First of all, Fish, I appreciate the quality and sincerity of your postings. I thought I expressed that the first time, but perhaps that endorsement was lost in my rhetoric.

However, in lecturing me, or most others posters on the cultural and business history of China, your tone is quite condescending, as if to say something like if we could all be as enlightened as you seem to be, we could avoid most problems in China. OK, but I strongly disagree.

I particularly disagree with your thoughts regarding "it's a business," and comparing the situation to another business arena, such as Carrefour, etc.

If you watch CCTV-9, or read a number of international newspapers, I assume you've noticed that the polite, "buzz word" from lots of foreign CEOs, etc., when it comes to the subject of doing business in China is "transparency." That is my meaning as well, and where I disagree with your analogy regarding "business" as usual. It's not.

Most legitimate business (outside of China) will provide the perspective employee with as much fair and honest information as possible regarding the requirements, duties, and expectations of the position. If Chinese schools and school "administrators" had the decency to tell us the REAL TRUTH (at least 50% would be a good start) then we could make a more informed decision about the position under consideration.

That's been the basis of much of my trouble in China. Too much fair information has been withheld from me, no matter how many probing questions I ask. And if this is just "business" then why should SO MANY probing questions be required???

I'll give a VERY RECENT example (pay attention, Daniel): After years of frustration teaching in training schools, I decided to "bite the bullet" and accept a much lower-paying position in a university. I asked LOTS of questions, and thought the new job would not only be OK, but had potential for a long run, so to speak.

As usual, the university wanted me to sign the contract right away (although the job would not commence until after Spring Festival). I signed, sat in the campus apartment, which although clean and nice was fraught with problems. After sitting and waiting for five weeks for the new term to begin, a few days before I was to begin teaching was when the "Dean" revealed the TRUE conditions and situations of the position.

For example, it was only then that she told me that my students were "not the true students of the university, but rather "the very spoiled children of very rich parents." Had she bothered to tell me that me students had not entered the university on academic merit, but rather because their parents paid 3-4 times the regular, legit tuition rate, I would have never signed the contract. She also understood this very well, and that is why she withheld this important information form me.

Despite my probing questions during the initial interview, who knew it was necessary for me to ask if my students are actually legit students of the university??? No matter how many questions I add to the already-long list, there are always new ones that need to be posed.

I have never been a strict teacher in China. To date, it has never been necessary; but soon after I began teaching, I learned that the STUDENTS had one Chinese teacher and the previous foreign teacher fired from the program for being "too strict" as the Dean confessed to me. These students never brought paper and pencil to class, and sat there like they were waiting to be embalmed.

No only that (I could go on and on with additional, disturbing information I learned after the fact), I also learned that the university had altered the final exam scores determined by the previous foreign teacher because they didn't want a throng of angry, "very rich" parents. You see, they sell the presence of a foreign teacher to the parents, but have no regard for his/her academic standards and will actually engage in FRAUD just to save face. I find it all quite disgusting.

After I resigned, giving the full two-month notice as required by the contract, the school asked me to still give the students (all 294 of them) -- ten groups, who only met with me once a week for two hours a final oral assessment exam. I said I would do so, provided they understood that only about 7-10 of each group of 35 students would likely receive a passing score. (These were the only truly poor and lazy students I have encountered in four years of teaching). I also told them that after accepting that condition, I would require -- in writing -- that they would not alter my scores. Their reply: "That's OK, Dont worry about the final exam." Uh-huh.

You see, it is not my nature to make such requirements and demands, but I felt I had to after learning about their previous actions.

Is this just "business"??? I don't think so. It's the ongoing, and determined contamination of anything that approaches legit education. The far larger concern was their own self-aggrandizement and personal gain. Integrity be damned.

After a series of these standoffs (which is something I think you advocate) the "university" finally sent me an email message one week ago telling to "leave the campus as soon as possible, giving me three days to make other arrangements.

Mind you, my eviction had nothing to do inappropriate behavior, criminal behavior, etc. It was all about my unwillingness to participate in their schemes. They could have cared less about my own sense of honor and integrity, but much more about my possible interference with their ability to make more money off of "very rich children of very spoiled parents."

I was out of there within three days. (Welcome to China!)

Perhaps I will leave China soon. Perhaps not. What I do know for certain is that whatever I do for the time I remain in China, it will not be teaching. The education environment of China is a cesspool, and in my opinion, has precious little to do with years of history and poor treatment from foreign business people many decades ago.

Daniel, I hope all of these exchanges have been illuminating for you Otherwise, I have wasted my time participating in this discussion.

If these conditions were not so rampant here, then why is China having such difficulty attracting experienced foreign teachers?

Thanks for the lecture, Fish, but I see what I see, and call it for what it is.