Hi Terry:

Yes, I made a very concerted effort to learn Chinese, even before I arrived. I kept it up throughout my time in China, but, alas, never got very good because it's really a bastard of a language. I got some recognition for basically knowing how to speak, but, the disrespect for foreigners runs much deeper than that, I think. First and foremost is the hierarchy, which is all important. It took me years to appreciate the full horror of the hierarchy. In that hierarchy you are nothing. This became increasingly apparent when the Chinese teachers started making more money than the foreigners, because foreign teachers salaries have been basically frozen for the last 8 years or so. Chinese teacher's salaries have more than doubled in that same time. The foreign teacher is considered just for entertainment, and this is partly a defensive measure because many of the Chinese teachers teach in an outmoded style that the students (in a public institution) will tell you they find very boring and inefficient.

The problem with the "leaders" (note their use of this word where we might use "manager" or "administrator"…), is, frankly, they believe they are absolutely superior to those beneath them. No matter what your degree, age, work experience, knowledge, or what have you, you are beneath them. This is a problem because in reality, you are NOT just a rookie teacher who graduated from a Chinese university like all the others. You may come with much more education and knowledge, and you may, in the big picture, in every respect, be superior to your leaders. In the West we don't enforce hierarchies like they do in China. If you are insufficiently deferential (as opposed to pleasantly neutral), and do not show/acknowledge your subservience in the hierarchy, you are seen as rude. In short you need to bow and scrape and do favors for any lackey "leader" who has been promoted to a position higher than you, and of course you are at the absolute bottom. In order to punish the "rude" teachers who behave as equals instead of subservient wretches, the "leaders" may exercise arbitrary and capricious displays of power to frustrate you, including non-cooperation, or deliberate with-holding of needed information, documents, and even money.

As for the rudeness on the streets. That's really a newer phenomenon, which was the worst this year than at any time before. In more first hear in China I heard "F___ you" only ONCE! But in my last year, it could easily be a few times a day. This also has a lot to do with location. I don't hear it in 2nd tier cities. You need to be 3rd tier for this particular treatment. Also, I was hearing it a lot because I was in an area with tons of school boys, who are the worse offenders, and almost the only offenders (some adult males also can be dicks, not surprisingly).

Among the benefits of living in China are: wonderful students (if you teach in a public university), mostly friendly people (the rude ones are a growing nasty exception), excellent and cheap food, the ability to really immerse yourself in another country, and if you are lucky a relatively cushy job.