Foreign Babes in BJ

The book that everyone's talking about in the 'jing. Some love it, some hate it. So, I decided to tackle it, considering it was a title describing yours truely here.

Basically its an autobiographical of Ms DeWoskin in BJ making a television soaps of the exact same title about a decade ago. Remembering this starts post-tiananmen square in the early 90s, the idea of the soap is that foreign chicks have come all the way from the States to steal the cream and talent of Beijing men.

In the course of filming this, there are all sorts of cultural misunderstandings, some that I can relate to, and some that are just a western preconceived view of what the chinese think. But she starts to tie herself in knots trying to discuss what the western customs are like from a chinese producer's ideal incorporated into her western character, then I think oh dear, chickflick trying to get philosophical on chinese values. Although you do have to laugh at the irony. It is, after all, aimed entirely at the western market. No chinese I asked had ever heard of the book.

Is this supposed to be art imitating life? In actual life here, its the other way around - you see "total expat losers stealing all the chinese chicks" (quote drunk source doesnt want to be named). Admittedly there are chinese chicks who only go for expats as well - my friend Katie calls them rather unkindly but deservedly 'GCG's - green card grabbers'.

This is an unfortunate darker side acknowledged by the expat community as a result of their higher income - you often see letters to Ms Lovelorn in the local expat rag titled "I don't know if she loves me or just my money!" But after a general survey from the demure virginal Chinese types and a lot of guys, the general view seems to be: no decent chinese girl would be that forward with foreigners on their own accord and those that are, are just the prostitutes (or golddiggers who just look for the status of being on their arm).

One story that Victor told me sticks in my mind; where his British classmate got into a taxis and over the course of the journey's conversation, the irate driver told him that his wife had just left him the other week for a westerner, because (for lack of a nicer way of saying it) "she said they have a bigger libido than chinese guys".

Personally I like to think there are the genuine cases of true love, I do know the odd couple, but its still a very cynical and unconclusive topic; and with the complexity of many sociological factors, everyone's sure to have their own view. I must say, I've yet to see a caucasian girl with a chinese guy in china.

So I just couldnt help myself but am delighted to finishing this posting off with a poke from Dorothy Parker and Somerset Maugham:

"By the time you swear you're his

shivering and sighing

and he vows his passion is

infinite, undying -

Lady, make note of this:

One of you is lying."

"Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve the continuation of the species."