Chinabounder - 欲望上海

A few years ago, a humble, English man left his less than mediocre life in Britain to take up a job teaching English in Shanghai, China. He soon embarked on a journey as a sex tourist and started a blog of his daily casual sex-capades. He went by the name of Chinabounder in his now notorious blog, Sex in Shanghai (A Western Scoundrel in Shanghai tells all) - his real name is allegedly David Mariott. Before long, the Chinese netizens discovered it and started raising complaints. One of the professors in Shanghai University, called for the blog to end. I e-mailed Chinabounder once asking why he wanted to brand Chinese people with ridicule, before his blog was taken down by the Chinese internet police. He replied with a huge rhetorical essay on why he thought China lacked potential and why the women he met were so easy. Excerpt from his e-mail, dated 2006:

Come come now, surely you must recognize that China is full of problems?

I guess that I have given you the idea I look down on Chinese people. I am sorry if that is so. I guess (like rather a lot of foreigners here) I have quite a lot of anger towards China. What makes me angry is that the government of this country holds back the talent of its people. The dead hand of the CPC turns education here into ideological bullshit. Too many people just give up and become drones in the face of this. I see this most clearly when I teach kids. I have found that each kid – let’s say under ten – is an individual; each has his or her own personality. But as they grow beyond that age, they become the same… the education system stifles and oppresses their individuality and crushes their natural selves.

I do see a day when China is the world’s superpower, and I look forward to that day. Of course, on that day Chinese women will just laugh at my attempts to seduce them -- and quite rightly too. But right now it is easy to do, so I do it. Just like it is easy to earn money here, so I earn it. What do you expect? Who turns down opportunities to live the life they want to live? It is not very honorable, true – but imagine getting to 90 years old and regretting not living life to the full. How terrible!

The West (meaning, ‘white people’) has pretty much run the world until now. It’s about time Asia had a go in the driver’s seat. Fuck, *of course* China could out-perform the West, as you say. But it won’t with this current government.

It seems to me the CPC is holding back that day. The CPC does not really give a fuck about China; its first priority is to keep in power – looking after the country comes a distant second. It does seem to me that a lot of overseas returnees do come back just to make money, and do not have any interest in changing the system. That makes me sad.

Finally: I began by saying China has problems, but please don’t think I am singling it out. I know only too well that my country, the UK, has lots of bullshit too. One of its major problems is the petty, small-minded and gossipy nature of many UK people. And – as I guess you have experienced – there is a lot of subtle (and overt) racism in the UK. I find that disgusting and I am highly critical of it.

Anyhow, that’s enough from me. I look forward to the day when guys like you run the globe. I hope you make a better show of it than Bush and Blair and that lot.

Best,

David

My response - what and idiot! Do something with your life instead of pulling out the old angry white man in Asia with a conscience card! If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. His case is not extraordinary. There are plenty of European and American Chinabounders in Shanghai right now replicating his actions - some of my friends included. This is why I've been reminded of this blog now.

Last year David Mariott re-emerged from hiding to publish a book, based on his experiences in Shanghai, "Fault Lines On The Face of China: 50 Reasons Why China May Never Be Great". Thankfully, his book did not make it onto the best seller list and to this day, he is still best known for his salacious blog. Needless to say, I won't read the book. If I wanted to know why China may not be great, I just have to listen to my own nagging grandparents, the greatest critics of their own country.

Admittedly, out of all his nonsense, he has a point. For all the glamorous glitz of the Chinese Olympics in 2008 and the past 30 years of non-stop miraculous economic boom, the Chinese mentality remains the fundamental rock that can't be changed. The greatest stumbling block that still prevents my family from returning back to a country of ruthless leaders and shallow-minded civilians.

[The Guardian has the best story on it]