Chengdu CT
- 2010-07-29
Most likely they are looking for a bribe.
This why I would go to the Embassy. They will contact the foreign affairs office in that region and put pressure on the police. The foreign affairs office out ranks the local cops and they aren't going to like having some one looking over their shoulder.
Then again it all depends on what city you are in how big of hicks they are. Actually the level of professionalism among the Chengdu police has been astonishing compared to what it was ten years ago.
Good luck.
englishgibson
- 2010-07-28
Chengdu CT, i am glad you see my situation so well. In fact, I am contemplating to contact my embassy, although i am worried about the local police attitude then. My observation is that the local authorities aren't as open to westerners as they might've been 6-8 years ago and they more often consider our complaints as interferance in their own affairs. Well, I am afraid of the local authorities' repercussions then. I strongly believe that, in my case, the local police station has put two and two, or shall i say two and one, together, when they saw my wife, my little son and me there. Otherwise, i don't really get their reasoning behind their refusal to renew/re-issue my wife's passport. Note that some Chinese nationals following their spouses and moving out of the country have apparently been asked for tens of thousands Yuan as some sort of "repayments" for, i suppose, the country's healthcare, educations and who knows what.
With regards to my wife's ID card and hukou, she's tried to renew her still valid ID a couple of times. She was sent around and nobody helped her. The local police was completely unhelpful if not hostile. They sent her to some local "district official" who would've to, in the words of this police official, AGREE to issue her the new ID card. Trying to find this fella was a mission impossible and when accompished it was for nothing. Then, once, my wife tried to move her hukou to her hometown and register with her mother there, but unbelievably she was not allowed to do so.
China's a huge and a rather divers country and peoples people have to be controlled to some extent (Jackie Chen would agree) as moving around could trigger higher unemployment or crime rate, and then it could also have other effects on local/provincial economies. However, when someone is prevented from moving back to his/her hometown or getting what s/he is entitled to according to the country's own regulations, it's a clear issue of freedom of rights which in this case affects the whole family, me (a for ever foreigner on mainland) inclusive. Really, at this point, I just want to travel with my wife and son, 'cause my son needs a visa in his Canadian passport. It's incredible that, as it looks, that a father does not count here as much as a local mother which needs to be present when traveling abroad with the (foreign) child.
Cheers and beers to all of your fine replies that've helped me breath better
Chengdu CT
- 2010-07-26
I can empathize. I have been in China for quite sometime and have a two year old with another on the way.
One thing that is certain in China is that teaching English is a dead end job for native speakers. In Chengdu the cost of living has easily doubled in the last five years and wages and salaries have remained stagnant or actually declined during that time. If I was not married I would be in Japan or Taiwan. ESL is still a dead end job in those places as well but at least it pays enough to survive on and there is a lot crap to deal with.
Regarding the ID card, recently the government issued new ID cards and they are no longer accepting the old ones. She should still be able to get her card replaced. Another thing to do is try contacting your embassy and telling them your situation. They can't really do anything, but they will most likely contact the foreign affairs office in her hukou. They in turn will contact the police to find out the situation. This will probably annoy the cops, but hey they should be doing their job anyways.
Once is not going to do it. You need to jam a lot of paper up their arses until they get the message that you aren't going to go away. After you contact the embassy and that most likely will fail, contact your elected representatives back home. They can't do much but they will have somebody put pressure on your state department and that should generate some pressure on your embassy to get some sort of results.
I went through a pretty negative period a while ago. Easy to do when you watch everyone around you moving forward and actually notice your situation going backwards. This is going to sound lame, but try to stay postitive. Your mental attitude has a lot to do with the luck you "create". Once I changed my attitude a bit things became easier, not much easier but a bit, and more opportunities have come my way in the last year than I am able to take.
Good luck.
Migrant Worker
- 2010-07-25
Hello,
I can only empathize with your situation. Because of this, I can't really offer any clearly sound advice. My suggestion is to take steps into possibly enhancing your and your wife's credentials or have her do something else that is "outside the box."
You want an example?
