Great points. One more: Working long hours will not impress anybody, especially your boss. Walk into any good size Chinese company at 8pm and you'll see many people still working. In fact, many Chinese companies have sleeping rooms, or even "dormitories". For some Chinese workers the thinking is "why ... Full Comment>>

Good article. I always wondered what it'd be like to raise kids here as a foreigner. I wondered, but I wouldn't do it. With due respect, the food pollution, the water pollution and, of course, the much publicized air pollution are just too much of a risk to take, in my opinion. And that's not to mention the other ... Full Comment>>

What's with those preserved eggs in China? "it's a thousand years old, it must be good"...good thing they don't apply the same "logic" to the Vietnam war era chicken parts they find frozen once in a while. Full Comment>>

There is no "tit for tat", at least with the US and EU, both on a individual visa and on a business/commerce level. For the US in particular, it's been an "open border" policy (surprise) for the last 4-5 years. As far as the incident you mentioned, no one who's been in China over a year would be ... Full Comment>>

Frankly, even though I agree in principle, in practice Chinese men don't approach Western girls. They are way too shy for that. Heck, notice how many Chinese men approach Chinese girls. 99% of the time they are introduced by friends and family. The only "pick-ups" in China are by foreigners. Full Comment>>

No, I have to disagree about Guilin. If you go during a regular week, the place is great and the sights are breath-taking. The key to any China travel is to search beforehand for the dates of Chinese holidays...and then search again, to make sure your travel will not coincide with those. Full Comment>>

And of course, this being China, the wait staff and the other patrons just stood there while the man was being stabbed to death. Any Chinese man, even with a knife, is not that threatening. Full Comment>>

Identity problem? in mainland China? no way. If there were 400 million like you in your country, you might have an issue also. Full Comment>>

Isn't that exactly what the Chairman had in mind 64 years ago?? :) Full Comment>>

but "no cheese, thank you" :) Full Comment>>

I honestly ask, is there anything worse in China than "middle-aged Chinese women"?? Full Comment>>

ok Pete Marchetto, you got 3 out of 6...maybe. Listing "Politeness", "Poverty alleviation" and "Self Criticism" as areas of improvement in China, is dreaming, at best. Politeness: Oh sure, it may have improved since 2000. However, have you been to any other Asian countries? Poverty ... Full Comment>>

Awesome reply Frank! Let me continue on this: as a foreigner in China, - how often do you find yourself stopping from speaking your mind, in case you offend someone's "complex" or "face"? - how often do you have to watch what you say anything related to Chinese politics in private or online ... Full Comment>>