Right!...you know there are SO many good places and opportunities to score dates (no matter what your preference) in a big city here. Hell, even super-hot euro models are still going to be feeling somewhat socially limited here and are thus eminently approachable. With that in mind, I can't fathom why some people ... Full Comment>>

Great piece mike! I really can't agree enough the importance of just being on time, staying late, dressing well and not being creepy. Those are things that are 100% in our control that really can help make a good impression. That's why I think someone who has never held a professional job should seek out the company ... Full Comment>>

That was always my hunch about the laws too. They make them impossible to follow to the letter so they'll always have something over a target they don't like. I've talked to locals about living and working in another city (than their hukou) and it's absolutely like that...nobody really cares 99% of the time but it's ... Full Comment>>

I have to agree with coineineagh and samsara; what separates us from people like this women is that I would never run over an old man and say that I am too important for it to matter. The US is full of jerks of course, but I mean even the most clueless jersey shore-style narcissist who hit an old man would probably ... Full Comment>>

People bitch about chinese taxis but Italian drivers are just as bad. I visited Rome with my gf over xmas and those scumbags might be even worse. Damn italy! Laughingstock of Europe! I just wish they wouldn't screw around with uber...which when available is freaking awesome. No more fighting over cabs with trashy ... Full Comment>>

Guangdong is pretty nice, I've been to GZ and Shenzhen, both pretty good cities. I liked Liede in Guangzhou a lot, tons of great restaurants...and that awesome mall with the brewpub on the roof deck next to that sony store. I've never noticed that BMW/Merc drivers here are any worse than average, I think it's just ... Full Comment>>

I don’t know if Bill falls into this category or not, but I know what Mike is talking about with the “scooter driving hippie” set you find here. The type that comes here for a big cultural experience and gets disappointed that the China has the same materialistic values westerners do, just turned up to 11, while ... Full Comment>>

Gailored, are you being satirical or not? Full Comment>>

I was surprised to really look at the stats on Russia...they really aren't as formidable as I think people give them credit for. I guess I still kinda had that scary USSR image in my head. They got 140 million people, 750K military personnel (spread over huge area), bunch of generally outdated equipment and a $2 ... Full Comment>>

Thanks for the shoutout! The problem for these guys though is "Where do you go from here?" Ok, they quit a job they didn't like...so now what? Live off their parents? Doesn't sound like there are tons of good options for them. Full Comment>>

Definitely. A friend of mine (fellow american) tried to take his Chinese girlfriend to visit his parents, complete with documentation that they'd be together for 2+ years and she was denied a visa because her family couldn't show a certain amount of cash in the bank. Talking with friends working at the US consulate, ... Full Comment>>

I think the Chinese tend to 'keep score' in a really ugly way. They want to be getting the better of every situation. "Hey why can't we immigrate to your country?!" "Well for one thing we can't immigrate to yours" "But of course you can't immigrate to China, you are not Chinese!" Full Comment>>

One thing I think is kinda lost in modern PC discourse is that for the most part places are good or bad based on the values of the people living there. Sweden is cold, it should be horrible...but it's not. It's full of Swedes who generally are decent people and it's a great society. The reverse being a place like ... Full Comment>>

I'm actually not quite sure about this story...how would Mr. Wang know the final price of the repairs? Seems a little fishy. Nice moment of humanity if true. Full Comment>>

I do...really. I absolutely don't think i'm faultless, in fact my own flaws that are basically what I write about. I think we all (myself no exception) have terrible, self-defeating instincts about a lot of things, in my other article probably at least 60% of what I called out as bullshit had been said by me at one ... Full Comment>>

Yeah that kind of..."you can't criticize them, it's their culture and we're guests!" mentality doesn't sit right with me either. I agree people here are generally miserable...one big reason why I think trying to live 'local' is misguided at best. Full Comment>>

I absolutely agree that being professional is a big responsibility but I think this is a little too fatalistic…”You’re in China so better just accept every negative aspect!” With good planning and executing a lot of those nagging China things just aren’t issues. Yeah, some locals stare and it’s not the biggest ... Full Comment>>

Interesting...I think shanghai in general is ahead of the rest of China. It's funny cause I think in some ways the richer the average person is...the less people think about money. There are tons of guys in the US who have some money and still can't get a date. In Shanghai the average person is doing ok...so no need ... Full Comment>>

Why do you think that "those who have a much higher status of happiness are those who are not so wealthy"? I'm not being a jerk i'm asking if there was a study done about life satisfaction in China. In the US, studies show happiness and income go up together until about $70,000...so once you get to a ... Full Comment>>

No I absolutely can’t blame them and that’s kinda my point. Life sucks here for average people and I feel for them, although I find their behavior generally annoying. Even though things have gotten better, there's still that survival, security-seeking mentality taught by the parents/grandparents and maybe it is ... Full Comment>>

You mentioned before you live in Guangzhou, they allow E-Bikes in the city center now? Full Comment>>

Bazz, what's your take on the psychology of the comments. Elaborate. Btw you want to dive into some psychology check out the comments on my other blog. Full Comment>>

If i was applying for a job in the US, i might cop to my 1 term as an ESL teacher just to add a little color to my resume, but more as part of the story of how I went to China and found something in my field, though I would never admit to it if applying for a job within China, where it's considered a stigma in the ... Full Comment>>

Oh, maybe because he had a fake license plate...that's probably why. Full Comment>>

Yeah I don't understand how that's a crime. I mean it's tacky as hell but how is it illegal? I know somebody back home who put all Benz logos on their hyundai as an obvious gag...I mean you bought the car you can put whatever logo you want on it. If I cross off motorola on my phone and put a samsung sticker on it can... Full Comment>>