can find a copy (via hard copy or download) please let know.

Gangstalean: Five Deadly Venoms

Universities across Latin America, from Mexico to Buenos Aires, are founding Asian studies programs and teaching Chinese. Institutions of all kinds — some are expensive one-on-one tutorials and others are fly-by-night language academies staffed by illegal Chinese immigrants — are being inundated with new students.

Start with people everywhere (as the article above makes clear) outside of China rushing to learn Chinese as fast as they can. Add to that the number of Chinese language students inside China increasing by the thousands each and every year (don’t believe me…then check out the Beijing Visa Office near Yonghegong on any given afternoon before summer vaction…lines of foreign students galore getting their return visas.) Mix in the fact that Chinese language schools are popping up both here and abroad quicker then Microsoft puts out software patches and what do you get? Continued stares of shock and awe (no pun intended) from the Chinese proprietor, when you walk into the neighborhood xiaomaibu, to buy a can of hong niu(r), that you can communicate in that most “difficult” of languages…Chinese. Go figure!

Across Latin America, Mandarin Is in the Air

After my last post…one of my old Chinese colleagues pointed out to me via e-mail that Westerners complaining about finding the “right person” in China strikes him as absurd (Does one really go abroad to find love?) especially when (in his mind) it’s getting more and more difficult for Chinese men (highly educated) to find Ms. Goodbar (Do they love me or my position, or my money dengdeng?) He pointed me to a China Daily list that ranks the top ten magazines for men that he agrees are quite accessible in China (from friends abroad of finding the right means through China’s firewall) and that affect much of what he thinks a “proper” relationship should be but that oftentimes comes into conflict in interactions not only with potential Chinese girlfriends but also potential Western girlfriends. He admits that since China lacks a very open/developed attitude towards discussing “dating” among Chinese…he is often stuck with either consulting these magazines or listening to advice from his Western friends that like the magazines create loggerheads with Chinese women (Do you mean that you want us to go 50-50 in supporting our household if we get married?) and misunderstandings with Western women (No…not every Western girl is just out to have fun!)

Looking over the list myself…I’m not really sure if it was calculated for the world outside of China or within…however…I am a bit concerned that if it is calculated for the world within China there would be a very big disconnect between the information provided within and the lifestyle of the average Chinese that might have access to such info and their individual lifestyle…indeed there is a huge disconnect between my lifestyle and what advice/info is found in such magazines (yeah, like I’ll spend $250 on a new watch that according to one magazine is di rigeur for lawyers). Naturally, I consider them as a sort of “eye-candy” to be enjoyed to waste time but not to base my life decisions (especially in terms of relations with women) on and as I pointed out to my colleague he should approach them in the same way. But as he reiterated…the problem is…what choice does he have not to consult them.

Top 10 magazines for men

Guys, if you go anywhere in Asia except for Hong Kong, you might as well have a leather jacket issued to you as soon as you step off the plane, because you are the Fonz. Welcome to Alpha Male status. The first thing you will notice are dweeby-looking western men with calculators in their pockets walking arm-in-arm with Chinese supermodels. I call it “the Charisma Man Syndrome”.

This is a great post written by Chris over here and I absolutely agree (especially the dweeb named Poindexter/super-model named Cherry sightings) that…if you’re a westerner…you have more then a great chance of becoming an super alpha male in China (and you don’t even have to be that handsome, smart or “manly”). As one expat I knew in China was fond of saying…”if you want a girlfriend in China it wouldn’t be that difficult to find one.” But some points of clarification are needed before you board that United non-stop flight to Beijing figuring you’ll find love in all the right places. First, while finding a Chinese girlfriend may be easy for some it is the very rare the case where that girlfriend is just out for some fun…more often then not they think you and her are in it for the long-haul (read: marriage) which, in some cases, gives them the wherewithal to outlast the “commentary” that her family and friends make on dating a non-Chinese. As a result, break-ups that happen when the expat leaves are tremendous affairs that adversely effect the whole circle of friends—especially those friends that stay behind (I am still often contacted by one of my expat friend’s girlfriend…it was cool at first as she was a interesting person to hang out with…but everytime ended in a cryfest about the breakup and people where looking at me like I’m the dude that dissed her.) Second, there is no Alpha in black. Indeed, as I have posted extensively in the past, being a Black male in China is like being an Omega male. I’m not saying that it’s impossible for a Black male in China but…put it this way…it’s a lot easier to meet that special someone cold-calling names out of the phone in NYC then it is in China. It takes a lot more time and women will be on a lot more pressure to break it off when things get rocky as all relationships do at times.

