E.E.T. Shanghai: Baotou: China: Mistreating foreigners: Side-stepping Chinese Law.Although EET Baotou is not legally entitled to have foreign teachers, schools 'legally' require release papers and letters of recommendation from unregistered schools. Perhaps M/S Cui's claims to have influential friends in the police and education departments is no simple boast.
Ten Months ago I came to Baotou in Inner Mongolia to help a native person who holds Canadian citizenship, to establish a private school. That person Doctor Cui Lirong A.K.A. Sabrina Chui, turned out to be one of those people that foreigners and Chinese alike should avoid.
I have in the past written many articles about the school, some of which are:
This article today, is just a copy of a letter sent to the managers of both the Shanghai and Baotou Offices.
It is quite Self Explanatory. Enjoy the read.
Dear Mr.Gao
Matters of Legality and Conscience require that I write this letter to you.
This letter is in two parts. The first is the request, and the second is the advice.
THE REQUEST:
My Work Visa issued through EET Shanghai but for EET Baotou [a school that is not registered for the hiring of foreigners in Baotou], will expire on June 1st 2010.
Although EET Baotou is not legally entitled to have foreign teachers, it seems that the schools here 'legally' require me to provide release papers and letters of recommendation from your school. [Perhaps M/S Cui's claims to have influential friends in the police and education departments is no simple boast].
Given this situation, I cannot get another contract without the cooperation of EET and one would have to be insane to think that Sabrina Cui cooperates with anyone without some personal gain in mind. She certainly would not be willing to provide me with my papers. It seems therefore that I must PERMANENTLY leave China.
As pointed out, Doctor Cui is not entitled to hire foreign teachers, and so as I was officially employed by EET Shanghai, I therefore ask for your cooperation and request that you provide me with the relevant papers.
You may send them to me via email.
Thank you for your Time
THE ADVICE:
As you are aware, I am a writer. I write under various names in various places, but one of the names under which I write is that of R.P. BenDedek and I write at Magic City Morning Star News and Kingscalendar.com
In 2007 I was ensnared in a messy situation which involved the misuse of power by a member of the Communist Party employed by a school. The end result was that I had to leave that school, but in the process two things happened.
The first was that I was 'officially' instructed that I may not write about that matter until I am no longer working in China.
The second was that I was paid compensation for all the trouble I was put through.
To date, I have kept my word and 'not written the truth' about that situation. By this I mean that in writing about my life at that time, I have 'glossed over' or 'sanitized' the details. Much as I previously did in writing about EET.
Now that I am forced to leave China permanently, I am no longer required to hold back the details.
I have finished my new book entitled: 'Finding Myself in China', and it is currently being published in serial form at Magic City Morning Star News.
The story to which I refer above will be published in Chapter 18.
The story about EET Baotou will be published in Chapter 20.
Before I publish the 'whole truth' of my experience of EET Baotou, and before I can say that I had to leave China because of EET, I must first ensure that my claim is justifiable and can be made in good conscience. Hence the request in the first part of the Letter.
I have made the request. Your response is irrelevant; but then you never respond do you. You play a game which you think makes you very safe. Not providing email replies or speaking on the telephone, you much preferred flying to Baotou to talk, all the while forgetting that technology makes it so easy to conceal 'recording devices'.
My book will continue to be published on line, and the story about EET will be published in June. After I go home I will start the process of hardcopy publishing.
As stated at the beginning, Matters of Legality and Conscience require me to make my request. I am forced to leave China and thereafter am no longer forced to withhold the truth about my experiences here. And I certainly will not.
My book is about 'My Life' in China. As such it is about 'Me', not 'You'. You are just a small and incidental part of it. I say this because I personally do not wish you any harm, but have to say that between the two experiences [2007 and EET], my book will certainly have some oomph! – some Western Reader appeal.
For that I thank you.
I leave Baotou on May 10th. Lest you say that this was not enough time in which to respond, pleased be advised that I will not physically leave China until End of May [my telephone number is 15247243471 – and also appears under my email signature], and may I remind you that you will also have until somewhere toward the end of June [publication time for Chapter 20] to reply. That gives you at least 6 weeks to notice this email and reply.
It is an unpleasant feeling to know that you are in as much trouble if you do nothing as you are if you do something. Now you know what it is like for all those foreign and Chinese staff who work for Cui Lirong. Damned if you do and damned if you don't.
At any rate, I know that at best you are just over cautious, and at worst, exactly like Cui Lirong. My association with you lasted only 3 months, and while I might find some fault with you as a 'professional', I have no personal complaint to make about you personally.
Therefore:
My personal best wishes to you Sir.
