I'm sure you are actually referring to the Chinese that have had the biggest influence on your life in China, the people who run and work in these sub-stand outfits, like York school-thoroughly bad scum of the earth types; however, most of the population I find belong to salt of the earth types. One of the reasons I travel by train in China is that i really enjoy talking to the ordinary folk, thoroughly nice well-rounded people who will give you the shirt off their back- not tricky or underhand in any way, like the York School mobsters. Their food tastes like shite but they are okay. Let the train take the strain-good for chatting up university studentesses to boot. No if you get out there and talk to ordinary folk, even migrant works, it'll make your Chinese experience much richer.

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Ok, maybe our experiences are different, but will everyone's be the same, even in the UK? Some Chinese friends I knew who went to the UK to study hated it, they told me it is a very parochial and racist place, others including one girl I knew who married a guy in Newcastle loved it and had nothing but praise for British life, so I guess it is swings and roundabouts??!!

FYI, I never worked in training centres, except part time at a kindergarten at weekends during my first year in China, and me and the boss got on OK as he was from a commonwealth country, so I wasn't really dealing with Chinese bosses during my time there.

I had travelled by train many times during my almost 5 years in China, even though oft times it is more expensive than flying, because I like the people you meet in the soft sleeper cabins, and watching the scenery roll by with a beer and a book in the dining car, that, and a fear of flying...I don't really trust brazilian planes or Chinese proficiency in the aerospace field, esp. with regards to maintenance. And I prefer to avoid the migrant folks due to my own negative experiences with them, after having things stolen and being cheated and lied to, the only negative about taking the train...why do you think they have railway police on board and everyones ID is checked?

But an interesting post by you nonetheless. Hope you find what you seek in China.
Bullring/Paul