A bit off the subject but connected tangentially is the circumstances that confront thirtysomething western women in China. A while back I had a long talk with an interesting women in a Beijing bar (scene set-up is that we were the only over 30 individuals in attendance at the bash and while the young’uns were dancin’, boozin’ and chasin’ we were sipping our bucket of beers and reflecting on how far the nightlife in China has come in the last decade.) She was European, a professor of sociology and a long term resident of Beijing and China. She enjoyed China and the culture and yet she wanted to get out. One of the main reasons for this was that she was dead tired of the party lifestyle…in her words it was stale (yidian yisi ye meiyou). When I asked her how so, she said, “the fact was that it was hard to find Mr. Goodbar not only from a boy-girlfriend sense but all from a platonic hanging out sense too.” As she saw it, the pickins’ (between either youngsters” into the party scene (who having such being the alpha males as they are in China are not very interested in “older western chicks” and the elder men who fancy boozing and trying to bed young Chinese women) were pretty slim. When I asked what about Chinese men, she said that while she had met some interesting Chinese men it never worked out because some of there were always some issues of the rightful place of the women in a relationship that always left here unsatisfied. Indeed, it was few and far between meeting interesting men in their 30s for her and many her similary aged western female colleagues and so she wanted to get out and in her words restart the intellectual, physical and spiritual life that she once had before she came to China.

Still, I think that the key is to be flexible…naturally, not everyone can live the western whilte alpha male lifestyle in China but if you go in understanding that if you are Black or Female or a Black female your life might be a bit more “sedate” (especially if you are in a smaller city or province) but if you search out…(start a blog that looks to connect with others in your condition) you may just find a partner in life or crime to share your experiences in China.

Why Western Men are Alpha Males in China

Chinglish: The humorous version of English that appears (often in instructions for assembling or using products) after a translation from the original Chinese (or any other language) fails to come across in “normal” English.

There is a story here speaking about China’s push to “correct” public English throughout Beijing (and the country) in time for the 2008 Olympics. This site gives some insight into how difficult that job may be.

The Chinglish Files

Sergiu and other climbers witnessed a “people hunt,” a scene that showed Chinese soldiers kill in cold blood a Tibetan pilgrim.

It’s no secret that the Chinese government, despite their best intentions to prove otherwise, is one of the world’s most repressive regimes…seeing it in plain sight is always shocking!

Exclusive footage of Chinese soldiers shooting at Tibetan pilgrims

By way of Salon News Wires

China was ranked second on [the] 2006 Bribe Payers Index, a survey on the propensity of companies from 30 leading exporting countries to bribe abroad.

Chinese Companies Are Among the Most Intent to Bribe

The leaders in international economic development theory, international business regulation, and transnational corporate practice will offer thoughts and rethoughts on the impact of corruption on development, contemporary national and multilateral responses, the current state of play – and concrete recommendations for effective deterrence.

McGeorge Law School Program on Corruption

Hmm…sounds like the perfect junket for the Chinese business person.

North Korea’s main ally, China, joined Japan in sending a strong message Sunday that a nuclear test by the North ”cannot be tolerated,” and Pyongyang appeared to back down from its threat as an important anniversary passed without any sign of nuclear activity. (free registration is required)

As American influence in Asia fades…could North Korea be the factor that brings China and the Japan closer together and begin a Pax Asiana.

