» china

Bank of Stupid

Due-East — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 11:54:44 +0000

Allow me to vent for a second about a sterling example of typical Chinese customer disservice I ran into today. Last week, I lost my wallet getting out of a taxi. That was my own dumb fault; I should’ve been more aware of my personal belongings when I got out. Of course, in my wallet were my credit cards from my American bank as well as my ATM card from Bank of China.

It was extremely frustrating, yes. But as frustrated as I was, I thought, “It’s no big deal. I only lost a couple hundred Renminbi, not American dollars. So I’ll just contact my bank in the states to get a new credit card and a new bank card issued. And since I’m planning to move in a week, and China’s banking system is outright retarded, I’m going to have to close my bank account here and open a new one in the new city anyway. I’ll just do that, and everything will be OK.”

When I got home, I called my bank’s customer service number to get my credit card replaced. The customer service agent was competent and helpful, and he did everything you’d expect from someone whose sole purpose is to serve you. He sympathized with me (not that I needed that, but it was a nice gesture), checked my card to make sure there were no new purchases made with it, canceled my old number, and issued me a new card with a new number. Then, he kindly connected me with someone who could help me replace my ATM card. That customer service agent was awesome, too. The whole process was totally painless and took about 3 minutes. My new cards should arrive within a few weeks. It was glorious! Now, I don’t want this to sound like a pro-America post, because it’s not. I’m not remotely patriotic and consider myself a human being much more than a citizen of any country, but when I hung up the phone, I really missed America because 99 times out of 100, that’s how quickly and easily things are handled back home. That’s just not how it works over here, though.

Before I get into how things went down today, let me educate you a bit on the Chinese banking system as I know it. In America, if you open an account at Bank of America or Chase or whatever other bank you wanna use, no matter where in the whole country you are, if you go to a branch of that bank to withdraw money (be it via ATM or in person), you are NOT charged a fee. Why would you be charged a fee when it’s the same company, right? That makes perfect sense to a Westerner and is totally reasonable. But in China, it’s the exact opposite because so many things here aren’t remotely close to being anywhere near what might be considered in some circles as halfway around the block from the area where reasonable once played as a young child. Here, it’s more like, “Well, this isn’t the city where you opened the account, and so we’re gonna have to charge you a handling fee because it’s a lot harder for us to press a button here on our computer than it is for someone to press a button on their computer in the city where you opened your account. Plus, I’d rather play with my cell phone than do any actual work.”

So this is the basic situation as it played out today:

Me: I’m moving, and I’d like to close my account.
Girl behind the glass: Let me see your ATM card.
Me: I don’t have my card. I lost my wallet last week…
Girl behind the glass: Oh, just fill this out. Write your English name here, again here, your phone number here, your address here, and then sign down here.
Me: Ok….Here you go.
Girl behind the glass: Ok, you can come get your money in 7 days.
Me: I’m sorry..?
Girl behind the glass: You can get your money in 7 days.
Me: Why can’t I get it now?
Girl behind the glass: Because you lost your card. You have to wait 7 days before you can withdraw your money. Most people who lose their cards end up finding them, so you have to wait 7 days before you can close your account.
Me: Why? That doesn’t make sense. My closing my account has absolutely nothing to do with my having lost my card. I’m closing my account so that I can re-open an account in the new city where I’m moving to so I don’t have to get charged a fee every time I wanna withdraw money.
Girl behind the glass: That’s the rule.
Me: But this has NOTHING TO DO WITH MY HAVING LOST MY CARD! This is totally unreasonable…
Girl behind the glass: The rules are the rules. You can only do your best to take care of the majority, but you can’t always take care of the minority.
Me (hoping to guilt her into actually trying to help): Back in America, regardless of whether I had my card or not, this process would take 2 minutes, and I’d be done.
Girl behind the glass (apparently trying to defend her native land): This system we use isn’t Chinese. It’s from another country.
Me: What country is it from?
Girl behind the glass: I don’t know. I think it’s from America.
Me: Well, whatever country it’s from, America, France, Japan, whatever…it makes no sense.
Girl behind the glass (refusing to acknowledge her power to ignore the rule and treat me like a person): You can wait until you get to your new city and then tell them the situation, and then 7 days later you can close your account.
Me (sighing): Will there be a fee involved in closing my account and then opening a new one down there?
Girl behind the glass: Yes.
Me: How much?
Girl behind the glass (looking at my balance): XXX ren min bi
Me: Wait a sec. So, because of your silly rule, which has NOTHING to do with my reason for closing my account, I have to pay an extra fee to close my account in another city and then open up a new one?!
Girl behind the glass (smiling for some reason): Yes…

