Me Ol' China... the beginnings... (week 1, 2008)

I entered the China Air plane and there were a bunch of folks arguing with the Stewardesses... This has been my first impact with China: a bunch of annoyed guys hassling a worker. She had her eyes down but when the bunch of guys was silent she raised the head and snap back... Well... I found particularly singular this attitude. It should a sort of respect that by us, in Italy I mean, will never happen. In Italy we are so used to talk all at the same time and in half an hour conversation you can fit a two hours thoughts and remember 10 minutes of it at the end of the hour gone.

The plane was packed and the sit I got was the most uncomfortable ever... Close to the toilet. The agent had told me that it was comfortable. Probably if I were incontinent... Anyhow, it was good for my jetlag. I didn't manage to sleep 10 minutes! Seemed like Chinese people just love talking at every occasion and I started remembering what I read about public toilets without privacy where two guys or ladies squat and start talking to each other as if they were in a tea house...

Flight delayed by two hours... Two hours more sitting in the plane waiting for a passenger that never arrived and some luggage to be unloaded.

Sitting by me an Italian Embassy attaché that defining lovely was too little. A very nice and charming lady with so much to say and to tell and, something really rare for Italians, a person that liked listening...

Actually... it's not exactly true. Between the lady and myself there was another Chinese lady that slept like a log since she boarded and the only sign of life was one of her fingers that keep moving in her sleep and the occasional 10 minutes up when she had to have her breakfast 1 hour before landing. Then, back to sleep.

I was curious about China and the Attaché was really excited about this country and the people living there. This made me feel much better. Not that I was afraid about going to China but this was a major change in my life and not only for the location but because I was changing my career, becoming an employee. After more than a decade as independent contractor I was going to get used to say “Us”, “Our company”, “We”… Not that I haven’t done it before but at least with those paying me I used to say “You” and “Your Company”… Things would have changed dramatically and in a complete different environment and culture.

All thoughts about the new career were coming to my mind in the plane. In the months before the departure I was far too busy in reading about China, the history of this country, the singularity of the language and everything spanning from Real Estate to food… But work… forget it! Not a thought… For a while it felt like I was going to go to Club Med Beijing… all of a sudden I was wondering what would have been like working in Beijing, dealing with my client, how many times I would have looked like Gorge W Bush making a fool of myself, how much would have they laughed at me while I would have tried to say a few words in Chinese and inevitably they would have been completely wrong. And what about my name? I had already a first hint of who I would have been over there. 5 people calling me in 6 different ways. And how about the Chinese name I chose? Is it ok? And the surname? How come my surname was so damn long and the Embassy Attaché was so so short in Chinese and longer than mine in its original version? And the Visa… 30 day visa… What would have happened in February when this will have expired? Did I have to go out of the country?

All of a sudden seemed like China was getting me the wrong way around. More worries than pleasant thoughts… I had been before in countries completely different from mine but in a way or the other I always knew that I could have learned a bit of the language or read a sign post… Even in Saudi Arabia I managed in a few hours to learn the Arabic alphabet and be able to read some road signs and find some words on the dictionary… But here, in China… I think that no dictionary could have helped. It’s like ending up on a different planet where nothing is like on your own. It’s like being born again and realize that if you want to speak the language you need to learn ad alphabet of at least 3000 letters! I did some rough calculation and considering capital and normal case letter and the alphabets I know I could have reached, maximum 1000 characters! And I still needed another 2000 to understand an average newspaper article… So, I starter calculating that learning 300 words per annum would have taken me 10 years to read a paper… Considering that you tend to forget words after 6 months I starter calculating that in 25 years I could have read a Chinese newspaper and I was really wondering how the hell I could have coped with my Chinese counterparts when I can barely remember what I had for dinner the day earlier…