P.S. This email is additionally being sent to Cui Lirong and Mr. T, and also to numerous other persons who can back my claim to have made my request. My conscience is now clear.
There is more news to come about this company, but it cannot be written just yet. I am not the only foreigner to have suffered because of this company.
Should the day ever come that this company learns how to be on the up and up, I will be the first to write about it here.
Post Script: Emails (although acknowledge to have been received) requesting the matter to be settled in private were not replied to. Personal telephone calls to the Shanghai Office were not put through to Mr. Gao and staff advised me that they would not let him know I called. In a government department office during another matter, Mr. Gao refused to agree to a personal discussion on my matters but instead called me a criminal.
(2013) I have been informed that the Baotou E.E.T. has moved and changed name.
With the official greetings over, we were presented with a variety of performances from local artists and international guests, including an American man and his family. This family presented a narrative from a Gospel about the birth of Jesus, and then went on to present some musical renditions of Christmas Carols. Another foreigner, who performed a Chinese fan dance, was Helen, a Ukrainian with an American Accent. She is also an English teacher in Dong He District Baotou. We chatted for a little while at the end of the night. The other performances included an Arabian - Chinese dance performed by a group of girls balancing rice bowls while they gyrated around the place. They were all young and beautiful and adept in their craft
My 'less than trusting' Chinese friends (currently scattered far and wide throughout China), are not so excited. They tell me that not only are private schools well known for their abuse of and cheating both foreign and National teachers, but one should not trust a Chinese boss to keep his word. While in fact no one has actually informed me that I will be paid overtime, the provision is in my contract and I don't see how it can be 'forgotten'. I doubt that the franchisee could ever have become such an illustrious business woman (She has businesses in China and in Canada) had she not been an ethical manager
Parks and Gardens in Inner Mongolia: Expats Watering Hole: International Visitors to Baotou have a lot to see within the city. Ba Yi Park is Located in Kunqu District Baotou City Inner Mongolia which is in the west of the City. It occupies a block in the middle of Minzu Xi Lu (East), Gangtie Dajie (North), Linyin Lu (West), and Qingnian Lu (South). In the West it is located on the last intersection (Gangtie Dajie and Linyin Lu - Northwest Entry) before the Underground Mall, the Walking Street and the Baobai and Victory Hall Shopping Plazas.
Expats in Baotou City: Where to Eat in Baotou: The Seven Pizza bar is located on the 1st floor (western description). It is located just one block from the Main Road Gangtie Dajie and LinYin Road. That intersection also forms the North West Gate to Ba Yi Park. It's not an Up market Joint, and nor is it one of those places where the Chinese stare at the foreigner like he is a monkey in a zoo. It's a 'home away from home' place for foreigners.
Nanhai Park is in Dong He in Baotou. Dong He is just one part of Baotou and lies to the east. It can be reached from Qingshan and Kunqu Districts by cathing the No. 10 or No. 5 bus. It's about a 30 minute fast trip from Qingshan and a little longer from Kunqu.Now although we don't know and don't care why this dragon was in the water, we were interested to travel over to this little island you see in the next photo. We were only interested until we saw the boat ride prices! We live here and earn Chinese rmb. We are too poor to spend that sort of money. As I am often heard to say to Chinese who want me to spend up big' 'Hey! I am a foreigner. I am not Chinese! I am not rich!'
I have spent most Chinese New Years in the villages of Heng Ji and Fengkou in Hong Hu city in Hubei. Last New Year I was in Australia and now I am in Baotou. I have to admit that I prefer to watch the fireworks in the dark countryside, but it has nevertheless been an interesting experience tonight.
For those who regularly follow my adventures in China, it may come as a surprise to know that I have returned to work in Baotou in Inner Mongolia. For those who don't follow my adventures, the reason that some people would be surprised to hear that I have returned to Baotou is related to the rather serious events that occurred last May.
Not long before I left Baotou in early 2010, my friend Arnold (Chaolu) took me for a visit to his home village and gave me a look at some local scenery. I could probably tell a story about our trip, but it would mainly involve the difficulties encountered with Chinese Transport. Therefore there is no real story here, just a glimpse of the area out past Lin He, northwest of Baotou. Chaolu has for years taken foreigners on private tours of the grasslands but is now in the process of establishing a tour company called "Tournmg" (Tour Nei Menggu)
As I skirted Mr. Gao to assist Miss Mae, Mr. Wu the EET Baotou office manager - he's tall, powerful and huge - began powerfully kicking Mae in the ribs and stomach, all the while screaming obscenities at her in Chinese. The Female American Teacher threw herself onto Mr. Wu and I grabbed Miss Mae and rushed her outside away from the commotion.
