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White, male and out of work ? Try China !


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2017 Jun 14, 2:09am   1,477 views  1 comment

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White people wanted: a peek into China's booming 'rent a foreigner' industry. Foreign faces are still in demand to create an international veneer for Chinese firms by posing as executives, musicians and even mechanics.

It's not uncommon for Chinese companies to hire foreigners, especially white Westerners, to represent them in public relations-type roles. Many Chinese equate Caucasian faces with business success and a global outlook.

For decades, products made in China but associated with foreign elements – such as a Western-sounding name or being endorsed by a Caucasian model – have been seen as superior.

That perception has made China a lucrative place for foreigners to pick up work on the basis of their appearance, regardless of their skills.

Companies hire foreigners to step into the role of musicians, athletes, architects, lawyers and many other professionals for their marketing activities – a common ruse to win more Chinese customers.

The business of "renting" a foreigner has been going on for well over a decade, and even as foreign faces become more commonplace – there were more than 900,000 foreigners working in China in 2016, up from just 10,000 in the 1980s, according to official data – it remains popular.

Last month, for example, a car repair firm in Nanling county, Anhui province posted an ad on a Shanghai WeChat group for foreign expatriates seeking "Western actors to perform as mechanics" at its opening ceremony on May 1.

More: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/world/2017/06/672_231009.html

Related: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/chinas-rent-a-foreigner-industry-is-still-a-real-thing

Back in 2010: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/07/rent-a-white-guy/308119/

#China #Perceptions #Jobs

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1   steverbeaver   2017 Jun 14, 7:36am  

Sounds like a good opportunity for single men who don't have a desire to stay near family.

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