Interview: A PRC Foreign Talent

I was very keen to find out what people in China felt about the controversy in Singapore over the striking SMRT PRC drivers, so I managed to track down an old friend. Miss Yun is a former colleague of mine from years ago. Yun has worked in London, Singapore and is currently working in Beijing and like me, she works in financial services.

Limpeh: Hello Yun, thank you so much for doing this.

Yun: Yes, I am happy to help.

Miss Yun was born in China but educated in England. 

Limpeh: To begin with, can you tell me what people have been saying in Beijing about the strike in Singapore?

Yun: There are two school of thoughts. Sure there's a lot of anger on social media - on websites like Weibo, Renren and Douban - where people have just been venting their anger on Singapore, saying that China can crush Singapore like an ant. Some are even calling for China to invade Singapore to punish Singapore. I think that's a bit extreme, sure I feel sympathy for the strikers but some of the extreme bullshit some of these people come up with ... they discredit themselves. But boy, they are very angry with Singapore - both the Singaporean government and Singaporeans.

Then there's the other school of thought which is, "what the hell were you expecting?" These people went to work in Singapore as bus drivers, not as engineers, not teachers, not doctors - but bus drivers. It's not exactly a highly skilled job or a professional job worthy of graduates. Even in China, bus drivers and other unskilled professionals aren't exactly well treated. Think of the poor factory workers at Foxconn in China... So some of us do wonder what kind of expectations these bus drives had when they went to Singapore?

Limpeh: Which school of thought best describes your feelings Yun?

Yun: A bit of both... but more the latter. Simply because I have lived and worked in Singapore - Singapore is a great place to work if you had a good job. You can enjoy a great life in Singapore if you had money - but if you were on a lowly paid job like a bus driver, you would struggle to make ends meet. What did these bus drivers think? Did they think they were going to make a fortune over a two year contract and save up a huge sum of money when they completed their contract? Did they think that the streets of Singapore were paved with gold? How was one ever going to get rich in Singapore working as a bus driver? Get real.

These bus drivers probably looked at the pay offered in Singapore and they think, "wah, this is so much more than what I earn in China". They convert everything back into RMB and think it is a good deal - however, they neglect to factor in the long working hours, the much higher cost of living in Singapore and the kind of accommodation they had to put up with in Singapore. They really should have done more research before going to Singapore.

Limpeh: Yes, apparently there were 8 to a room and they had problems with rats and insects.

Did life in Singapore disappoint these PRC drivers?

Yun: Whilst that sounds terrible... what were they expecting though? Nice flats? Individual rooms? Like, really - bus drivers. Come on. Get real.

Limpeh: Do you think they should have gone through with their strike?

Yun: Hmmm. Tough one. Yes, in principle, I believe that we should always stand up for our rights. But in practice, well - hindsight is 20/20 isn't it? For those who ended up in jail or deported, it's really 得不偿失 isn't it? I only hope that their story is heard all over China - so in the future, if migrant workers are thinking about Singapore, they will realize the true colours of Singaporean employers and that the Singaporean government is really ruthless and heartless. You go to Singapore expecting the locals to be fucking xenophobic bastards who have a ridiculous sense of superiority - and if you're willing to accept such conditions, then fine, you go into it with your eyes open wide. Don't go to Singapore expecting the streets to be paved with gold and the people to be nice. Huh.

Limpeh: "Fucking xenophobic bastards"? That bad?

Are Singaporeans really that xenophobic? 

Yun: Totally. I would encourage migrant workers to consider other destinations like South Korea, Japan ... They should invest some time and energy to learn a foreign language so they can improve their employment prospects rather than just be stuck with somewhere like Singapore because they refuse to learn English or another foreign language. In life, you reap what you sow - if you put in the hard work to learn a foreign language, then you will have better prospects. No one said learning English was easy - but if you refuse to put in the hard work, then what do you expect?

One key reason many migrant workers from China were attracted to Singapore in the first place was because they thought, oh they're a Chinese country too - if we were to go to Australia or America, we might face racism from white people but this won't happen in Singapore, right? Wrong. Singaporeans are far more racist and xenophobic towards foreign workers than in the west. Shame on you Singaporeans. I also blame Chinese migrant workers who make that stupid assumption that just because they're Chinese, other Chinese people elsewhere in the world would automatically have some kind of kinship with them. It doesn't happen, certainly not in Singapore and it's just stupid to assume the local Singaporean-Chinese are gonna roll out the red carpet for you just because you're from China, "欢迎欢迎!!"

Limpeh: Yes, I wrote about that issue. I did encounter it with the Czech-Chinese community when I worked in Prague.

Yes I've worked in Prague years ago. 