China and Japan Warn North Korea

Update: (October 10, 2006)
“Hanran” has been applied to North Korea for the first time. But Japan and the United States, which favor the sharpest response to North Korea’s test, have been “hanran” for years. “China is disappointed and angry and will be willing to support stronger sanctions, but I think that is different from saying there will be a drastic change. It is still a question of the right balance.” (free registration is required)

My guess that one of the reasons that China is fed-up with North Korea’s actions is that they (1) continue to bring America back into the Asian equation at a time when China wants America out thereby allowing it to take over the vacuum and (2) give Japan more reason to begin militarizing which would pose an even more direct threat to China’s growing power and influence.

Angry China is Likely to Toughen Its Stand on Korea

In all honesty, I often question many of the UK/US lawyers-in-training who intend to start their professional practice in China and for whom that goal is paramount, because I haven’t yet heard a really good professional reason why they’ve chosen to set out their stand and declare for China so early in their career *** Essentially, my view is that the very best training and experience (with the greatest degree of transferability) is probably more easily found in the more mature legal jurisdictions, amongst those firms who consistently practice at the forefront of their fields of expertise.

This was the precise advice that I was given by a top law firm that I applied to in Beijing. I had lived in China before law school and tried to find a legal job after. In fact during the summer after my first and second year I took a road 90% of my classmates did not by interning in China rather then at home because I thought it would give me experience to use in my job search after graduation. In the end it proved useless. What the one partner told me was that while I had great “China” experience my lack of actual legal experience was the crucial sticking point and in a legal environment such as in China what his and most law firms want are lawyers that can hit the ground running legally. They can rely on Chinese lawyers or paralegals for the “China Skills” set. My advice then for those that are interested in going legal in China but can’t find a job…would be to try some non-traditonal positions that still have a connection to the legal world such as a firm’s office general counsel or perhaps consulting or if your daring enough, try starting out on your own by doing legal work for the many small to mid-size firms/ organizations/entrepenuers that big law firms generally don’t take on as clients or helping Chinese firms with American legal questions…the work won’t be anything glamorous (a lot of contract editing and general legal advice such civil procedure filing times) but you are doing legal work that gives you experience and pays the rent. Indeed, something that I have thought about is a couple of American lawyers getting together to pool resources and rent out a space while developing their individual practices. In any event, I think one can “get to China” but it won’t be easy and most likely it won’t be with a top named firm.

“How Do I Get to China?”

By way of Chinese Law Prof Blog

A friend of mine (who is dark-haired) explained to me that she has two friends she hangs out with frequently in China: an Asian and a blonde. When the Asian friend is present, Chinese staff all approach her for any communication needs. No surprise. The funny thing is what happens when the Asian friend is not present. The Chinese staff all naturally go to the brunette rather than the blonde. Never mind that the two girls are “equally white”; apparently subconsciously, darker hair equals higher likelihood of speaking Chinese.

There’s no question about the black hair principle that John describes above but when it comes to black hair and black skin…there’s a whole new calculation that is incorporated in the determination of the sequence of approachability. Indeed, this reminds me of a quote:

“What does it say to me where I speak Chinese, have travelled throughout China, enjoy Chinese culture and understand it to a certain degree, have close relationaships with more then a few Chinese and can even cook a couple of Chinese dishes but still be treated by most Chinese as something strange? What is it to try to do everything you can to try to fit in and yet are considered a monster?”

Just to finish off the progression…my experience has been Asian, Brunette, Blonde and way down on the line is Black(skinned). Somedays this heirarchy is maddeningly frustrating but at other times you realize that you can (that you have to) take advantage of the situation such as when you’re taking a crowded 12 hour hard-seater train ride and all you want to do is chill-out. Let the Asian, Brunette and Blonde deal with the: “Where are you from?”, “Do you like China?”‘ “Do you support the war in Iraq?” questions. Let them ignore me as I watch the countryside go by in the window and enjoy a moment of silence in noisy room.

Asian, Brunette, Blonde