Dear lord, what a hell of a lot of bullshit to put up with. Quick question, were you born in China or are you a legal immigrant there? I ask as I'm curious if you've experienced any sort of racial discrimination towards yourself (I really hope not).
I was born in France, and I am white. I first came to China when I was 16 for a cultural exchange program, then I settled down there in 24. I am now 32.
I have seldom encountered racial discrimination. I was called a "white trash" once by an angry person, and I was refused a hotel room on one occasion. Not bad in almost 10 years here
Honestly there is not much racism here. Please don't take this as a jab, but I honestly think there is more racism in the USA for instance than in here. However, there is
discriminiation for sure. Being a foreigner here, I don't enjoy the same rights as everyone else. Sure I have a relatively high-paying job and have access to specific opportunities. For example last month I shot a promotional video for which I was paid $60 for 1/2hr of shooting. I've done some modelling (unthinkable in my own country
) and I get good first reactions from people; the fact that I speak the language also helps.
And yet... I can't drive, I can't get a loan in the bank, I can't have a credit card, I can't have certain jobs, I can't enter certain circles... Everything I wanna do is subject to more control and more red tape. In short, I am allowed here but every single thing I do reminds me that it's not my country.
It's annoying at times, but it's kind of fun too to try and circumvent those limits wherever I can. It did not prevent me from getting a shiny degree, building a life, a career and a family. I still feel happier here than I ever was in my home country. Should that stop to be the case, I think my wife and I will just move to another country. Maybe the US?
I've always wanted to live in Texas~ Or maybe Japan. I'd miss China a great deal though.