Comments on: Coming to America…Fuzhou’s Main Export is People

By: Jenn

Jenn — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 16:19:08 +0000

Yeah, like my surrogate nainai and yeye who just want a tourist visa to go to the US to take care of their grandchildren for a few months because they are retired and bored. They were rejected 3 times before they got a visa and had to wait over 3 years for it.

By: Benjamin Ross

Benjamin Ross — Sun, 27 May 2007 18:01:47 +0000

Fuzhou people have a bad reputation in many places of the world, mainly due to issues relating to illegal immigration. Fuqing people have a reputation for running the mafia and other small crime in Tokyo’s Chinatown. Many of them go to Japan to work, but either cannot find work, or find petty crime more profitable. The same holds true in the US, in spme respects. Of the Chinese immigrants I have met in the US, I find they often fall into one of two categories. One group is generally over-achieving, highly educated, highly cultured, and of high 素质 (Chinese term which includes education, ettiquitte, and culture among other factors). This group is probably the source of most of our positive stereotypes about Chinese people, (I can honestly say I have met more Bei Da and Qinghua graduates in Kansas City than I have in Fuzhou). The members of this group come from all over China, and also include many Taiwan and Hong Kong Chinese. The other group is low-educated, and low 素质. Most of these people are illegals from Fujian. They generally do not learn English, never leave the restaurant, and are essentially only in the US for money. People with low 素质 are often disliked, or looked down upon by people with high 素质 even in China. So it is only natural this difference would carry over.

Another reason for possible dislike for Fuzhou people (and this in my opinion is the most legitimate) is the illegals from Fuzhou make it much harder for Chinese who honestly want to go to the US for legitimate reasons such as education or travel. Currently, baring some soft of miracle, a typical Chinese citizen cannot even get a tourist visa to the US. Why not? Because the US government is afraid they will never return to China. If there were not so many illegals pouring over the borders, would this situation change? It certainly wouldn’t hurt. 　

By: Jenn

Jenn — Thu, 24 May 2007 13:58:37 +0000

Ever since I read this post I’ve been thinking about it. Not only because it is a great piece about immigration and the supply and demand of it all, but because of something I read a few months back.

It’s sort of silly, but it leads to some interesting questions. To me at least.

I was searching around online for a sushi restaurant called Fugakyu in Boston because I was thinking about where I could get a gift certificate to for a friend. While I was looking for the contact information I came across a few reviews of the restaurant.

One was pretty negative, which I found surprising, but even more surprising was why the person hated the restaurant. They wrote something like [not an exact quote but I think pretty close], “There are no Japanese people in the restaurant and the service was terrible. Amigos run the kitchen and the waitress was cursing in Fu-Chaunese (the nastiest part of China)” and then some more rambling about warm sashimi and “I guess this is how THEY’re always ‘full’.”

Who would have said this? Is there a known dislike by a certain group against Fuzhouren? Obviously this person is Chinese or lived in China for a while, how else would they detect Fuzhouhua? And how do they know what the nastiest and dirtiest part of China is?

Also an interesting perception of immigrants doing work in an ‘ethnic’ food restaurant in the US that isn’t their own ethnicity.

One more thing, I’ve lived in Japan and if Fugakyu employees Mexicans, they can make damn good sushi.

By: Benjamin Ross

Benjamin Ross — Wed, 23 May 2007 15:39:21 +0000

Jon-
I won’t go into specifics here, but I have a visa to be in China…You are supposed to have a job with a special skill like you said to get a visa…but…..you are also supposed to pay all your taxes as well (see my corruption article)…if you know what I mean.

By: jon byrne

jon byrne — Wed, 23 May 2007 15:11:01 +0000

Ben , what i was trying to get at was , i thought that to be able to stay and work in china you needed to have a job with a foreign company or to work for a big chinese company that needed particular skills that you have . How have you managed to stay in china and work for this barber’s shop ,i did not think this was possible ? As an aside i think what you are doing is amazing ,and so very informative ,cheers .

By: ash

ash — Wed, 23 May 2007 15:08:37 +0000

Surely Bens work also falls under ‘illegal work’ as he doesn’t have the correct permits to be working there, nor does his ‘boss’ have the correct permits to hire a foreigner?

Great work Ben – You are keeping me enthralled.

By: Hunter

Hunter — Wed, 23 May 2007 07:33:56 +0000

Illegal Immigration! Actually I had been expecting your post on it from the very begining, once I knew you’re in Fuzhou, the district so infamous of it.

You really did a great job!

I’m just wondering, if you have the plan to come to Shanghai, and try the life of “民工” (farmer worker), the very bottom stratum of China big cities.

By: Jas

Jas — Wed, 23 May 2007 01:02:21 +0000

Wow, here become more and more popular! Learnt a lot from your blog, Ben. You did great job! And everyone’s opinoin here openned another window for me to see things from diffirent aspects. Thank you, everyone.

By: Heilong

Heilong — Tue, 22 May 2007 23:36:32 +0000

Funny, Fujian and Dong bei ren come to Ireland, what usually happens is they come one a student visa and then just open a resturant, chinese shop or Chinese barber shop. The first 2 that I mentiond are usually opened by Dong Bei(north eastern) people and the barber shops are opened by Fujian people. They dont really like each other because the other thing the fujian people are good at is being the local Hei shi hui(mafia). They collect money from chinese businesses and start braking stuff if its not paid. Nobody can understand their fujian hua and the are usually less educated than the north eastren people as they are unable to speak english.

By: Shopgirl's Shanghai blog

Shopgirl's Shanghai blog — Tue, 22 May 2007 21:19:39 +0000

Again, I don’t usually read other blogs carefully even though I blog every day, but I have been hooked on your blog. I think it’s excellent and I really admire your gut to take this step. I just hope that your future employer will realize how much you have learned in that barbershop than other people have learned in a lifetime.

YOU GO!!!!!!