Interrogated by the police and other fun things

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Before I write anything I feel the need to remind everyone that the following is my (an outsider)'s opinion which I've based on observations and things I've read. This is not a seriously researched thesis or anything, simply some reflections.

China's government has a reputation for being corrupt. One factor is that status is everything here, you are very much defined by your title and the amount of money you make, so I think many people are willing to do more to get ahead. While this is true all over the world I have seen it much more intensely here (think of all the recent suicides - all work related). Another factor is guanxi, which I will explain a little later. I have heard and observed that the laws are constantly changing, actual enforcement of those laws even more sporadic, there are a million different bureaucracies and little to no communication between them. From what I've seen and read since being here, many things can run only by going around the laws, seldom by actually following them. Think of it like this: we all try and follow the speed limit, but pretty much everyone has been guilty of speeding when we REALLY have to be somewhere. It's a risk but most of the time we don't get caught and it's worth it. If we do get caught we accept the consequence. Now imagine that the speed limit was 20 mph everywhere, freeways and all. It would be nearly impossible to get things done and still follow the law, so almost everyone would end up speeding. And how do you enforce a law that everyone is constantly breaking? When faced with a choice of either breaking a law with little risk of getting in trouble, or it taking an extra 4 hours to commute, what would you choose? Now, imagine that the speed limit was not actually posted anywhere, was constantly changing, and you were required to submit paperwork proving you had your license to 10 different bureaus each time it changed. That's China for you.

The reason I start with this is that I had a recent run-in with the police. Sorry to disappoint but I was not doing anything exciting or illegal, instead was a victim of my school "going around" said laws. I won't go into details about my paperwork issues, but I was questioned for hours, told I was working here illegally, and had an overall frightening time. This brings me to the phenomenon of guanxi. My principal assured me that "she had friends higher up" who would make this problem go away. The police bothered my school for a week, I had to sneak in and out the back door and have my kids smuggled into a back classroom for lessons, but things seem to have quieted down last week.

So, what is guanxi? It is basically connections, a network of favors. Scratch my back I'll scratch yours type thing. And here it is a way of life.

After my last Culture Gap blog when I talked about my difficulty making friends with Chinese, a friend asked what I've noticed about interpersonal relationships between Chinese individuals. (great question Jackie!) I think genuine friendships and platonic closeness between individuals certainly exists. But to be honest, I don't think our definition of friendship plays as large a role in Chinese culture as it does in the West. From what I've observed, the majority of friends/acquaintances are maintained for guanxi. Similarly, you only do favors for someone if you think they are worth it, aka if they could help you out sometime in the future.

So while the idea of having highly ranking friends to help you out of sticky situations seems shady to us, it is simply the norm here. But we are also accustomed to a government and set of laws which, at least in theory, are meant to protect the people. We are raised to be independent and self-sufficient and we can be because our government, while certainly flawed, has much more accessibility than others. We tend to value friendships for the mutual support for personal aspects of our life, enjoyment of each others company, and yes the occasional favor. Is one method better than the other? I don't know. But we are all most comfortable with what we are used to. Putting trust in a friend of my boss to take care of these legal problems made me VERY uncomfortable, because I am used to being responsible for myself and also the ability to know the laws and follow them and still be a successful person. But of course this self-sufficiency streak is part of my nurturing, and if I had been raised Chinese my views would be so much different. How crazy is it that so much of who we become depends solely on where we happen to be born?

Anyway, it all seems to have worked out and I'm hoping there will be no more issues in my remaining week here. Anytime I'm abroad I inevitably face a lot of comments (mostly from Europeans) ridiculing Americans. Some of them are pretty accurate, some of them aren't, and I usually just laugh them off. It used to make me embarrassed, but I've recently become slightly more defensive. Another friend had a great reply to my last blog - "Even if I am not a gun-carrying, Fox News Watching, xenophobic, empire-building, uneducated, obese person, deep inside, I'm still American, and not embarrassed about that. Sure, I may not agree with everything that America stands for, but still, I'm very much so an American." Well said Daniel! And I 100%!a(MISSING)gree.

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Comments

[Cedric]

Hi
Dear AmyR: Thank for share this fun things to me. As a Chinese, i was interested in your views about China. I appreciated your article show me a completely new ways to recognize China. With the low education and different types of our society,something have no fair in China. As most new things cush in to the location. When China had allowed to join in WTO,different culture and large changes in China. It is a pity that Chinese lose their own traditions and culture. they become morn desirable for money and power.The higher spend in dairy life made some people get money in illegal. So maybe your face someone just friendly when your worth to him/her.The goverment have a lower efficiency and exactly ways is not allowed in the big city because easy to measure from the political party . I am sorry for the bad impression these thing give to you. But i believe your will have different view when your stay in this country morn time.