Help me with my story!

I had a friend in China who was a bit of a drunk (!!!) and he has had to bribe cops after being picked up for being too drunk/stupid before

They never mistreated him, apparently after it was sorted out the desk sergeant wanted to go out drinking with him

This is my opinion based on limited experience not based on research or anything, but city police in places with corruption problems like China would never beat up a foreigner for fun because it could get them fired and there isn't really anything in it for them.

Mr. Bradley is nowhere near as interesting as the guy who spent 10 years in China without a visa, trying to stay one step ahead of everyone. That guy should certainly be a character.

I'm loathe to put myself or anyone resembling myself into stories unless I have a good reason. I think it's a cop-out when it comes to genuine character creation.

Yeah they might do it in a 3rd tier or some village somewhere, where the local officials run their own little fiefdoms, but I'd be extremely surprised to see Beijjng cops beat up a foreigner. My husband and I have actually discussed this very issue before and he confirmed for me that it is actually pretty rare for police to get physically violent in a normal situation.

However, in Kunming I've seen the cops very conspicuously encourage a rowdy crow of bystanders to beat up a thief, even though they wouldn't touch him themselves. Basically the cop said something like "I'm just going to turn around for a minute, and I hope that no one does anything to him" and then let the crowd go at it.

Like kitano says though, the police really gain nothing by beating people up just for shits and they stand to lose a lot. Especially in bigger cities where they're watched more carefully. A small time police officer isn't going to risk pissing off someone higher up by engaging in petty thuggery.  

Mr. Bradley is nowhere near as interesting as the guy who spent 10 years in China without a visa, trying to stay one step ahead of everyone. That guy should certainly be a character.

I'm loathe to put myself or anyone resembling myself into stories unless I have a good reason. I think it's a cop-out when it comes to genuine character creation.

The true stories are always better than the made up ones!

You have to put yourself into your books though, you have to know the characters who you are creating intimately or it will just come across as false.

A co-worker was out late, sitting at a restaurant table on the sidewalk when the Guangzhou police asked for his passport. I wasn't there and didn't get much details, but it's difficult to think he got physical with the cops. Just guessing, but I think he was arguing about not needing to go down to the station. They knocked him down, jumped on him a bit, then dragged him by his feet, face down, to the van. Besides one major cut under the chin, don't think there were other injuries, but this goes along with my previous impressions of GZ cops. They're nice, up to the point of perceived defiance, then you get sorted.

If you still have something to say after that, well, there was this Nigerian man a year ago who got into an argument with a tuk-tuk driver, got hauled down to jail and beaten to death, and I doubt it had anything to do with the original reason the cops were called. Again speculating, but I figure what the cops will respond to violently is defiance. The traffic ticket cops in GZ appear very patient as drivers argue with them. Why not? They gotta pay anyhow and those boys don't usually carry guns. The other cops do not tolerate defiance. My impression is that they have no problem using force on any perceived "bad laowai".

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmAFiction/comments/1bdf4o/fic_i_am_a_country_girl_who_moved_to_beijing_i/

Second character is up.

Sorry that I can't help you yli, but you will certainly need a woman's opinion. Fortunately there are some really astute ladies here who are familiar with China and its ways and your Girlfriend/s should also be asked to offer ideas from a female perspective. Hope all goes well for you.

Noodle Girl can't seem to contact any of her relatives (alternately, they all died in a goat stampede just after she moved to Beijing).

In her dreams, she's not a peasant goat milker, but has strange memories of being a highly trained agent for a secret unit of the army.  Naturally, it turns out that the whole peasant thing is just a cover story she started believing after an unfortunate whack on the head from a brick that fell off a building.

Watch out Jason Bourne.  Noodle Girl is coming to take you out for good.

(alternately, they all died in a goat stampede just after she moved to Beijing).

That's likely. Goats are vicious. She probably sends back half her paycheck to help her family members out west who have been maimed or killed by goats.

Chengguan.

Also, it'd be a damn interesting story to hear how one woman negotiates both supplier networks and whatever network runs her particular street. Also, where does she live?

For the love of God, don't let her hook up with whatisname. Why would she? All the crap she's had to go through to actually be able to open a stall more than once without being beaten, raped or killed... Who's easier to murder in China: female migrant workers or prostitutes? (Or boys in netbars?)

