How to win friends and influence people China visa style

Corbett | July 10, 2008 5:42 AM

I got a good laugh out of this long chat thread waiting for me in the morning. It's from a foreign friend of mine who is fluent in Chinese, has been in and out of here since 1989, and has millions of dollars invested in his businesses here, employing all Chinese staff.

I think it sort of lays out how a lot of people feel about the current visa situation right now.

I've been flip flopping back and forth whether to post it or not since someone might get offended, but hey, I've received the same treatment from DMV, the US Passport office, and AIT in Taiwan...

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wow, after all the good will i have shown the chinese, they go and give me a 10 day visa to keep me out of Beijing during the olympics!
7/9/08 7:13 PM

isn't that incredible.
7/9/08 7:13 PM

the bastards.
7/9/08 7:13 PM

fuck it no visa.
7/9/08 7:13 PM

I don't want to visit their polluted hell hole anyway.
7/9/08 7:13 PM

fuckem;
7/9/08 7:13 PM

instead i will go with my sister this weekend and meet the dali lama
7/9/08 7:14 PM

he will be at her school and she is invited to hang with him.
7/9/08 7:14 PM

on principle i should not go there.
7/9/08 7:15 PM

The Chinese don't deseve me to visit them. I have already been to their embassy 4 times. To get this stupid visa. now I have to waste another morning there for a lousy 10 day visa. Timed so I cannot be there during the olympics.
7/9/08 7:15 PM

Not that I want to be there during the olympics. That wasn't my plan.
7/9/08 7:16 PM

But now they got me steamed. What kind of reciprocity is this? And after they give me a 1 yr then a 2 yr visa.
7/9/08 7:16 PM

fuck em.
7/9/08 7:16 PM

biggest assholes.
7/9/08 7:16 PM

go tibet
7/9/08 7:16 PM

go mongolia
7/9/08 7:16 PM

go taiwan
7/9/08 7:17 PM

and its a symptom that the next generation and the one after is going to have to deal. Whether they be from Taiwan, America, or Japan.
7/9/08 7:17 PM

Arrogance
7/9/08 7:18 PM

This attitude and treatment is demonstrative of an arrogance that is downright dangerous to the world.
7/9/08 7:18 PM

Screw em
7/9/08 7:18 PM

stay in new york.
7/9/08 7:18 PM

enjoy my life.
7/9/08 7:30 PM

should have been a doctor or something else more beneficial and rewarding then a sinologist just to understand patently what everyone already knows inherently....
7/9/08 7:30 PM

that the Chinese are DICKS!
7/9/08 7:32 PM

all that time spent to learn the language and the culture
7/9/08 7:32 PM

colossal waste
7/9/08 7:38 PM

7/10/08 5:54 AM
i just got back from the embassy. a whole day affair over there.

Corbett Wall
7/10/08 5:54 AM
i'm sorry to hear about you getting the shaft. it's happening to everyone here. hotels occupancy is down, the media is all over it, the service business is down, cities dependent on traders are ghost towns, they are shooting themselves
7/10/08 5:54 AM
can i put your "anonymous" IM raving on my blog? it's great

7/10/08 5:55 AM
yeah u can.

Corbett Wall
7/10/08 5:55 AM
thanks

7/10/08 5:55 AM
anonm

7/10/08 5:55 AM
of course

7/10/08 5:55 AM
but here is the interesting part.

7/10/08 5:55 AM
i got to the embassy all letters in place and really feeling like i did not want to be there. the wait wasn't so bad

7/10/08 5:56 AM
1 hr.

Corbett Wall
7/10/08 5:56 AM
i could see you freaking out
7/10/08 5:56 AM
reaching over the counter to strangle the clerk

7/10/08 5:56 AM
nope mellow ready to hope i got no visa so excuse not to go..of course

7/10/08 5:56 AM
really don't want to go.

7/10/08 5:56 AM
but responsilbity

7/10/08 5:56 AM
so anyway, i am sitting with my bakery ticket in hand. waiting

7/10/08 5:56 AM
front row seat to watch the action.

7/10/08 5:57 AM
which is the other people just getting bent out of shape getting screwed and the mean mean arrogant little chinese ladies behind their bulletproof glass booths dishing out their venom.

7/10/08 5:57 AM
surreal. no hellos no smiles no nothing....

7/10/08 5:59 AM
and it was like the lady whose booth i happened to sit in front of was particularily nasty. thin lips pasty pale look over sized glasses and just nothing sweet. no cream at all. she seemed to take only delight in finding things to drive the applicants nuts. little fuckin things. or things like "where is your plane ticket.

7/10/08 5:59 AM
applicant: here is my eticket.7/10/08 5:59 AM
eticket isnt what i want to see i want to see the paper ticket

7/10/08 5:59 AM
i didn't get a paper ticket....anxious

7/10/08 5:59 AM
pause from horrible little china lady behind booth....

