Down and Dirty with Data in Asia - Part 2

From 16 June 2012

My first “China” Day

When you spend enough time with foreigners in Shanghai, you will most definitely hear the phrase “I'm having such a China day” and today was my first of the summer...probably of many. China days are days when you need to get something done, but the systems and bureaucracy in place just make it impossible. Read on for clarification.

Example of Registration Form.

Being a good international citizen and abiding by the laws of the People's Republic of China, I went this morning to my local police station to register my address. This is common practice, and is required within 24 hours of arrival in any city in China. You have to prove how long you've been in the town (via train or plane ticket stubs), have your passport complete with up-to-date and valid visa on hand, and your original lease for your apartment. Every time you leave China you have to re-register, and every time you go to a new city in China you have to register with the police in that city. This is why the hotels and hostels always ask for your passport when you check in. 

Nobody tells you this when you arrive. It's not stated when you get your visa in your home country, getting on the plane, or going through immigration once you land. Usually you only find out you have to register when you want to renew your visa. At least that's how I did three years ago. In addition, nobody ever knows where you're supposed to go to register. The closest police station usually isn't the right one. You have to ask your landlord or roommates and just hope that they know where to go, cause if you show up at the wrong station, you can't get anything done. You also have to hope that the official working on the desk that day is in a good mood.

It always makes me nervous going in to a police station, as you hear horror stories of people being charged $1500 for registering late or being carted off to jail if their company didn't renew their visa on time. I was registering a few days late as my roommate couldn't find the lease, but risking a slap on the wrist was much better than the alternative if the police showed up at my house and I didn't have my papers. This does happen, and China is currently in a 100 day crackdown on illegal foreigners. A popular bar street in Shanghai was "raided" a few weeks ago, and people that had overstayed their visas were being carted off in the paddy wagon. Some people cry foul, but I say "Don't be stupid! You're not a Chinese citizen! Have a valid visa!"

So I mosey on up to the desk and wait patiently with my paperwork, and the policeman did his thing. He asked if the lease I had given him was the original, and then told me I needed to make a copy of it and of my passport photo and visa pages. He pointed me in a direction and told me to come back with the copies. I was surprised because every time I registered before they just made the copies right there in the police station. Guess he just wanted to be lazy...what government office doesn't have a copy machine!?

With his broken English and my pitiful Mandarin, there was most definitely a communication problem with directions....

I love the tea ceremony.
Especially with oolong tea!

I wandered around the French Concession for about two hours looking for a copy shop. I would have taken my bike, but they're always so inconspicuous it's better to walk and peek into every store window you pass to see if they have a computer on display. Even if I had known the characters for 'copy', there's usually such sensory overload that I never look at the signs anyway. I walked up and down all the streets in the area and must have passed about ten tea shops and innumerable restaurants and electronic stores, trying to find this place. It was like being forced into a scavenger hunt with no hope for a prize at the end. Finally I went in to a electronic spare parts shop and asked where it was, and thankfully the man knew was I was asking, as I didn't know the word for "copy" in Mandarin.  The man politely told me: “Wan qian zuo”. Just up ahead.

When I arrived....nobody was there. A tiny door, two computer screens, a phone, and a dirty old Xerox in the back and no one to make my copies. I wonder if this person leaves their expensive equipment unlocked often.  I could have just made the copies myself and left a few kuai to pay for the paper, but the stress of the day probably kept me from it. Walk a little further, and I saw an old woman in a room with a computer screen. I walked in and asked if they make copies, and success!! She called over her son and I got what I needed.

Go back to the police station, and the policeman I was working with before is gone. Go through the whole process again with someone else. Finally I have my paperwork sorted.

Then I decided. The best cure for a China day is to head home for some tea.

I lost.

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In other news, today (May 5th on the Chinese calendar) is Dragon Boat Festival. The one co-worker I have in the Shanghai office forgot, and I assumed that as we're a multi-national organization, we weren't taking the day off. Even though the entire building is empty, we're both working today. 

On the bright side he did show me a really cool Dragon Boat race I could have on the homepage of the Chinese Google, Baidu! You just hit the drum with your mouse to make your boat go. Try it out!