I’ve become personally aware of a few of new (to me) types of behavior that are clearly (capitalist) Socialist with Chinese Characteristics in nature here in the SEZ known as (The Wild West) Shenzhen.
The first one I call License Plate Verification, and it works like this. You buy a car and park it somewhere, anywhere that does not have a guard (or has a guard on the take). You come back to your car after shopping or whatever only to find the plates missing and a business card with a phone number on your windshield. You call the number and are told that if you want your plates back it will cost you X amount of RMB. Going rates are 2000-3000RMB for a relatively new Japanese model car, and up to three times that much for a nice German brand; or so I’ve been told. During the phone call a convenient pick-up point and time is then immediately arranged. In case you want to call the police you are calmly reassured that all your windows will be broken and tires will all be slashed if you don’t pay up and don’t come alone. Such proactive attention to detail! I don’t doubt you can find this service in any city in China nowadays.
The second type of (capitalism) Socialism with Chinese characteristics can be called The Arboretum Effect. Tree lined roads, parks, flowers next to the sidewalks everything is perty and green, right? Right—green as in the color of money. What you don’t see when the trees cover your drive by tour of any given city in China is the fact that tress, sidewalks, roads, curbs, parks are regularly “improved” or resurfaced or redone. And each “improvement” requires contracts. And in China each government contract requires multiple stamps of approval. And each stamping official requires some personal benefit before his precious chop can be used. Yup, good old fashioned graft is what’s planting trees and resurfacing already decent roads. My wife, Chinese, literally spits out the words “another government project” each time we drive by road repairs. Government contracts are what keep people in power—more contracts means more money surging through the system. This is such a problem that even the CCP has addressed this in official pronouncements.
A third type has been historically called The Protection Racket and it works the same here in Socialist Paradise as it does and has everywhere else in the world. You open a small shop and pay the local “guardians” to keep it open and undamaged and consumer friendly. Since I’m obviously foreign (can’t get much paler than me) but speak Chinese I get to listen to a lot of conversations that people wouldn’t normally have in front of others—because they assume I don’t understand. So I was buying peanuts and Coke (better than factory fair) at a neighborhood shop and a couple 20 something guys come in and just take a bunch of food. They say keep watching the shop and they’ll be back tomorrow. The cashier scribbles down what they took in a note book in a drawer and looks at me laughs nervously and takes my money.
Another common version of this is the beat cops that allow street vendors to set up shop along the busy sidewalks between office buildings (selling food, DVDs, bags, magazines, etc.). The cops basically set them selves a table at a free buffet. They take what they want since the roadside stands are technically illegal and the owners don’t have anyone to complain to. The common good, that’s what China’s all about, right?
And in the interest of common good, I bring you…
Number four, and this is something that I actually (voluntarily) support: a website that allows you to instantly confirm the ID of any Chinese for whom you have an ID number. The web address is: www.nciic.com.cn. Type in the ID number and instantly you know if the number is real, who it belongs too and you can even see the photo on the license. (You have to be able to read Chinese and it costs 40RMB per search to use this service.) This type of ID check would never fly in the US, but hey, when in Rome, right? Enjoy!
Call me if you want your plates back.
Tags: Culture by david
No Comments »