It was extremely frustrating. Since I had absolutely no intention of ever using my bank card again and didn’t care if I ever found it, could it possibly have hurt for her to just let me close my account and move on with my life?! NO. But “that’s the rule” is an all-too-common response to so many things here. Even something as simple as substituting a Sprite for a Coke at McDonald’s could easily lead to a battle of wills, depending on how much 关系 (guanxi) you have with the person behind the counter. Dealing with that kind of thing is just one of those 没办法 (mei ban fa – nothing you can do about it) situations. Tomorrow, I’m gonna try round 2. I figure I’ll go to another branch and pretend I don’t speak a word of Chinese. When they ask for my ATM card, I’ll just tell them I don’t have my wallet with me. If they still don’t let me close my account, I’ll just withdraw all but one RMB and be done with them. I’ll post the outcome then…

***UPDATE***

OK, so I went to the bank today (a different branch) and tried to take out all of my money save for 1rmb, but they insisted that I HAD to have my card to withdraw money. I asked if they could just look my information up based on my passport and then withdraw the money. The man insisted that they had to swipe my card to withdraw anything. So I pressed the “Very Dissatisfied” button on their service rating machine and walked out. Pressing the button felt good, but I’m sure nobody even pays attention to what customers think being that the current result is 1 out of 4 stars and the service still sucks. So, here’s a PSA for anybody living in China: If you have some kind of medical emergency and lose your bank card and need your money for a life-saving operation inside seven days of having reported your card as lost, you’re pretty much dead. Try not to lose your wallet and come within inches of death in the same week.

Dear China – Take action or quit complaining

Due-East — Fri, 27 May 2011 15:28:37 +0000

Dear China,

If one more of your citizens tells me that Chinese people are of poor quality, I’m going to scream. Not because I wholeheartedly disagree – neither do I totally agree, because I’ve met a lot of great people here – but because I’m sick of people complaining about things and not doing their part to change anything. I’m sick of your “没办法” attitude. If people are of “poor quality” it’s because nobody’s trying to do anything about it. Rather than lamenting the poor manners of your countrymen, why not try to set an example? Every single day I have to remind grown men to wash their hands after going to the bathroom. Every single day I have to remind someone that garbage belongs in the garbage can only 10 feet away and not on the street. It’s sad enough that I should have to remind an intelligent adult to do these things at all. The fact that I have to do so is even more shameful when you’re in the presence of your 3-year-old child and actually glance back and forth between the garbage can only a few short steps away and the garbage she just threw at your feet, ultimately doing nothing. What kind of an example are you setting for the next generation? It seems like just about every time I call someone out on this kind of behavior, someone applauds me and tells me that it was good that I did it. Yet, I have yet to see anybody other than myself or another foreigner do the same thing. I get your reasoning, I really do. You don’t want to say something to embarrass someone else. That would be too 不好意思. But you know what’s more 不好意思? Standing there and doing nothing to change the situation. It’s just plain sad. I feel no sympathy for those who complain about the lack of culture and sophistication and then do nothing to help the situation. Either quit your complaining or set an example.

Sincerely,
The World

Ask an Expat, part 2

Due-East — Wed, 11 May 2011 23:56:35 +0000

Below is part 2 of our interview with expatriate Steve Holt…

Q: What’s health care like in China?

A: Cheap! It’s really, really inexpensive to go see a doctor. Things that would cost an arm and a leg in the United States are really cheap here. I know very few Westerners here with health insurance. A friend of mine recently caught pneumonia and had to get multiple lung x-rays. In the United States, that visit to the doctor would probably have run him in the thousands of dollars. Here in China, though, each x-ray cost him about 85RMB, which is like $13 US. That’s really, really cheap. I’ve personally only been sick enough to go to the doctor once since coming here, which I hear is a pretty good record for new transplants, but when I went, the wait for seeing the doctor wasn’t very long, and I was given pretty decent attention by an American-born Chinese doctor who obviously spoke very fluent English. All-in-all, it was a pretty decent experience, sickness not withstanding.

Q: What’s the best experience you’ve had in China in the confines of 10 cubic meters?

A: I don’t even know how big that is…

Q: OK, 100 square feet?

A: Ah, ok. Ummm…I really don’t know. Pass.

Q: What’s the scariest thing to hear in Chinese?

