China: My view from the hotel
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
When I arrived one Mr. Low told me, “Vincent, you want to know what is doing business in China. It is very simple. Doing business in China is split into 3 parts. 6am – 6pm, 7pm to 12am and finally 1am to 5am. Once you’ve seen all this, you will know what doing business in China is about. Now you are seeing what 6am – 6pm is about. Later tonight you will see the rest.”
What I had seen at that point was regular business.
7pm – 12am
The businessmen went for dinner. And of course what was dinner without alcohol?! They specifically asked for something less potent because I don’t drink much. Less potent = 38% alcohol content.
After that we got inside the car and the businessmen said, “司机！带我到机场！不是飞机那个! (Driver! Bring me to the airport. The one without planes!)” And so they went for some LasapBar action. Here I must say I’ve never seen a KTV room that big before. It was bigger than my house. Serious. It was the freaking presidential suite. - equipped with 4 to 5 sofas, private bar, dance floor, tabletops and a bed. Oh yes, a bed. The management took no effort to hide the purpose of their business.
1am – 5am
All the dirty old men brought girls back to their hotel. Me? I slept alone. Serious!
Since then, my boss has returned to Singapore and I’m working from my hotel. My hotel overlooks an amusement part (so you can imagine how noisy it can get at times). All this exciting things happening just beside me, flashing lights and spinning rides but from my side of the window, there’s only loneliness and boredom.
I guess I should run around in Shenzhen and enjoy the sights and smells? But somehow it seems pointless to me if I have no one to share it with. I’m just not the kind of person who travels alone. Perhaps another reason is that ShenZhen isn’t all that enchanting or romantic. It looks like just Singapore – 15 years ago. If I was in some place like Paris or something I’d leave my hotel room and explore. Maybe I’ll persuade myself tomorrow. There is a place I would like to visit though, Windows of the World. And the main reason is because Jiazi’s been there before.
Sprouting Nonsense Since 1984 {4:39 pm}
