I also really like your initial idea, having often thought that trying to work alongside some migrant workers on one of China’s major construction projects would also give an outsider (foreign, or just affluent city-dweller) an incredible perspective. I recently met two Scandinavian guys who did just that in Mongolia (they had nothing philosophical to say about it – just that it was something necessary).

Sorry to focus on the negative but I think some of the folks congratulating you on here are being way too light hearted. This is a serious experiment you’ve undertaken, and should be discussed as such. I think your decision to do this for only a month (basically not surviving) and to not live in the dormitory almost completely negates the entire endeavor, or at least leaves you only with a bunch of funny stories for friends back home.

Having your own, large, comfy apartment to go back to every night totally recharges you, as well as takes you out of the days context. I understand the need to record your thoughts, but what, that’s only possible with a computer? What about keeping a journal.

I can’t believe people are bringing “Nickel and Dimed” into all of this. There is little to no comparison, and therefore, you shouldn’t entertain all this book talk. Were the book in question distributed to a larger, non-intimate (that is with “our” situation) and more sociologically erudite audience it would be shredded.

Sorry to be so harsh. It’s not aimed at you personally, but more so at all of the adoration being thrown your way (It seems you don’t pay it much mind anyway). Why not stick to it for half a year, and yes, temporarily cut (or limit) ties with non-work related acquaintances and money from home (if that seems unrealistic, sorry, your hearts not in it), move into the dorm, extend your term of employment and sharpen your pencil? You could see how long it takes to move through the various levels of acceptance sure to exist over a longer stretch of time.

This was an amazing post, really. How often does someone who is trying to learn about a community offer others the chance to comment on her or his work while its in progress? That’s the beauty of bloggin. And to make it even better, you responded with insight and respect for your critics.

Understanding other people thorugh participation in their lives, thorugh building and maintaining real relationships with them, comes at a cost. You are always part observer which means you are always only a partial participant. And because you are partly a participant, you are not some pure, white-coated, laboratory-based observer, either. What you take in is colored an filtered by who you are. The best ethnographers take into consideration who they are; they take care to clarify their position, their bias. They don’t try to hide them or eliminate them.

So without the bias, without the tension between participation 24/7 and time to write, there can’t be as much sharing. And I would argue that without the nightly writing, you wouldn’t be sure what you are learning, either.

We are all learning a lot from you, Ben. I think I detect a book deal on the horizon! Keep up the great work. And thanks to the other commentators, too!

Also, it was interesting. I first saw a note about your blog on the Shanghaiist site, which led me to read it. And then just last week you got a similar plug in the China Daily or some similar English newspaper! I imagine your hits have gone up dramatically.

Anyway, keep it up!

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I learned a lot from your entries, I also learned a lot from thoughtful commenter from around the world. My hat off to you all

I would say, this is an awesome work and enjoy. Campared to those arrogant expats in China, you have done good enough.

However, what I would like to point out is that Fuzhou is still a more or less “developed” area in China. There must be more low waged workers in central and western China. If you go on a trip to a less developed place, you may be able to learn more, not only their lifes, but also culture, food and other stuff. Keep in mind that, this is just a small portion of Chinese people, the differences between Northern Chinese and Southern Chinese are huge enough to not justify what you generalized in the blog such as “Chinese people ….blah blah blah” based on what you experienced in Fuzhou.

So if you have time, why not go to another city 1000 miles away and work a month to see what you see there.

Also, based on your observation, you can think about why China can become a giant cohesive empire while people are so different in terms of speaking dialects, culture, or even appearance. This will help you promote your understanding to a high level.

Good job! Glad to see your story.

So all I can say is 加油！You’re doing a great job, dude.

People are born unequal, there is no need to justify.

And I second the blockquote suggestion. it’ll be much neater.

I can’t stand Anthropology full-stop, but it is quite interesting read about your experiences nonetheless. Doesn’t change the fact, though, that the rooster-haired 理发师 damn near took off my ear yesterday…

Just to echo some support for you – I think this is a very interesting project and you are going about it in a fair and even-handed way.

Realistically, short of having re-constructive surgery or something to make you physically look more Chinese, I’m not sure what else you could really be expected to do to make this project any more “legitimate”.

The perspectives and experiences you are getting and reporting in this blog are interesting and pretty unique compared to a lot of other “expats in China” blogs – keep it up!

I’ve no idea what you ultimately plan to do after the completion of this project – write a book, use this for a grad school thesis, ???????, – then profit? Start your own hair salon?

Whatever – it’s a cool blog, and I’ll keep reading it as long as you keep updating it.

Tangent – Does anyone know of blogs written by individuals from China living/studying/working in the US, Canada, or Europe, and writing about their experiences – analogous to blogs like this one? I imagine someone must be doing it; it might be interesting to compare/contrast.