A: Your name excitedly being shrieked out by that one really strange girl who keeps turning up no matter where you are.

Q: What’s the difference between a 5 year old child in America and a 5-year-old child in China?

A: Five-year-old children in China aren’t nearly as spoiled as the ones in America. That, and they speak Chinese.

Q: What do Chinese people think of Americans?

A: I suspect that the answer to this question will vary widely depending on where you live in China. But based on what I’ve noticed about people where I live, most Chinese people that I’ve come into contact with seem to like Americans. Unfortunately, while some of the younger generation seems to be pretty aware of what’s going on in the world due to the wonders of the Internet, some of the older ones are pretty misinformed and still hold to the stereotypes. Many think that we’re all extremely rich and that we all own a gun and that every single American is a Christian. Actually, even some among the younger generation that have access to the internet still seem to think that the things they see on our TV shows reflect how real life is in America. They seem to think that we don’t work much but are rolling in the money and have penthouse suites and really expensive cars. I’ve had to explain to several people the massive difference between what is portrayed on TV and real life.

Q: What’s a tell-tale sign that it’s going to be an awful day in China?

A: It all comes down to your mood. If you’re in a bad mood, it’s going to be a bad China day. Every little thing is going to get to you. If you’re in a good mood, you’ll be able to handle things pretty well, usually. It’s kind of like the old cliche says: Wherever you go, you take the weather with you.

Q: What do you do on “bad China” days?

A: Try to be at home as much as possible, because the longer you’re outside in Chinaland, the worse it’s going to get. So get home as soon as possible and eat comfort food and watch English-language movies, if you have any. Do something creative to get the frustration out. It also helps to find a friend to unload on.

That does it for part 2. Part 3 coming soon…

Bringing China’s creativity to light

Due-East — Tue, 10 May 2011 13:18:43 +0000

Recently, a friend of mine who is having a ‘bad China year’ has been complaining a lot about how uncreative Chinese society as a whole is. I can understand where he’s coming from. He’s an extremely creative person in his own right: he’s a graphic artist who has his own excellent T-shirt company, and he has written some extremely catchy and socially poignant songs in the short time since I’ve known him. Frustration with a lack of creativity just seems to come with the territory of being a creative person.

The thing is, while I don’t consider myself to be the most creative person on earth, I tend to agree with him. Every day I come across striking ingenuity applied to solving simple problems, yet creativity for creativity’s sake seems to be sorely lacking here. TV commercials here are all basically the same because every company is trying to copy what its competitors are doing. Fashion looks all the same and seems to be following some of the worst fashion trends of the United States in the 1980s. Something akin to Cosby sweaters is sold everywhere. Decorating both at newly-opened as well as existing shops and venues seems to be a brief afterthought. And music in China is in the same sad state of affairs. The other day, that friend and I were sitting in a food court at a popular shopping center enjoying lunch, and every song we heard played through the sound system was mass-produced, synthesized pop with all the worst elements of techno. Not much in the way of lyrics, not much diversity, no discernible bridge or other break in sound. It was just the constant thumping of the bass drum on every single beat accompanied by fake instruments with phaser effects applied to them. Back during Chinese New Year, that same shopping center played the same two 恭喜发财 songs ad nauseum for at least 2 weeks straight. These songs were so bad. The only lyrics were literally, “Congratulations, congratulations. Make a lot of money.” Only those songs, only those words, all day, every day. For at least 2 weeks. And they were of the exact same quality and level of creativity as the music that we just heard the other day at the food court.

Why is it this way? My theory is that the Chinese education system focuses primarily on memorizing information to be able to recite it for tests, not on critical thinking, which is the basic foundation of creativity. I’ve never been to a Chinese school, of course, but I’ve spoken to many average people here who agree that this is the problem. Even when it comes to studying subjects that require a large degree of creativity, such as learning foreign languages, the focus seems to be more on rote memorization rather than application. As a result, China is full of people who have studied English for years but can’t string together a sentence to express their own feelings, no matter how hard they try. Another reason seems to have to do with the general group-mindedness of Chinese society. According to Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times, “There is a techie adage that goes like this: In China or Japan the nail that stands up gets hammered, while in Silicon Valley the nail that stands up drives a Ferrari and has stock options.” While this is merely the opinion of a westerner, there are those within China who agree with his sentiments. I’ve spoken with some of them personally.

