The best-laid plans
30 June 2004

Sometimes, I am full of ideas and plans, and I feel like I can do so much to make my life better, to make other people’s lives and / or jobs much better. On mornings like this, I feel my ideas have so much potential.

In reality, my ideas have a lot of potential, but idea theft (more kindly, idea co-option) runs rampant, and in China, no one believes an ethnic Chinese woman could possibly have original ideas and potential, runs on pure motivation, and is doing something to participate and contribute to society, where earning an income is more than welcome, but is not the driving force.

These past several months can be summarised in the two paragraphs above, freshly typed. I would elaborate, but I have a meeting to get to.

6 Comments

  1. So use this opportunity to be the exception to the rule. Because someone needs to lead the parade of progress.

    Comment by Maria — 30 June 2004 @ 12:33 pm

  2. I'm working on being an exception. China is not a welcoming environment for an overseas Chinese woman who's from somewhere else in Asia.

    Sigh.

    Comment by andrea — 30 June 2004 @ 6:57 pm

  3. Somebody I know who is a university in Spain was doing his project on Asian woman in the workforce, and I wrote a piece for him about being Chinese, Singaporean, and a woman – mostly in tones which your own post echoed. Terrible, isn't it?

    Comment by adri — 30 June 2004 @ 8:32 pm

  4. I don't think that even native Chinese women are held in very high regard unless they come from money and have proved they are ruthless thieves. I think that some of your social value might lie in changing this is the kind of social environment. Would native Chinese have voted for a woman, let alone Aung San Suu Ky, for the Nobel Peace prize (assuming they even have heard of it)?

    Comment by Terry — 1 July 2004 @ 10:07 am

  5. Terry, as long as you have good guanxi, it doesn't matter what gender you are.

    I won't pretend that me, this little Singaporean, will be able to change China's social fabric, but hopefully it gives other people ideas on how we can do something that benefits everyone, not just our wallets.

    Comment by andrea — 1 July 2004 @ 11:27 am

  6. Women in China are golddiggers and horrible lays. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to offer my ultra-worthy two cents.

    Comment by Chris — 2 July 2004 @ 3:07 pm

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