Such is the game playing that goes on in China, but in this case, the games are being played my a Norwegian and a Taiwanese. When you the foreigner, are having fun in Shanghai this year, please remember that while Hu Jintao is making great strides to make China a harmonious society, with government officials doing their work honestly and with transparency, there are always those people in China, who, because of their money or some personal power, seek not only to control Chinese and foreigner alike, but to punish them if they do not willingly agree to be slaves.
Although EET Baotou is not legally entitled to have foreign teachers, schools 'legally' require release papers and letters of recommendation from unregistered schools. Perhaps M/S Cui's claims to have influential friends in the police and education departments is no simple boast.
11pm, I was sitting in my little room updating articles for my website. My door was open, (to allow ventilation), and I could hear someone in the hallway jabbering away on their mobile phone. Then I heard a noise at my door, and looked up. Standing in the doorway was a middle-aged Chinese woman, in pink flannel pajamas staring at me. I looked at her; she looked at me. Before I could say anything, she said: 'Oh! You are a foreigner!'
Within an hour of arrival in Baotou, I was off to work for EET. At the time I arrived at EET, we had 3 staff - Sabrina, myself, and Mae (a lovely lady who speaks no English - we do have fun communicating when no one else is around). From June 26th (my contract started July 1st) I was waking up everyday at my usual time of 6:30am. I would leave for the office at 8:50am; return to my room for an hour at lunchtime, and return to the office for the afternoon. After work, (although I was never sure when work actually finished) we would go to all manner of hotels to meet all manner of people that were either personal friends of Sabrina's or people that we as a business are going to be doing business with. Most nights I got home around 10pm and 'worse for wear'.
It is quite amazing to see how such young children are already programmed to study and learn, but the frustrating thing has been their reluctance to actually speak English.When they ask me questions in Chinese, I tell them to ask in English. It doesn't matter how many times I give them the English translation, they persist in speaking Chinese
The interesting thing about the ride is that as the train leaves each station, a uniformed attendant salutes the departing train. At night, people dance, talk, roller scate etc. An Island blocks the view to the ocean. The sculpture of the boy is urinating
Arriving at the Hotel at 7 pm, we booked in to once again find ourselves faced with a room with one queen sized bed in it. Again we insisted and received a twin room. We stayed at the JinHui hotel which you can find listed at www.ctrip.com. It is located at LuoHu (lor - who) and is 2 minutes walk from the cargo vehicle border crossing into Xiang Gang (Hong Kong).
The Hong Kong Hotel was located in a back street, about 10 minutes from the Bund. We spent two days in the area before taking the train to HangZhou, where we spent a couple of days exploring 'West Lake'; and visiting "Shaoxing" about which I have already written at Magic City. The photos contained in this file are nothing spectacular, but for those who have never been to Shanghai, or never been to China, they might offer some insights.
After years of living in China, I finally got around to organizing a trip to Tibet. I was due to pay for the trip at the End of June and I was to go in October during the Chinese National Holiday. If you have been wondering why the Chinese Government put a ban on foreigners going to Tibet, then now you know the reason. It was to stop me! Alleyways and Streets are more narrow than the canals in Xitang Town ZheJiang. Once we cleared the bars it quieted down. Now this is where I point out why the title of this article has 'Clown' in it.
Mingxing's company had booked him into the upmarket Kempinski Hotel in Wuxi and he organized and paid for one extra day so that we could go sightseeing. There are two photos in Part one that relate to the Kempinski Hotel Room, but this photo is of the lavish foyer of the Hotel as taken from the first floor landing above the coffee shop. Whilst the Big Buddha is the 'centerpiece' so to speak, the real spectacular is to be found in the Cultural Museum. This place is one helluva spectacular place inside. It sits directly opposite the replica of the Potala Palace, and when you enter you are required to put coverings over your shoes. I suspect that the real reason is to cut down on the cleaning bill. This place was crowded and all those people shuffling along wearing shoe protectors gave the marble floor a really high sheen.
The Fairy Island on the Lake Taihu. which used to be called the Three-Mount Island, is a group of well-known islands and islets in the famou s scenic spot of Lake Taihu.it lies in the lake, and is 2. 0 kilometers away from the Turtle Head Peninsual, which is in the northeast shore. The entire islands are made up of the islets such as Daji, Xiaoji, Dongya, Xiya, with a total area of 12 hectares. (From a Sign at Taihu.)