There are over a billion people that live in this country, and with those kinds of numbers, China must be home to an immense population of creative people. It’s a statistical fact. Unfortunately, the majority of people here are a bit afraid of rocking the boat and being the nail that stands out, lest they be shunned by the group for not maintaining the status quo.

Enter the Internet. Thanks to the wonders of instant international communication, China’s creative types are beginning to see that there are others all over the world – including within China – with the same desire to do something different, something new, to create. The Internet allows slightly outside-the-box thinkers and doers like 张萱妍 and the various types of artists associated with Neocha.com to share their creativity with the world and thus influence other creative types to share what they have. When creative types like this get together, great things are bound to happen.

It’s going to take quite some time for China to realize its true creative potential, but even now, I’m seeing little glimpses of creativity popping up here and there around the city every day where I live: the little clothing shop that doesn’t sell the same hideous clothes as the shop next door; the coffee shop with a mural painted on the wall instead of a drab picture hanging there. It’s not much, but it’s a start. And I live in a relatively small city. In places like Beijing and Shanghai, creativity is far more developed and far more in your face. China as a nation learns very quickly. I believe it’s only a matter of a few short years before there’s an explosion of creativity in China. It will no doubt begin with the average Zhou seeing how lucrative creativity is in certain realms and then moving quickly to capitalize on that trend by imitating what he sees around him, sort of forming a new status quo. But once the more timid creative people here in Chinaland see that their talents are appreciated by the masses, they’ll come out of their shells and really start blossoming. And when that happens, the creative world will be a better place for it.

Ask an expat, part 1

Due-East — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:35:21 +0000

We recently interviewed expatriate Steve Holt (names may have been changed to protect the innocent) about his thoughts about China. Steve is a relatively new transplant to China, but in his short time here, he’s experienced quite a bit. This is part 1 of that interview. Let’s see what he has to say about his new homeland…

Q: What do you like the most about China?

A: The people. Hands down, the people. They’re really great! For one thing, they’re really generous toward their friends. I’ve been treated to more free meals here than I can remember, and this in a country where most people make far less in their lifetime than most Westerners make in just a few years. Also, in some ways, they seem at least outwardly to be very trusting. When they ask you a question, they trust your answer. I don’t detect nearly as much cynicism among the Chinese as I see among people in the West. And that’s refreshing. Also, it’s very easy to make friends with them…and their friends…and their friends’ friends. It can get overwhelming, but, hey, friends are good, right?

Q: As a Westerner, what do you find the hardest to get used to in China?

A: Wow, where do I begin? It’s a foreign country, and when you’re living in a foreign country with a foreign culture, there are always going to be lots of things that you find irritating or hard to get used to. I think one of the hardest things for a Westerner to get used to is the lack of orderliness. People in general don’t do the best job of waiting in lines, and when the bus arrives at the stop, there’s a mad rush for everybody to be the first guy on. When the bus comes, decrepit old ladies suddenly become Olympic athletes; seeming gentlemen push and shove their way onto the bus. It’s very much a “me first” mentality that takes over people. And people are just as hurried to be the first one OFF the bus, as if there’s not enough air outside to breathe. It drives me nuts. When there’s a line to wait in, inevitably someone jumps up to the front of the line and tries to force his way in to be the next guy in line. On more than one occasion, I’ve raised my voice and told people to take a hike. That really gets on my nerves!

Q: What’s the worst smell you’ve experienced in China?

A: Stinky tofu, hands down. It’s putrid. It smells like a small creature drank curdled milk and then crawled into an animal carcass, where it threw up from the smell and then died and then exploded, only to have an even smaller animal drink curdled milk and crawl into it to die. And then the whole thing sat baking in the sun for a few days. I hate that stuff.

Q: What advice would you give to someone coming to visit, someone coming to live?

A: People visiting China need to know a few things: First, this is not the West. There won’t be Western conveniences everywhere you go. Some bathrooms have sit-down toilets, many don’t. Some bathrooms have toilet paper available, many don’t. Some bathrooms have working sinks and soap; many don’t. Bring your own TP and hand sanitizer. Also, I’d say don’t pack too much, especially if you’re going to be traveling around. The more you bring, the more trouble it is. People in China are a lot less vain than they are in the West. People here have a lot less disposable income, so it’s common to see people wear the same thing a few days a week. Take advantage of that when you visit and pack light. You can always wash clothes while you’re here, but keep in mind that there are very, very few clothes dryers. So you’ll be hanging your clothes up to dry, which could be inconvenient if you pack too lightly. And finally, don’t come in with the attitude that everybody in the world speaks at least some English. It’s just not true. There are TONS of people here who don’t speak English. So if you don’t speak Chinese, I’d suggest bringing a phrase book.

