Government event for foreigners??

[kaibo 开 博]

I think govt. events are sometimes great. Pity my Chinese is not though. I have been paid on some of them as well. The money and food is usually tops but sometimes it is difficult to avoid the baijiu roller coaster at Chinese functions.

We once entertained the Law Dept. from the Sheng Zheng Fu Govt. at our UFO cafe bar. I cooked a spread for them and they were entertained by our local beer-pong team outside in the middle of a Friday afternoon. The lawyers loved it and together with Carl, Chris, Alex and crew, several of them got plastered. Unfortunately the relationship was not ongoing because I had to refuse the reciprocal invitations based on a need to make money to pay the rent at the cafe.

Also some of us from Anhui Uni and a couple of us from NDI got invited to the annual concert for Chinese New Year. It was Anhui SAFEA who staged the event. One must understand that they preside over the Hefei SAFEA. As far as it goes they are the ''be all and end all'' in terms of who we need to know to be welcomed visitors year on year. Maintaining a working relationship and serving govt. officals like that is tops in my books and maintains a future we can perhaps depend upon. It gives confidence that as a result of being known and functioning in their circles of influence, ensures that open doors in Anhui are but a phone call away. I am looking forward to the next invite to perform at some upcoming govt. events.

Another benefit was the recent assistance we had in getting the cafe up-and-running. A few phone calls to established relations with municipal leaders sorted some of the problems and put us in contact with the right people. We have also been invited to open another cafe bar in the future and have been promised assistance to find the right venue. Also obtaining favour at a real estate purchase amounting to additional discounts of 5,000 yuan through executive guanxi was a direct benefit of established contact through offialdom. This is a great part of being in the know that helps as far as life goes. You know every little bit helps where money is concerned.

We should always be mindful that we are here not by right but by invitation. One should take every opportunity to return the reciprocal by serving government interests. In a sense, in China we are nothing without their authorised blessing. It is totally different in our homelands because we have the authorised birthright of inhabitation at home.

Having said that, I'm with Andy -- if they want to feed me, call on me to serve their interests, or pay me to enhance my interests financially or socially -- I'm all too willing to jump on the band wagon, particularly when it is on company time. That in itself is a paid time-out for an interesting afternoon and a chance to advance social and personal causes.