7/10/08 6:00 AM
....well then let me review this eticket. where is your cover for the letter....

7/10/08 6:00 AM
just glazed over the fact that etickets were okay but just wnated el applicant to sweat.

7/10/08 6:00 AM
then it was to the same person - where is the fed exp cover to your letter.

7/10/08 6:00 AM
how do i know you didn't write the letter yourself if there is no cover...?

7/10/08 6:01 AM
anyone can write a letter.

7/10/08 6:01 AM
i swear cw i am not making this shit up.

7/10/08 6:01 AM
this shit was dripping from her mouth.

7/10/08 6:01 AM
then it was like...to another sweet student girl...whose friend booked their hotel and so the friend was on the booking.

7/10/08 6:01 AM
where is your name on the booking.

7/10/08 6:02 AM
my friend made the booking.

7/10/08 6:02 AM
i need your name on the booking

7/10/08 6:02 AM
total confucion confusion bs

7/10/08 6:02 AM
girl: but here is a letter from my friend saying she booked it for me and herself.

7/10/08 6:02 AM
china lady: how do i know you didn't write the letter yourself...anyone can write a letter.

7/10/08 6:03 AM
same game same shit.

7/10/08 6:03 AM
and it went on. and i was just disgusted.

7/10/08 6:03 AM
really.

7/10/08 6:03 AM
and there were other incidents. but then it was my turn and luck would have it that i had the same bitch china lady

7/10/08 6:04 AM
so i go up. frown right back at her. no trying to make her smile. useless, right?

7/10/08 6:04 AM
she says i notice you been here before you have the fill out checklist.

7/10/08 6:05 AM
i just say too many times. and throw my frown and say it such a shame this difficulty with visa is bad for business.

7/10/08 6:05 AM
she doesn't answer. trying to find something amiss. but remember this is my fourth fucking time there. i am already resigned to a 10 DAY visa. so fuck it.

7/10/08 6:06 AM
she finally says Ah Ha....I swear the words were ah ha...she found somethingl.

7/10/08 6:06 AM
Were is your copy of evidence you have been in china before.

7/10/08 6:06 AM
i say in the passport.

7/10/08 6:06 AM
dummie

7/10/08 6:06 AM
duh

7/10/08 6:07 AM
she says yes but i want to copy of it. And she the confucian ponts to my checklist and says you need a copy of it.

7/10/08 6:07 AM
I say it doesn't say you need a copy it only says you need to see evidence of it. (Which is what it says).

7/10/08 6:07 AM
She realizes that I am not going to move from my space...so she gets the point and cuts out the games and simply says "There is a copy behind you it takes dollars too"

7/10/08 6:08 AM
so i figure perhaps she just has an investmnet in the copy machine. I go copy give her back the documents. She asks how long you going to stay. I say a month sometimes more. Still thinking that I am only getting 10 days as the Economic Minstry letter states. She goes Hmmm... an d writes some shit down.

7/10/08 6:09 AM
Come back Monday.

7/10/08 6:09 AM
I say monday is no good.

7/10/08 6:09 AM
Okay come back today.

7/10/08 6:09 AM
Rush service Which by the way is US $160

7/10/08 6:09 AM
I leave. Go home.

7/10/08 6:11 AM
Go back at about 2:15pm. They close at 3pm. Go to pick up. Pull out credit card give to her. She is very very quick to give reciept to sign...they are fast with the money stuff. I ask cashier to see passport. She says. "No, Sign first" So I think something stinky. I am pissed about $160 for ten days. And hell I already spent 10 days trying to get the documents together for the fuckin thing.

7/10/08 6:11 AM
anyway, i ask her. How long is visa. She replies 1 yr. I sigh relief. Sign.

7/10/08 6:11 AM
Bitch lied.

7/10/08 6:12 AM
I get my passport back. And I don't notice the time but i notice 30 days.

7/10/08 6:12 AM
Okay truthfully. who wants to stay in china for more then 30 days....

7/10/08 6:12 AM
...but i feel insulted and just in case. right?

7/10/08 6:12 AM
So i say, 30 days is too short.

7/10/08 6:13 AM
That's what we gave you...

7/10/08 6:13 AM
I know what you gave me but its too short.

7/10/08 6:13 AM
Go speak to the Supervisor row 1

7/10/08 6:13 AM
I go to row 1

7/10/08 6:13 AM
30 minutes waiting on line

7/10/08 6:13 AM
Ms Zhu superivsor who gave me the checklist two weeks back. A little nicer of a lady.

7/10/08 6:14 AM
I decide to be very very soft spoken on this one. Play it soft but firm.

7/10/08 6:14 AM
I tell her that I got a 1 yr visa with only 30 days. That i need more then 30 days. Previously I had two yr, with 90 days.

7/10/08 6:14 AM
hold it i will call you on this...

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Category: Mr. Asia

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