If her English is quite good,you could have her scope out work on www.odesk.com. This is international computer type of work that can be done entirely from home. Want some more advice on the house? Rent it out, and have the mortgage pay off itself. If you can't find renters, then perhaps just live in it until your situation changes and then try again.
I totally agree with you about the travel documents. It is a HORRIBLE method of dealing with important documentation. There are 1.4 billion people in China. They have mail, they have the internet and high tech communications systems. Why on Earth do they require the act of returning to their home city in order to simply retreive an I.D. card or passport? Someone told me it had to do with population control. I honestly think it does not but annoy and frustrate the poor Chinese and make them spend much more on transportation than needed. The air and train lines must love it.
Anyway, keep your head up. I have been in some bad spots myself but you will always make it through if you have a thick skin. If I were, I would choose to raise a child in Canada as well.
Regards,
MW
englishgibson
- 2010-07-25
Justin, thank you for the suggestion. As far as I know myself, I am not cut for it unfortunately.
Cheers and beers
Justin
- 2010-07-24
Sorry to hear that buddy. This is something I would worry about for myself, as well. I discussed it with my girlfriend a few months ago and I made it clear that if we ever had children I would want them born in the U.S. as a natural citizen. It seems that's a good idea, judging from your post.
Well, if your wife can manage to find a job perhaps you as a couple to afford to send you to night school. Don't laugh at me for suggesting this but nursing is always in demand everywhere (except maybe China, who knows), but you could certainly make a living with it if you returned to your home country. There's also the possibility of you teaching English in your home country but I don't know how that would work, I'm sure you know better.
Keep your chin up!
Justin
It is just so difficult. There are a few reasons why and i really don't know which one to begin with. Well, I am married with a two year old son born on mainland, and I have been living and working here for quite a long time. My western as well as local experience do not seem to count as much anymore and my qualifications do not cut the mustard at all as, apparently, new white faces with less experience are more welcome, not to mention some hostile rules, regulations or attitudes of locals. About 6 years ago, my wife (my girlfriend then)and I tried to move to Taiwan where I found an employment then, but that all turned in dust as the local police office on mainland did not allow my wife to follow me there. A couple of other opportunities i had later went wasted 'cause of my wife's, at that time girlfriend, nationality and her difficulty to follow me. Now, I have got old (er) here and I am worried I am soon neither going to be hireable here nor where I've come from. My wife, a local, has not worked for almost a decade and she seems to have troubles getting any reasonable job and that even though she's got some previous experience and college qualifications. We've bought a home and I've put the down payment for it, however, we've got a loan that as it looks I AM to pay off..in ten years. Agreeably, I am a loser and I should have saved throughout the years of working. But I didn't as I mostly enjoyed my life...until my son was born. No, I still enjoy my life for my lovely son, but it's just so tough. My wife isn't as lovely anymore and her homeland is becoming a hell to me. Recently, I have tried to persuade my wife and her family to sell our (or the bank's) home, but to my amazement, and after they agreed, we could not find a buyer. To add to my misery, we could not even possibly get out of this country because the local authorities have refused to provide (renew) my wife with a traveling document, a passport. According to them, my wife's ID card is old, even though it'll only expire next year, and her picture not clear enough. I wonder why they could not possibly accept her old passport picture, but I am not the authority, am I? I thought my wife could go to some other police station to inquire, but this is China and you've got to go where your residency is. And, my wife's residency has been in a place where she worked before. To move elsewhere on mailand, she'd have to go through a few painful steps and so we've opted to wait until we get the property license which may take some time. But once we get the home ownership license, my wife will be able to get her so important ID card renewed which'll hopefully "qualify" her for the so privileged traveling document called Chinese Passport. Untill then, I am hoping all will bear with me and learn from me. It's somewhat uneasy to tell what anyone could learn from me, but one thing is for sure that you should try saving some money at an early age rather than on your old knees. Again, agreeably, it could be worse elsewhere, but I funking hate when someone suggests to me that since I do not like it here I should go home. Darn, I can't even imagine what would happen to my son if I did go and without him. Yes, without him as he's got no permit to cross the fine mainland borders either.
Cheers and beers to my prison that could be much worse than it is :)