Yun: I hate to sound unsympathetic - but they should have known exactly what to expect when it came to dealing with the Singaporean system. I'm being very pragmatic here - some of these workers have families to feed back home in China. I know they want to win the argument - but at what price? To lose one's job or go to jail... that's a high price to pay. Okay, you may have the moral high ground at the end of the day, but that's not going to put food on the table. I'm sorry if that sounds cold...  but this is Singapore we're talking about. You've gotta know who you're dealing with before staging a strike like that. You shouldn't pick a fight you can't win.

Limpeh: Could we talk about your time in Singapore please Yun?

Yun: During my stint in Singapore, I really wanted to live near the beach. I am from just outside Beijing, so I've always had an obsession with the seaside since I was a little girl. I rented a room from a Singaporean family in Marine Parade - they had a nice big flat in a condo. I was like a ten minute walk from the sea and I love going to the seaside. I would sit there for ages, with the sand in my toes, listening to the waves crash upon the shore... The water was always so warm, so inviting, I would swim in the sea and it wouldn't feel cold at all, unlike in China and England - when the sea would feel very cold most of the year, except in summer. I loved the local food, I loved the hawker centres - the working hours were long but the money was pretty alright. I didn't like Singaporeans though, I don't think they liked me either.

Yun loved Singaporean hawker food. 

Limpeh: Why was that?

Yun: You Singaporeans hate people like me from China - you call us PRCs. There's such a them vs us mentality, they view us with suspicion. And I'm like, hey I was educated in England, I speak English better than you damnit. I don't have this Singaporean accent when I speak English and when I speak Mandarin, it's proper Mandarin. Yet the moment they look at my name or hear me speak Mandarin, they see me as an outsider and make all these assumptions about me based on my nationality. It's xenophobic and here's the difference between England and Singapore - Singaporeans are proud to be xenophobic towards people from China, Philippines, India and other Asian countries and even towards white people. Whereas in England, to be racist is like, such a terrible thing. It's not socially acceptable to be racist in the UK, but it's cool to be racist in Singapore. That's unbearable... and I suppose having lived in England for so long, I'm very Anglicized in my ways, so when I see Singaporeans - particularly younger Singaporeans - acting like that, I am just so appalled. I don't think it's acceptable, it's disgraceful.

Limpeh: On one hand I want to jump in and defend Singaporeans, but on the other hand, I can totally see where you're coming from... Do you think that all Singaporeans are like that - or is it just some?

Are all Singaporeans the same? Can Yun make such assumptions?

Yun: Of course not all Singaporeans are like that - the same way, I see some Singaporeans did express sympathy with the PRC bus drivers during the strike, however, a lot of the anti-China xenophobia expressed on Facebook was just ... ugly. It shocked me just how ugly it got. After all, Facebook is not anonymous - when you write a downright racist statement like that, it appears next to your name and the whole world on Facebook knows that you're a total racist and xenophobe. And do these Singaporeans care? No, they're proud to be racist and xenophobic. It's not against your social norms in Singapore to behave this way - that is what I find most disturbing about Singaporean society, for you cross lines that wouldn't be crossed in other more civilized countries.

Limpeh: Pardon me for stating the obvious, but there's a big difference between someone like yourself who comes to work in Singapore or London as a banker and someone from China who goes to work in Singapore as a bus driver... Big difference. Oh there is a huge difference.

Yun: Right, but Singaporeans don't see that difference. They have this ridiculous sense of superiority over people from China. It's xenophobic... It's racist.

Limpeh: Chinese on Chinese racism?

Yun: Call it what you want.

What do we call Chinese on Chinese racism?

Limpeh: The way I see it, Singaporeans are very unhappy with the government, they are so pissed off with the PAP. But they don't have the balls to confront their government about policies such as foreign workers, so they become xenophobic and racist - because they pick the soft target, rather than confront the root of the problem the PAP.

Yun: I don't get it. In China, we don't have democracy, so we don't get to pick our leaders. In Singapore, you have elections, you have democracy, yet you Singaporeans pick the PAP? Are Singaporeans stupid or what?

Limpeh: When it comes to elections, 60.14% are indeed, very stupid indeed, well at least that's what I think. Why did you leave Singapore then?

Why did Yun leave Singapore then?

Yun: I didn't see a future for myself in Singapore, I think there are serious issues that need to be sorted out in Singapore. Don't get me wrong - it's a lovely city to visit, even to work and live in. But the people are unhappy, they work very long hours. The family I was renting a room from are struggling financially because they have a two children and the father has still got to support his aged parents. On one hand, they welcomed my rent cheque but on the other hand, I knew they were talking about increasing my rent and I overheard a conversation they had... They were trying to decide what they could get away with, like "she can afford to pay more, I know how much she earns". Am I some kinda cash cow? It got quite unpleasant, I thought they were reasonable people - but all they saw me as was a last line of defence - my rent cheque was the last piece of the jigsaw that held their precarious financial situation together.