Beijing
(Note: Chiara Braccagni's articles are in both English and Italian)
A una di queste chiamate, ci fermiamo a fianco a una coppia di giovani. Non solo i due incauti avevano diversi sacchetti, ma portavano con sé anche una torta. Dopo varie discussioni con la bigliettaia perché la torta nel pulmino proprio non ci stava, provano ad aprire il finestrino e a passarla alla ragazza seduta di fronte a Justine. Visto che non riuscivano a spostare il vetro, sporgendomi, faccio alla bigliettaia: "Lo faccia passare da qui" (okkei, va bene, ho detto solo "da qui", il resto della frase era sottinteso!). Io, anima ingenua, credevo che una volta saliti i due giovani avrebbero trovato il modo di riprendersi la torta. E invece no! Mi sono fatta una decina di chilometri di strada sterrata con una torta gelato sulle ginocchia! E giusto per renderla ancora più precaria, era una torta a due piani con complesse decorazioni, tra cui un drago giallo con occhi e baffi di cioccolata. Avevo il terrore di spetasciarla. A questo punto, però, ridevamo da non riuscire più a respirare.
Storie dalla Cina in italiano: Dal momento che Shijiazhuang non è proprio il paradiso del turista, una volta cambiato il biglietto e anticipata la partenza (per andare sul sicuro avevo comprato un biglietto sul tardino, non si sa mai di aspettare un bus una vita e mezza, perdersi nella campagna e rimanere bloccati a Shijiazhuang!), l'unica attività a mia disposizione era il sopralluogo a uno dei centri commerciali della piazza della stazione (unico negozio degno di nota il supermercato, ho preso certe cialde al sesamo buonissime da sgranocchiare al rientro)
Sabato sera, in un locale di Pechino, ho conosciuto una ragazza cinese, Sophie. Lei e un amico scattavano alcune fotografie al gruppo live. Era molto gentile e dopo un po' di conversazione ha invitato me e le due ragazze che mi accompagnavano a visitare un nuovo quartiere artistico di Pechino. Abbiamo subito accettato con piacere
Built in 1406-1420, The Imperial Palace, popularly known as the Forbidden City, was the permanent residence of the Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It's buildings are divided into two parts. The front part, or the 'outer court', consists of Tai He Dian Hall, Zhong He Dian Hall and Bao He Dian Hall, which are taken as it's main body, plus Wen Hua Dian Hall and Wu Ying Dian Hall, which are taken as it's two wings, Where the Emperor held important ceremonies
From the airport one may take the fast train into Hong Kong, or as the Chinese say, 'You can just......'. The trouble with that is, unless you can read Chinese, or have someone with you to guide you, you can't just do anything. I found it very confusing and wasted a lot of time trying to find my way OUT of the airport and onto the train, but having finally accomplished that, when I arrived at the final destination, I had no idea where I was, or where to go, or who to speak to, for, although Hong Kong was under the control of the British for so long, no one seemed to be able to speak English
Built in 1406, The Imperial Palace, popularly known as the Forbidden City, was the permanent residence of the Emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It's buildings are divided into two parts
Definition: King's Calendar Chronological Research
The Premise: Between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE (but continuing down to at least 104 BCE), Sectarian redactors transcribed the legitimate 'solar year' chronological records of Israel and Judah, into an artificial form, with listed years as each comprised of 12 months of 4 weeks of 7 days, or 336 days per year, thus creating a 13th artificial year where 12 solar years existed.
When the Synchronous Chronological Data provided in the Books of Kings and Chronicles for the Divided Kingdom Period are measured in years of 336 days, the synchronisms actually align. [Refer to Appendix 5. to see how it synchronises the Divided Kingdom Period]
About the KingsCalendar Publisher
R.P.BenDedek is the owner and Editor of KingsCalendar.com which was originally set up to publicize his research results into the Chronology of Ancient Israel. Those results were published under the title: 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran'.
Whilst there have been many attempts to solve the chronological riddle of the Bible's synchronisms of reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah and their synchronism with other Ancient Near Eastern Nations, no other research is based on a simple mathematical formula which could, if it is incorrect, be disproved easily. To date, no one has been able to dismiss the mathematical results of this research.
Free to air Academic articles set forth Apologetics for and results of his discovery of an "artificial chronological scheme" running through the Bible, Josephus, the Damascus Documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Seder Olam Rabbah.
During the current economic downturn, this book has been drastically reduced in price but will eventually rise as the economy improves.
Check the Chapter Precis Page to see details of each chapter and to gain access to the Four Free to Air Chapters
R.P. BenDedek writes social commentaries and photographic 'Stories from China' both at KingsCalendar, and as a contributing columnist at Magic City Morning Star News in Maine USA.
(He has been teaching Conversational English in China since 2003 and currently (2013) is teaching in Suzhou City Jiangsu Province.)
