Destroyed in seconds

The Chinese came here and crowed.   Politely to us, more candidly amongst themselves. 

They were underwhelmed.

Underwhelmed at how small our buildings were, how poor our public transportation(deservedly so) was.   Indeed, America is not in a good place now.  Our democracy is under assault.  Half the country is gonna jump off a bridge if Trump is re-elected.  Or figure out how to emigrate to Canada. 

Meanwhile the Chinese shook their heads at how poorly Australia handled its own forest fires.   China, burgeoning with confidence and a growing swagger, looked around and very much liked what it saw.  Itself on top.

The future was bright.  The Party had done its job, and instilled the Chinese People not only with Purpose and Being, but with a belief that all roads led through it.   Indeed, people were beginning to openly wonder why "WE" couldn't act more like "THEM".....?

"Wanna get rich?  Gotta come here."

"Want to make a movie?  Gotta make it here."

Your country, and mine too, dear blog reader, would do well to remember the cliche, "money is money".

America should not be in any sort of contest whatsoever with anyone else globally, regarding the attraction of Chinese money.   Nobody wants to go to Canada anymore( "we don't want you anyway"), unless armageddon (see above) really does take place.

France and England are too small.  They have enough Chinese as it is.

But America, oh it has the room.  And the poverty in Detroit and elsewhere to soak up those Chinese dollars. 

But why should the Chinese want to come here? 
This is a legitimate question. 

Afterall, one cannot buy a house in America and see it triple within a decade in value like one can in China.  You see, at the end of the day, there's more money to be made in China.

So why come here?  This is the question many Chinese here seem to ponder.  America is not a country for them.  It just isn't.  Oh, their kids are American.  This is the place for them.  But I've simply come across way too many Chinese that have decided to live here, that are like a fish in a bowl.   Or to flip the phrase, like a fish out of water.

They hate paying taxes.  They hate the "unfair" disadvantages their kids have applying to college here. (an upcoming post).  In America, their learned version of "fairness" is warped.  And they still can't get their mind around it.  Many struggle with playing the "game", which is what it is.

Life here seems to be slanted against them from Day One upon arrival. 

The women disdain having to work past 50, the official retirement age for women in China.  But here it goes on and on and on.....

Chinese even have to work on CNY!  The nerve!

Their compatriots back in the Heavenly Kingdom had a point; 

"Why did you even leave China in the first place?  What were you possibly thinking??  Life is so much better here."

And the Chinese HERE tended to agree.   They missed the food, the bustle....they just missed being in China.  Indeed, I believe the vast majority felt they were somehow "missing out".   Their sense of identity was.....gone.

Until now.

It will now be a long, long time before any Chinese living in America, or your country, think fondly of going back home.   The place is just too chaotic.  You see that bustle, that energy, that opportunity,  that attracted so many of us, it all comes with a price.  And we are seeing it today.

Can one imagine within one's daily life having to wear a mask every single time one walked out the door?  Not here......and probably not in your country, either.

Folks say if only that brave doctor had been listened too....and I tend to agree.  But even by then, it was too late.  Listening to him, heeding his words, would have saved lives, yes.  But the time to really make a difference was in November, or even earlier.  Not New Years Eve.

The worst is yet to come.   Those countries without the expertise, or the infrastructure in place to contain such a virus are not really "doomed", per say, but their quite possibly "fucked". 

The Mideast, Africa, etc.....I think the deaths in these sort of countries may eventually surpass what is going down in China today.   A proper vaccine is at least a year away.  And when it comes out it will be in short supply, so it's really two years away for anyone that will need it. 

Meanwhile those Chinese manufacturing supply chains, all that expertise, may possibly be for naught.  Because now more than ever before, any company that previously thought "we'll just send a guy over to check the factory out", is in for a shock. 

I was scheduled to fly over in Feb, than I pushed it back to March.  My family was scheduled to go over in May.  I've already told them "no". 

Again, in the words of that great American philosopher Chris Rock....."slow down".

My company has already told me to start looking at India.  Or else.   Mexico is now in play.  Taiwan.  Vietnam, etc.

American companies are no longer going to be looking at only expertise, engineering skills, or factory capability when deciding where to build.    Nope.

Their gonna be looking at the "will my sourcing guy get sick on me"  variable when deciding exactly where to place a factory, or where to buy something from.

You think you are going to just work with a factory and not go visit them?  Good luck with that.  This virus may very well go away and never come back, but that's really a pipe dream.  I have no earthly idea when I'm going back to China, but I know it will be at least mid summer before I even think about it.  And that means other factories in other countries are going to have the edge.  And if a Chinese factory is going to want my business, I will be expecting a big price cut.

Call it the "save my life" discount.

Nope, the Chinese here in America are just fine thank you.  They don't miss home at all.  Getting rich in China suddenly doesn't mean very much.   Not having to stock up on mystery masks does.

The Chinese will need to ponder difficult questions.  Why didn't this happen in India? Or somewhere else?  What is so unique about our national condition that it happened here?

Swagger.  Prestige.  Manifest Destiny.  Destroyed in seconds.

The Chinese will rebound and this too shall pass.  No one or no thing can keep China down.  If that is your plan, your hope, it is a fools errand.  You want to double down on China? Go for it.  You'll win big, if only the payoff is a bit further across the horizon.

But the scars will remain.  And those never go away.  For the foreseeable future,  "catching something" will be on the minds of every single person going there.    It'll be said in jest.  Except no one will be joking.