White People for Rent
July 11, 2010 • By Sarah Richardson
In China, white people can be rented for a day, a week and
even up to a month. It is literally the age old concept of saving face. It has become a common phenomenon for Chinese companies to pay high prices for "White guy in a
tie" foreigners."Face, we say in China, is more important than life itself," said Zhang Haihua, author of Think like Chinese, a book about the insight into the heritage and culture of the Chinese when they are conducting business. Because Western countries are so developed people think they are more well off, Haihua said.
So, while having a few foreigners hanging around as fake employees or
business partners means a company has prestige, money and crucial
connections abroad, renting a white person isn't cheap. Some foreigners can make up to $300 a day, according to a story on CNN.
Brad Smith, a foreigner who posed as an architect from New York, claims that that's what China is all about.
"It's quite an elaborate fantasy world," Smith said.
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