The thought of being in a country and never be able to discuss about anything scared me a bit but the idea of living with the expat community was even spookier… I rather don’t talk to anyone than end up in the circe of moaners. For those who have never been in a “odd” country, I can just say that all foreigners when they are abroad become Italian. Italians always moan about anything. If you are bad to them, they moan, if you are good to them, they moan even more because they cannot see the trick… Well in countries wee expats tend to live in compounds this is something pretty common: moaning and moaning and moaning…

By the time my thoughts were punching each other, the stewardess, the same one mentioned earlier on, passed with the immigration cards and apologised for not having any in English available… Well… Try to imagine how easy it must be to fill up a form in Chinese… She saw my disappointment printed in BIG BIG letters on my face and she kindly told me that she would have helped me in filling the form up. A BIG BIG smile in exchange of that gained me an even bigger smile back. Tell the kid that Santa Claus hasn’t find its present and a minute later give it to him and you will understand my reaction to the news that the lady would have helped me…

The flight was long, far too long and the sit uncomfortable and the company of those going to the toilet unbearable. At least I was spared by the smells coming from smaller planes’ toilets.

At last, welcome to Beijing! It was a sunny day, cold but sunny and my driver was waiting for me, patiently. Driving on Sunday afternoon from the Airport to the Xicheng district, the Financial Centre of the Capital, is not one of the outdoor tours I would recommend on a Sunday. Pretty dull, not much to see and not even the satisfaction of passing by the Forbidden City, the only monument I knew in Beijing. Same for the Hutongs, nothing, just pure unadulterated motorways and cars, many cars, far too many.

All the thoughts have gone and the only thing I was longing for was a shower. The hotel were I am still staying has a fantastic suite and great shower… I saw it on the picture but, you know, I never trust leaflets… Well.. This time reality was even better than the adverts. The room was and still s fantastic and the views are marvellous.

Freezing cold! -7 and going down… The week before temperatures reached -20 during the night, I was told, but with February at the doors I would not have missed out the thrill of the negative double digits like when I was in Arabia I didn’t miss the thrill of the 3 (Fahrenheit) digits during summer…
The two places had something in common: extreme temperatures but both dry.

The first impact was overall positive. I had the same feeling I had in Buenos Aires, despite the fact that it was just a big city with many skyscrapers, I felt something positive in it. I was right in Argentina, I am sure I will be right here too.

The first challenge was… dinner! How the hell I would have ordered some food… Perhaps I could have eaten something in the hotel… Or get a burger at MacDonald’s… I opted for the local restaurant in a hidden road 30 minutes walk down the road. I tried to walk always in the same direction and avoid turnings… Here I am in a true Chinese restaurant! I had the feeling of being in London’s Soho with a major different… no English and… smiley faces all around me. There must have been 10 tables accommodating a maximum 50 people, 2 clients and 10 waiters, all very young.

I greeted them in a very clumsy way bowing and pronouncing something that sounded like a tasting of how I would have felt after eating something gone wrong and they smiled even more.

They were trying to be very nice giving me the best seat but I felt a bit confused by all these people indicating different places and I sat in the worst possible place… I had the full control on the restaurant, kitchens and everything else in that restaurant with the exception of the lady’s toilet.

The menu arrived and the water wouldn’t move from there… Effectively there was not much to wait: all Chinese no pictures and no sections toh ave a rough idea of starters, mains and sweets…

Oh well… My date of birth, my daughters and my wife’s. Here we are with a dessert as a starter, a very expensive (but nice) mug of tea as main course and some squids as dessert… Lovely! Absolutely lovely! And 15 Euro lighter.

The most expensive thing was the tea costing 9 Euro, that’s why I though that it could have been the main course…

They were so enchanted and accompanied with their eyes the chopsticks to my mouth hoping that I would make it… I managed pretty well and they were really pleased and amused in seeing this westerner using chop sticks at ease.

When I left they were waving, all of them, at the door. I would have seen them again but the food was never the same but always delicious. And, since I am here, I love tea. I hated tea all my life. It gave me terrible heartburn, since I am in China I learned to appreciate tea and my stomach is perfectly fine with it.

