Bureaucracy

Western countries, especially Denmark, are renown for their high levels of bureaucracy. Whether it concerns the school administration, local or national authorities, or a service provider (such as a telephone company), there is just an enormous hassle to get through to somebody who either has the qualifications or the authority to help one out. Before I came to Asia, I had the idea that it was different. Of course corruption is more widespread than in Denmark, but there seemed to be numerous loop-holes to the system, and if one could navigate them then the benefits would be considerable.

Finding those loop-holes turns out to be much more difficult than first anticipated. Some elements it is best to just play by the rules (say, getting a visa for China), but acting ignorant (which often is not an act, but actual confusion) often helps smooth out proceedings. Especially the OAL, the school administration which manages everything with exchange students, can be influenced this way.

Sometimes, though, there is just no way around the rules - and these are often the most retarded and inconvenient. For example, the International House, which houses some 200 students, provides one roll of toilet paper for each student a month. Not only does one have to bring an ID card and sign in person in order to receive this single roll (God forbid someone tried to hustle 2 or more rolls), but toilet paper collection is only between 6 PM and midnight. Even if you walk into their office at 5 PM, and there are 4 employees sitting around a mound of toilet paper occupied with nothing but chit-chatting, it is not possible to get your toilet paper. Another example is the cafeteria in the morning, where they do not serve hot food until 8 AM, although cold food opens at 7:30 AM. Even though it is possible to make a bowl of noodles (the heater is on, the sauce is made, etc.) and the canteen is totally empty, and one has class at 8:15 at the other end of the school; dull, over-priced sandwiches are all that is available. Rules are rules.

Although bureaucracy is ever-present, a core difference between East and West is the renown concept of "guanxi" - relationships. You don't circumvent the system, you simply get an insider to circumvent it for you (figuratively speaking, of course). Guanxi is immensely important in Chinese business, but even at a personal level it can be beneficial. It is all about networking (as is anything in life) - the hard part is getting the first contact. I got mine when I went to have drinks with a friend of a friend (including said friend). There I met a guy who organizes parties around Hong Kong, and after I praised the last party I went to, which he happened to host, he invited me and my friend to the next one free of charge.

It seems the Chinese do not care how the system works, as long as they know how to get what they want out of it. For now, I think I might be one step closer to understanding that system.