Maybe she just witnesses something.

Chengguan.

Also, it'd be a damn interesting story to hear how one woman negotiates both supplier networks and whatever network runs her particular street. Also, where does she live?

For the love of God, don't let her hook up with whatisname. Why would she? All the crap she's had to go through to actually be able to open a stall more than once without being beaten, raped or killed... Who's easier to murder in China: female migrant workers or prostitutes? (Or boys in netbars?)

Maybe she just witnesses something.

There's a pretty high amount of commercial activity in the area I'm referring to and it's likely she just bribes the Chengguan/Police to stay away. There's no doubt the authorities are on the take though. As for suppliers, she's just an employee. Someone else owns the vendor permit and does all the prep work (dude is paranoid about his broth recipe getting stolen). The amount of money the authorities get from the stall is likely minor and sometimes, they just don't bother as shaking down the nearby nightclubs is far more profitable.

Mr. Bradley almost certainly makes a pass at her. Mr. Bradley definitely gets rejected in front of a group of other customers.

Prostitutes are easier to rape and murder since they spend a lot of time alone with seedy clients. That and I've seen plenty of female street stall vendors in Beijing. As for boys in internet cafes, they tend to die on their own after staying awake for 72 hours shotgunning redbulls.

She probably lives close by and shares an apartment with a bunch of other people.

Ah, interesting.

Why is the owner paranoid about his broth recipe being stolen? And what's Zheng's relationship to that owner?

(I mentioned boys in netbars because there was a serial killer in, I think, Henan, who lured an ungodly number of them outside and bumped them off in unpleasant ways.)

And, she does the bribing or the vendor licensee does? Does she have to deal face-toface with the chengguan themselves? How does she handle that?

Ah, interesting.

Why is the owner paranoid about his broth recipe being stolen? And what's Zheng's relationship to that owner?

(I mentioned boys in netbars because there was a serial killer in, I think, Henan, who lured an ungodly number of them outside and bumped them off in unpleasant ways.)

And, she does the bribing or the vendor licensee does? Does she have to deal face-toface with the chengguan themselves? How does she handle that?

Why is KFC paranoid about their 12-13 herbs and spices being stolen? It's the lynchpin of that business. Zheng's just works for him. She gets paid a salary + a cut of the profits.

Usually, the licensee bribes the authorities in advance, however, some Chengguan, usually newbies or assholes wanting to create a show of force. A lot of them though, because their pay is shit, come looking for free meals (it's not like they personally see any of the bribe money they collect). It's easy for Zheng to comply because they usually go away and harass other street vendors afterwards, which reduces the competition for her stall. Additionally, she can cooperate with other vendors or nearby drug dealers to increase profits(for example, a marijuana dealer nearby increases her customers, thanks to the munchies).

Sounds a bit more complicated than the usual street food operation...

Then again, I do notice around here that a certain amount of copying goes on. If one guy is successful, say, with shandong jianbing, it used to be that he'd for the most part be respected and people would leave his operation alone, but in recent years other guys have floated in and set up similar carts. Presumably there's some behind the scene rivalry, but it isn't apparent on the street.

Plus, is Zheng doing the stretchy noodle thing, where you make dough then stretch it and slap it around until it becomes strands? Don't the, um, north western province minorities have a lock on that kind of thing?


Also, how do street vendors have employees? That's what family members are for, isn't it? How is she trusted to hold money during the night and not run away? Or for that matter, how is she trusted to not pocket half of the evening's take?


ETA: I'm remembering a blogger, female, Chinese (or maybe Chinese American), a few years ago, who went and lived with migrant worker, street food seller types, and then blogged the story. It was pretty gross. Especially about food prep and living conditions.

Can't remember a name or a link...

I'm with CP. In my experience, these sorts of vendors are almost always small business people. That sort of operation involves way too much potential hassle from the chengguan (and therefore risk) for anyone to do it as a salaried job unless they're somehow related to the owner. They also don't generally take in nearly enough money to afford to pay a full a full time staffer. In Beijing a waitress can clear 2000rmb a month, is a noodle stand owner going to be able to pay her that much?

I'd seriously consider making her, if not the stand owner, then the owner's niece or daughter or sister or somesuch. You tell me she's a salaried employee and my suspension of disbelief goes right out the window.