Number 14: Suzhou China

Business Week ranks overseas locations in terms of hardship for the expats living there. Suzhou was given an overall grade of “High Risk Location”. One of the major factors was the pollution, other problems were disease and sanitation and medical facilities (very poor ones).

Businesses try to sell Suzhou as being a wonderful place to live, very “western” and all, they assure their recruits. But it’s sham ‘westerness’.  Yes, some names are western, but they are run to be consistent with the Chinese culture, using mostly employees from that culture, and have many of the same problems that Chinese companies have with poor quality and employees and bosses who could not care less about the health and safety of anyone, nor about doing what they’ve been paid to do.

The difficulty is actually made worse by the “good corporate wives” who dominate the expat groups here. Because it is greatly to the benefit of companies if they can convince people that living here is a great treat, the corporate wives jump on board and declare it so, simply denying the difficulties. There is no pollution, the water is fine, the hospital is great, it’s wonderful not being able to drive, much better to use a taxi or car with driver, etc.

In the face of this new wives actually find it more difficult to adjust to living here, not less difficult, as reality conflicts with the corporate wives’ reports of reality, and maybe more importantly what they actually feel must be hidden away or it will be soundly criticized, leading to worries that there must be something wrong with them for feeling this way.

These corporate wives have truly become good Chinese citizens, replacing fact and truth with manipulative falseness. They have succeeded themselves in a way, they have absorbed and truly do fit in in Chinese culture.

But I believe that actual truth and facing actual reality are better for everyone.