At lunch today, one of my friends was complaining about the obligations of Spring Festival. I thought at first she just meant cooking, making sure that the wrong relatives don't sit next to each other, sending cards, that kind of thing, but she soon clarified things.
"My friend is a construction magnate in [SECOND-TIER CHINESE MINING CITY], and he has to fly seven city management officials to Paris, because they got him a permit to build a seafood mall last year."
"Huh. Business class?"
"Yes."
"So that's about ... $30,000."
"Oh, he has to fly their families too. And they have to stay in five-star hotels."
"Wow. So I guess about ... say 3.5 people a family ... $150,000 or more ..."
"He's paying for all their shopping."
She also mentioned that her brother, a supermarket buyer, had to hand over his entire salary for the year to his boss every Spring Festival to be allowed to keep his job; he lives (fairly well) off the kickbacks from the companies he purchases from. And that a few years ago, when she'd set up her own steel trading business, her husband and her had had to fork out so much in "presents" at Spring Festival that they lived off instant noodles for a year.
her brother, a supermarket buyer, had to hand over his entire salary for the year to his boss every Spring Festival to be allowed to keep his job
It really is incredibly 18th century, isn't it?
Posted by: ajay | January 14, 2013 at 12:12 PM
I am sort of disappointed that you can't purchase army commissions. The army is plenty corrupt in other ways, tho.
Posted by: JamesP | January 14, 2013 at 12:54 PM
Well, you couldn't purchase navy commissions in the 18th century. But having "interest" was pretty vital to your career; a well-placed relative of higher rank, or a political ally of your family, was by far the best way to get promoted.
I have no idea if this is the case in the PLA.
Posted by: ajay | January 14, 2013 at 01:13 PM
The recent Osprey book on the PLA is a masterpiece of politely dodging around such topics in favour of detailing the minutiae of their current uniform.
(And purchase of commissions strikes me as being too bilateral for the Chinese way of these things - where does your boss get his cut?)
Posted by: Richard J | January 14, 2013 at 01:19 PM
I think that it was customary (or not unknown) for the colonel to take a cut of the purchase price in the pre-1881 army. Wasn't there some officer who was slandered as deliberately trying to get his officers killed so he could profit by reselling their commissions?
Posted by: ajay | January 14, 2013 at 01:29 PM
a seafood mall?
Posted by: Luis Enrique | January 14, 2013 at 02:24 PM
The city's a port; basically the place will contain a bunch of different seafood sellers/restaurants/etc. It's a pretty big building, so "market" doesn't really seem to cut it. Emporium?
Posted by: JamesP | January 14, 2013 at 04:35 PM
"Shed"?
Posted by: dsquared | January 14, 2013 at 04:53 PM
In most property markets, I'd suggest in a few years "the bank's", but I gather the Chinese property market is an exception to this general principle.
Posted by: Richard J | January 14, 2013 at 05:01 PM
A hawker market, in Singaporean; a food hall in general Chinatown terms. no?
Posted by: Alex | January 14, 2013 at 09:55 PM
I more meant: wow!
I'd love to spend some time in a seafood mall.
Posted by: Luis Enrique | January 16, 2013 at 12:16 PM
basically the place will contain a bunch of different seafood sellers/restaurants/etc
For the rich, Purveyors of Bespoke Seared Tuna. For the poor, prawnbrokers.
Posted by: ajay | January 16, 2013 at 01:19 PM
@jamesP PLA corruption? Purchasing commissions? Here's John Garnault with 3,200 words on the subject: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/04/16/rotting_from_within
This supermarket buyer story really does show how the corruption argument splits into equal camps, each looking after their best interests. Of course there's gonna be massive pushback when even the branch manager of Tesco's is looking at a massive salary cut. And I'm sure the buyer's happy making more than he officially earns with tax-free kickbacks.
It's the demographic that's cut out of this equation that hurts most. I guess it depends whether if a lot of those people are simply going to take a "wait for my turn" approach
Posted by: RFH | January 20, 2013 at 10:55 AM
Looks like an interesting article - shame you can't read it without a subscription... is there discussion of how the PLA's industrial and commercial operations affect its general probity?
Posted by: ajay | January 21, 2013 at 11:27 AM
ajay, I have a sub to FP. If you'd like a pdf of that article email me at chris point young chez geemail point com.
Posted by: chris y | January 21, 2013 at 01:23 PM
Thanks very much - will do.
Posted by: ajay | January 21, 2013 at 05:14 PM