As for coming here to live, again there are several things to keep in mind, but in the interests of brevity, I’ll keep it limited to two. First, have a decent bank account. Expect to spend at least $2000 US your first month, depending on where you live. After that, it’ll calm down somewhat, but there’s always going to be something to spend money on, so make sure you have some money tucked away. Second, don’t come with the attitude that you’re going to forsake your own culture and just blend in. You won’t. You’ll find out very quickly upon arriving that, while you’ll love China, you’ll also have those “bad China days” where you just wish you were back in your own country. So make sure you bring things that you find comforting. Your guitar, your favorite DVDs (or ripped copies of the ones you own), your music collection. Those will be invaluable on days when you just don’t wanna be in Chinaland anymore.

Q: Most important number to know in China?

A: 1.3 billion. There are tons of people here, all trying to make ends meet, all trying to get theirs. If you keep that in mind, you’ll be able to keep a lot of the irritating behavior that you see and experience here in context. That will make you last a lot longer. It’s all about understanding the people and where they’re coming from and not just judging them at face value.

That’s it for part 1. Part 2 coming soon…

Dear China: Wash Your Hands

Due-East — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 13:52:51 +0000

Today, I’m starting a new series of posts that I’ll include on the blog whenever I feel like it, probably on my bad China days. The new series is called “Dear China”. In this series of posts, I’ll pick whatever it is that happens to bother me the most about China on that particular day and write an open letter to the entire country about it. Today happens to be a rather bad China day, so today is the first episode.

Dear China,

Wash. Your. Hands. WASH YOUR FILTHY HANDS! It’s not hard. You turn the water on as hot as your skin can stand it, you wet your hands, you apply soap, you rub your hands together vigorously for at least 30 seconds, you rinse your hands, and then when you’re done, you dry them off. It’s that simple. Being that your country has “5000 years of continuous culture”, I really shouldn’t have to be telling you this. But based on my observations of the post bathroom usage rituals of the people around me, at least 50% of your population seems to be in the dark about this. I’m honestly surprised there haven’t been more outbreaks of deadly diseases here than there have been.

You should wash your hands several times a day, including – but not limited to – on the following occasions:
After using the bathroom
After picking your nose
After touching animals
After touching your mouth or your hair
After scratching yourself
After touching any publicly-used surface

I cannot over stress this point: It’s especially important to wash your hands when you work at a restaurant. If you touch any food, be it your own food or the food of anybody else, wash your hands regularly and vigorously. Nobody wants to eat a burger seasoned by your bodily fluids. It’s filthy. And I really shouldn’t have to call your 20-something-year-old restaurant employees back to the bathroom to wash their hands after obviously having 上’ed 大号 (doing #2).

And to the hospitals, restaurants, and other establishments frequented by the public: It’s your responsibility to make soap available to the patrons that frequent your establishment. People don’t generally carry around bars of soap, so if people are going to have clean hands, you’ll need to do your part. Also, you may wanna make sure the hand dryers in the bathrooms have at least as much blow power as a 95-year-old chain smoker suffering from emphazema, preferably more, because if people have to leave the bathroom with soaking hands, they’re a lot less likely to actually wash. That would be too mafan (麻烦). At the very least, supply very large containers of waterless hand sanitizer. Seriously, China…

Sincerely,
The World

Nose Picking Culture

Due-East — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 12:01:33 +0000

Only up to one knuckle? Amateur!

I totally love it here in China. It’s a really awesome place! But every culture has its drawbacks. One of the things I hate about Chinese culture is the nose picking, the very public, unabashed nose picking.

Now, everybody does it sometimes. It’s just a fact. If you say otherwise, you’re either perfect or a liar (and there are no perfect people on earth). It’s not like we do it purposely; sometimes without even realizing it, we do it. You know how it is: something in your nose feels uncomfortable, and without realizing it, you quickly thumb it out. Gross, yes. A fact of life? Absolutely. The difference is that in general, people from the West are pretty grossed out when we catch ourselves doing it. So when that happens, we take care of it as quickly as possible and wash our hands. We’re ashamed of it.

