'Rent-a-White-Guy' service popular in China

American monthly magazine The Atlantic published a short story about China titled "Rent a White Guy" recently. The article tells stories of foreigners working in China written by Mitch Moxley who has experienced this phenomenon first hand.

He said that he was offered work as a quality-control expert with an American company in Shangdong province of China, which he had never heard of until just recently, and he was still paid 1,000 dollars a week without any working experience. The only requirements were a fair complexion and a suit.

Moxley wrote in his article that white guys like him were expected to play the role of fake businessmen and their work included making daily trips to the construction site, attending ribbon-cutting ceremonies and hobnobbing with important people.

In the article, Moxley also mentioned another six white guys who had the same experience as him. One friend of his, an American who works in film, was paid to represent a Canadian company and give a speech espousing a low-carbon future. Another was flown to Shanghai to act as a seasonal gifts buyer.

Moxley and his friends called these things "White Guy in a Tie" events, where a person puts on a suit, shakes some hands and makes some money. As for the reason for such events, he was given an explanation by his Chinese-language tutor that "Having foreigners in nice suits gives the company face."

The story the writer told seems interesting. However, it reflects the lack of commercial morality of some Chinese businessmen and reveals their bald-faced cheating.

By People's Daily Online