On the surface, they seemed like such a nice Singaporean family - both the husband and the wife were well educated, eloquent and had good jobs. Their two boys were such lovely kids. Intelligent, obedient, well-behaved, polite. They lived in a lovely condo and appeared happy to the world. But all you have to do is scratch beneath that veneer and see beyond the façade... Like I could hear the husband and wife argue all the time from my room, even late at night. They're always arguing over money - the wife wants the best for their children, the husband wants to give more parents to his aged parents and there just isn't enough money to go around. The wife would scream, "I want you to choose, it's either me and the boys or your fucking parents." And they think I don't hear them, when I hear every single word! Sometimes they would ignore each other for days on end... I don't want to end up like them.

"Choose, it's either me and the boys or your fucking parents!"

Limpeh: Yes I did a post about the squeezed generation a while ago...  But Yun, where do you see your future? China? I know it's not Singapore, but do you want to continue working in China?

Yun: No... I know what I have to do, the long term plan is somewhere like London or New York. I am presenting myself as a China specialist, someone from China who was educated in the West and is able to act as a bridge for western businesses looking to venture into the Chinese market. In order to do that, I need to have worked some time in China for my credibility - I am currently paying my dues in China before I can do on to get a job in somewhere like America for that. If life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. I was born in China, I speak Mandarin - so by that token... When I was working in London, I found it hard to position myself as a China market specialist - I felt like a fraud. I may look Chinese but I felt so British on the inside. I was educated in England and my first job was in London - then I thought, ooh Singapore, now that's a compromise between China and England... I can get my Asian credentials there.

Limpeh: Singapore is unique, it's not China... it's not the UK either.

Yun: Exactly, it was no substitute for China and I am where I need to be.

Limpeh: But say in ten years ... where do you see yourself?

Yun sees her future in the West, not Asia. 

Yun: A beautiful penthouse in New York. Or London. But not China. And definitely not Singapore, no way.  No offence, but Singapore is seen as a good destination for Chinese migrants who cannot and do not want to learn English. For those who can speak even a bit of English, they have their eyes set on countries like America, England, Canada, Australia... even New Zealand. Singapore is seen as a last resort if you cannot get into any of those other countries.

Limpeh: Why is there this perception? After all, Singapore is a far richer country in terms of GNP per capita. It is a clean and beautiful city with  a low tax regime, the Singapore dollar is one of the world's strongest currencies...

Yun: Yeah, sure. I know all that.

Limpeh: So why is Singapore seen as an inferior alternative, a second choice to countries like America, Canada, New Zealand, the UK or Australia in the eyes of the PRCs?

Is Singapore merely a poor alternative to the West? 

Yun: Many reasons. Firstly, Singapore is a very small country with over five million people - that means for the same amount of money... take one million Singapore dollars. That will get you a nice flat in Singapore but in Canada or Australia, that will get you a huge house complete with a lovely garden. If you want a huge house with a lovely garden in Singapore, it would cost several times what it would in the West. As migrants, we don't think about a country's GNP per capita, we dream about things like having a nice house with a big garden and a pool. Statistics are just statistics... we're far more practical. Do I want to grow old in a small flat in Singapore or a big house in Canada or Australia?

Cars are also a big thing - don't ask me why, I guess it's the aspirational aspect of being able to drive down the road in your own shiny new car as opposed to having to rely on public transport. You know how expensive cars are in Singapore - COE, ERP, parking, road tax... I never bothered with a car in Singapore, I just took taxis if I couldn't be asked to use public transport. Many Chinese migrants dream of being able to own their own cars - so moving to Singapore would mean sacrificing that part of their dream. It's just such a status symbol in China.

Private car ownership is a big status symbol in China. 

The weather is another factor - I am from the north of China and was educated in England, I didn't like the monotony of the tropical weather. I am used to seeing four seasons a year. I love winter, I missed the snow in winter. Sweating all the time in Singapore took a bit of getting used to.

Another very important factor is national service. If I had sons, I would not choose to make them serve national service in Singapore - not after hearing all these horror stories. If you were born in Singapore, your parents were born in Singapore as were your grandparents, then maybe you'll gladly sacrifice a son or two in the name of patriotic duty to defend your homeland. But screw that, I'm an immigrant, I have no emotional connection to Singapore - why should I, as a loving mother, choose to put my son(s) through that, when they don't have to do it in China or any of these other countries in the West? Which loving, doting mother would want that for her son(s)? 

Limpeh: Yes, I don't think my dad thought about that when he moved from Malaysia to Singapore... but given that he doesn't speak English, the West was never an option for him.

Did it occur to my father that I had to serve NS and what it meant?