That’s where Chinese culture as a whole is totally different. Here in China, picking your nose in public is extremely common. Everybody does it. Old men do it. Old ladies do it. Kids (of course) do it. Young business men do it. Extremely beautiful women, dressed-to-the-nines and wearing wonderful smelling perfume, do it. And time and place? Make no difference. They do it at home. They do it on the street. They do it waiting for the bus. They do it on the bus. They do it while eating. They do it while waiting in line at the grocery store. The employees do it while they’re waiting for the next customer at the grocery store. I’m actually scared to think of what may be going on in the kitchen at my favorite restaurant. I try my best not to eat out a lot.

And how do they deal with the fruits of their labor? Often in the most disgusting way imaginable! The other day, when I was on a crowded bus going to work, I saw an old lady digging away, working so deep that she was up practically to her second knuckle. Having dug a winner, out came her finger, and after inspecting her find, she wiped on the handrail. But she wasn’t done yet! Oh no, not she wasn’t! This was 1949, her nose was California, and she was a prospector with 10 hungry kids at home. She bravely went back for a second round and dug out a second large nugget. EUREKA!!! Just as before, she wiped her glorious catch on the handrail. Apparently loathe to miss one precious nugget, she then leaned forward, pressed her thumb against one of her nostrils, took a deep breath, and proceeded to blow a gigantic snot rocket on the bus floor. After shaking the excess snot off her finger, she calmly went back to looking out the bus window.

At first, I couldn’t help but laugh. It was surreal seeing someone pick her nose with such vigor and vim in such a public place. But then it occurred to me: how many other people who had held the very handrail I was now holding had done the same thing? Then it wasn’t so funny anymore…

“Insanely low price” = garbage

Due-East — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 12:49:03 +0000

If something seems like it’s too good to be true, it probably is. According to a story on Slashgear, a Russian computer repair center was asked to take a look at the above-pictured external backup hard drive to see why data kept disappearing from it. It was supposedly bought at a Chinese store for an “insanely low price”. When the repair center opened up the drive to take a look at it, this is what they found inside:

A 128 MB flash drive and two heavy nuts to make the drive seem sufficiently weighty to customers. The flash drive was “looped” so that when it ran out of space, it would start to overwrite the oldest data. In other words, it would LOOK like you were copying tons and tons of data to the drive, but all you were actually getting in the end was about 128 MB of that data. And the minute you copied something else to the drive, it you would lose what you had just put on it. Sad, China, sad…

Click here for the Slashgear article.

The Chinese version of ‘Ugly Betty’

Due-East — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:23:07 +0000

I’ve been a bit busy recently and haven’t had time to keep up with any Chinese news of any sort (and probably won’t have that kind of time from now on, so this blog will end up being pretty stagnant), but RedKemp found a short but interesting story about the Chinese version of Ugly Betty, which is coming out soon. The verdict: She’s totally cute! I totally agree with Redkemp that all those “very-cute-woman-with-glasses-and-braces = ugly” movies and TV shows out there are stupid. If Charlene Choi, Halle Berry, or some other very pretty woman had black-rimmed glasses and some ill-fitting braces, I’d be the first guy there to comfort them in their ugliness. Apparently Chinese audiences agree that she’s too cute to be called ugly. This article brings out that “Audiences hold the view that the “ugly girl” is beautiful, with a normal figure, big eyes and long hair, aside from the deliberate ugly costuming.” For once, I’d like to see someone truly unattractive cast in one of these roles; maybe if there were more “ugly” people on TV and in movies, the world in general would get used to it and wouldn’t be so obsessed with looks. Yeah, that’s not gonna happen, is it?

Check out Neocha.com for Chinese indie music

Due-East — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 03:46:44 +0000

Are you tired of Chinese popular music? I am. Over all, it stinks. I mean, I’m a huge Jay Chou fan, and I like almost everything Sun Yan Zi and Wang Li Hong put out. But for the most part, Chinese pop music – like pop music everywhere – all sounds the same, and it’s all pretty mediocre. No creativity, no individuality. I really appreciate the traditional Chinese value of putting the group over the individual and not rocking the proverbial boat, but sometimes it just doesn’t work. It absolutely fails when it comes to music. Music is supposed to be creative, so just following along with the crowd definitely doesn’t cut it. Thankfully, in every culture there are always those independent people who like to experiment with new sounds and ideas and create something fresh. (Really, if you haven’t checked out InLove, do it. Yes, Lu, I’m always advertising your music!). I recently came across a post at Lost Laowai reviewing a great site called Neocha (aka “new tea”). I won’t go into what the review says since that would be totally redundant. Just check it out for yourself or head on over to neocha.com to get connected with great (and of course some not-so-great) Chinese indie music.