Food has been a great revelation: it suits me perfectly and since I am here my diabetes has been firmly under control and the sugar level is at lowest. The variety of food is incredible and the tastes are sublime. The lies about the lack of vegetable in the Beijing cuisine is from someone who has never seen a cucumber in his or her life: Beijing offers more vegetables than anywhere else and it all tastes great!

I will avoid talking about work and people at work as I am not allowed too but I would like to mention that my colleagues are absolutely fantastic and the work environment is outstanding! Couldn’t be happier and, very openly, my colleagues have accepted me, 羅 良镛, Luo Liang Yong, in a very special way making me feel part of it from day one. They have been helping me in just everything, from house hunting to opening a bank account to visa arrangement. They just reflect the spirit of Beijing: they are always keen in helping the other.

First day work…

The doorman at the hotel told me that it would have taken no more than 20 minutes on foot… It was very easy to get to the office, couldn’t’ miss it. Imagine going straight between A to B, perfectly easy. But not if instead of A you start from C thinking that you are on A walking to B while you are working to D… I am sure you got the hint. 1 hour gone and nobody speaking English. I was told that it is not enough to have the name of the street with you written with Latin letters, you need to have one written in Chinese or many people would not understand it… Nobody did! A gentleman, puffing his cigarette away, was my welcome to China and China best business card. He couldn’t understand a word but start making calls on his mobile and put me through a friend of his in Shanghai that spoke perfect English. He acted as translator between us and at the end, the gentleman wrote on a sheet of paper the same address but in Chinese so that if I had gotten lost someone else could have helped me and, I realised only later, he wrote down his mobile phone number in case of emergency! What to say? When I was in the UK I barely exchanged a word of salute with my neighbours and after 10 years in the country I got nobody to go to visit when I go back there… Two worlds apart!

1h30m later, here I am in my new office. Everything smooth, well organised, arranged… perfect!

Lunch time at local canteen, food delicious and a huge choice for 1 Euro. Paradise!

Dinner at Japanese restaurant, great!

Couldn’t start in a better way and work was going simply fine and I got recognitions from my colleagues and my clients that they are more than confident in my capacities in making our project a big success for China. Why did I write this? Simply because nowhere in the world, except Saudi Arabia and Argentina, I have ever been told that they trusted in my qualities so openly and I never had been welcomed with such scepticism as I was over here: being a foreigner was the biggest concern of my clients. 2 hours later, they were shaking hands warmly and being very very happy of having me on board.

Beijing Duck! It’s an event by itself. 30 minutes taxi ride away from my office, 8 colleagues invited me out for the most traditional of Beijing meals. A private room with so many dishes to dig from… Far too much for a big stomach like mine… An unforgettable experience that will be repeated a few times in the future, I know this already.

The restaurant was an 8 storey building with a few massive rooms and some private ones. I must have seen a thousand people in there and hundreds of waiters running around… It was shocking. Only when you go to some malls or restaurants like this you realised how many people live in China. What would make you think that there is a special event going on in Europe, over here is ordinary… just crowd, crowd wherever there is money to spend and fun to get. I love this place!

This is a special thought to my fellow citizens, especially those that believe that the inefficiency of the services is due to the presence of the State. Me, a liberal by definition, have never been particularly critical about the public. I always think that every system suits its citizens. Italy is a country where individualities prevail. This would be something positive and something that read like this would make us similar to the US but there is nothing more wrong than that and as Italians usually do, they pray themselves for qualities they would like to have or looking on the bright side of their faults. Individuality, in Italy, means selfishness!

Yes, I agree with the definition of Individualità, if this is the correct word. The inefficiency of the Italian public system is due to the Italian attitude towards the community and the public thing (res publica = republic). The Chi se ne frega attitude that in English is the Who-gives-a-shit one.

Tr to get a Visa in Italy, or even try to get an appointment for some medicals. Let me tell you what happened here in China.

8h30m – taxi to the authorised medical place where all foreigners get examined and apply for the Work permit.