Yun: Now whilst Singapore is very pro-foreign talent, very pro-immigrants, I can see how the locals are very pissed off with this situation. As a foreigner working in Singapore, I felt the brunt of that anger. It made me think, if I became a Singaporean and settled down in Singapore, would I be like the rest of Singaporeans, frustrated with the government favouring new migrants over Singaporeans? It's a double edged sword - I see how pissed off Singaporeans are and I think, "I don't wanna end up like them. What an unhappy bunch they are, geez." Oh and the healthcare system in Singapore leaves much to be desired.

I have lived a long time in England and I am able to compare and contrast the attitudes of the English vs the Singaporeans and I just don't see the English being as unhappy as the Singaporeans. I am lucky, I have a good job but you can never predict anything about the next generation. I look at my older brother's son who is all grown up now and he's not particularly bright. Never went to university, I can't even hold a decent conversation with him. You know, tough shit, not everyone's going to raise a kid who's going to become the next Albert Eintsein, Leonardo da Vinci or Stephen Hawkings. What kind of future would he have in Singapore? What if I had children who are just plain average or even below average like that? It's a grim thought, but I'm just being very practical and pragmatic.

Limpeh: I can totally appreciate that, I have an autistic nephew, my family are thinking about those issues all the time.

Yun: Right, I think parents in Singapore and China are so hung up about turning their children into 状元...

Limpeh: Scholars?

Yun: Yes that would be the modern equivalent. It goes beyond wanting the best for your child, it's more like this fear that your child would face a grim future if he doesn't fit the mould of becoming this great scholar who can go on to university and then earn a lot of money. It's a crazy pressure cooker system - it's the same situation all over East Asia from South Korea to Japan to Hong Kong. There are people like me who think, I don't want my child to go through that same shit I had to put up with, I want to bring up my child in the West so s/he can have an alternative kind of education.

Limpeh: I think many Singaporeans are going to be disappointed, if not insulted to learn that they're seen as a second choice or even a last resort when it comes to PRC migrants shopping for countries to move to.

PRCs migrants are looking to the West and shunning Singapore. 

Yun: Singaporeans need to wake up and smell the coffee. Many migrants in China dream the American dream, they look at cities like New York, San Francisco, Boston, Miami and Los Angeles and they think those places are exciting, vibrant and where their dreams can come true. Sure Singapore has a thriving economy, but the biggest selling point seems to be, "oh you don't need to learn another language - most people there speak Mandarin." Duh. That's why Singapore tends to attract those migrants who don't want to learn English - whilst others who can think, "I have spent years studying English, why should I settle for Singapore? That's where those uneducated village idiots who don't speak English go." That's the perception - like, "gee, anyone can get into Singapore, even the uneducated village idiots who don't speak a word of English. That's hardly an exclusive club is it? Whereas somewhere like Australia sets the bar very high and you need to be a highly skilled professional who meets their entry standard before you can get in on their points-based entry system.

Such is the nature of any kind of club, institution or country. I remember years ago, when a family friend in China told me that he was sending his son to London Metropolitan University and I smirked. Did they realize how utterly terrible LMU is? Like everyone knows how 'exclusive' it is - they take in any idiot who can pay the fees, even if they are totally stupid and useless and are borderline retards who don't speak a word of English. Well his son is a complete idiot anyway, one of those overfed, obese spoilt brats - one of those little emperors created as a result of China's "one-child policy", so that's where he can get a bullshit degree not worth the paper it is printed on.

What is your degree really worth?

It's the complete opposite of say Oxford or Cambridge, where only the very best students in the world can earn themselves a place there. In Singapore's case... yes you have a rich country with an immigration policy which harms your reputation - you let in any idiot. That's why the local Singaporeans are pissed off and the potential migrants in China are saying, "no thanks, it's not exclusive enough for me, I want to go somewhere better, where they have a much stricter entrance policy." So it's not Singapore per se, it's the Singapore government's policy on immigration that is attracting the wrong kind of migrants from China - are they oblivious to this fact?

Limpeh: Apparently so. It is a paradox. It's like Oxford University granting places to students who have failed their A level exams. It seems illogical to me, it just doesn't make sense.

Yun: There you go. That's part of the reason why those well educated, highly skilled migrants from China are saying "no thanks" to Singapore and are opting for other countries like Australia, Canada, America and the UK. If the Singapore government can get this wrong, you wonder... what else can they screw up in the future?

Limpeh: Yun, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us. I am sure my readers will enjoy reading this interview.

Yun: I think I have offended many of your Singaporean readers, oh dear... Maybe I've been too honest. But oh well, hopefully they can also see my points for I do think that there are so many misunderstandings on this issue, may your article help resolve some of those misunderstandings.

Limpeh: And that's why I blog.

As always, please feel free to leave a comment below and let me know what you think about what Yun has said. Thanks everyone, looking forward to reading your comments.