bulldogg
Milforum's Bouncer
I spend a lot of time pointing out various irritating and slightly disturbing short-comings in my host country and thought it only fair to point out some of the good things about this place because its not ALL bad.
To begin with laws and regulations be damned, ANYTHING is possible if you have the connections or cash to make it happen. Case in point my mother in law over stayed her visa and by law this carries a 500RMB a day fine with no maximum and deportation. I take a day off of work and venture down to my local police station and talk to the boys in blue. I have been friends with them since day one, I am NOT as stupid as I look . After some tea, conversation about my son and a few cigarettes the honcho tells me its no problem. He makes a phone call to a university friend of his and writes down the address of where I am to go to sort this out. I show up and they ask for the assorted documents, photos and the MIL's passport. A smile and "come back in a week". I show up one week later and it cost me 160 RMB total ($20 USD) for a new two month visa for her and NO fine.
Two years ago I and a friend from Alabama who was here for a visit witnessed some girls who appeared to be being taken away in a van against their will. We had been drinking and were both pretty decent sized boys and we set to playing the hero. Four Chinese in the hospital, two with fractured skulls, very nasty business and two Americans in custody. I had the PSB (Public Security Bureau) Chief's card and called him. I was tutoring his daughter in English on the weekend and he came at a run. We were released and heard nothing more of the matter. The Chief was pretty impressed and ended up having us teach him a bit of good ole boy street fighting cuz it turned out two of the Chinese in the hospital were his policemen. In this country its who you know.
The business evironment is no different... more to follow.
To begin with laws and regulations be damned, ANYTHING is possible if you have the connections or cash to make it happen. Case in point my mother in law over stayed her visa and by law this carries a 500RMB a day fine with no maximum and deportation. I take a day off of work and venture down to my local police station and talk to the boys in blue. I have been friends with them since day one, I am NOT as stupid as I look . After some tea, conversation about my son and a few cigarettes the honcho tells me its no problem. He makes a phone call to a university friend of his and writes down the address of where I am to go to sort this out. I show up and they ask for the assorted documents, photos and the MIL's passport. A smile and "come back in a week". I show up one week later and it cost me 160 RMB total ($20 USD) for a new two month visa for her and NO fine.
Two years ago I and a friend from Alabama who was here for a visit witnessed some girls who appeared to be being taken away in a van against their will. We had been drinking and were both pretty decent sized boys and we set to playing the hero. Four Chinese in the hospital, two with fractured skulls, very nasty business and two Americans in custody. I had the PSB (Public Security Bureau) Chief's card and called him. I was tutoring his daughter in English on the weekend and he came at a run. We were released and heard nothing more of the matter. The Chief was pretty impressed and ended up having us teach him a bit of good ole boy street fighting cuz it turned out two of the Chinese in the hospital were his policemen. In this country its who you know.
The business evironment is no different... more to follow.