9h10m – at the place taking pictures and with my agent, filling up forms (she did it actually, not me. Between this time and 9h40m we managed to: Go up and down a few floors to get ECG, Blood Sample taken, Physical, Chest X-rays and give back the form to the counter desk

30 minutes, without appointment, to do something that in Italy would have taken weeks and if I were Chinese, I would have been treated like shit by a frustrated police officer while over here I got treated very well and with great respect.

Respect is something in the nature of people, so it is not the political system that makes you, it’s us who make the things work (or not).

The first part of the medical was the effective recognition of the “candidate”. I have no beard on my passport while I got a goatee at the moment. The lady was really in trouble in recognising me… She had to ask for other people support. It would have been very clear to me, that it was me, and to any westerner but for them, 4 pounds less and a goatee made a hell of a difference. I found it so funny, especially to those in Europe that declare Chinese all alike… Here you go, you are served! We are all alike over here too.

To get the Visa you need to take a series of pictures, 10, to be precise so I was accompanied to a photo studio.. A huge one, with many photographers. Over here in China not all pictures are good alike… If you have to apply for the visa you need a European size photograph but with light blue background, driving licence, same one but with white background, plus for other things there are smaller size pictures with wither white or blue backgrounds.

So I decided to take a few shots… I never thought that a photographer could be so thorough… It took 15 minutes to get the right shots and at the end I got both the 16 pictures I took and a CD with the picture in High Resolution. 10 Euro that included the smiles that over here come as a side dish, no matter what you do.

Mobile Phone… I am very proud of managing by myself to get a mobile phone… I did it! I am not sure I got the right plan and I am not sure I got a contract or a pay as you go but I certainly got a lucky phone number (so they told me) and I managed to make calls and receive them! So… It must have worked. Passport and some cash and I am one of the 4/500 million Chinese with a mobile phone.

Opening a Bank Account in China… I read horror stories… Well… the truth is that you need patience and 61 Yuan and your passport, of course!

14:00 fill the form and get in the queue. 14:10 my time. Passport, and form. Usual difficulty in understanding whether the picture is mine or not and 1 hour later all is done, with apologies for taking such long time to do it.

I know, it might sound a lot but let me take you through the details of it.

Start filling some screen information about the person: translate in Chinese characters everything from my passport. Asked to refill the form because on my passport the name was MARIO RONCHI and on the form I wrote “mario ronchi”. This, for a Chinese who doesn’t speak English is not the same. I know you are laughing… but… do you think it’s easy? Then tell me if you would understand the difference between this 巨 and 黾 . I am sure you don’t.
Once the details are on the screen a manager has to complete, place some stamps and swipe a card through inserting a PIN number to authorise it.

Then we start the account setup. Once again all information from the passport, been asked to type 3 times a PIN (6 digits) and the manager needs to come and swipe and sign.

Then the cash card… same as above

Then the Internet setup… same as above

Then the USB key card… same as above.

Does it seem long one hour considering that you will go back to your office and have a bank card, internet access and a USB security key after one hour? Despite the manager tapping in codes everywhere, I guess that any of my fellow citizens would love to get out of a bank with everything done in 60 minutes.

Me Ol’ Chinas… I will continue writing my experiences in Beijing, so stay tuned and please, do not mind at my typing errors, I am not here to win the Nobel or write a best seller, I am here just to tell you my impressions about this mysterious (to me and to many of my nationals) place. A place that is opening itself to me in a matter of days. A place where the key to open is a smile and where a smile is used to ask the password and the answer is, inevitably, a smile back. A place where people look at you with curiosity and they do it openly because they do not get upset either if you look at them. A population that respects your diversity and understands it. Definitely something that in Europe we haven’t learned yet. All we do towards Chinese people is accusing them of importing cheap and dangerous stuff and live within their community creating a state in a state. Frankly, if I were Chinese and I had to go abroad, I would rather stick to my own people than mix up with some fucked up, full of themselves Italian snobs.

Catch you soon!