Going to Singapore is so very easy! People from every corner of the earth and from all walks of life can just walk into Singapore like it’s their backyard. And they do all sorts of things while in Singapore, like this China woman, advertising herself for a Caucasian husband and she can't speak a word of English.

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By Tay Shi'an Mon, Dec 24, 2007 The New Paper White men are better CALL it DIY hubby-hunting. One woman from China knows exactly who she wants as a husband - a Caucasian - never mind that she doesn't speak a word of English. And she's going about it in her own way. No more match-making agencies for her, thank you very much. After she failed to get results through a match-making agency, Ms Zhang Xue Hong, 42, opted for a do-it-yourself (DIY) 'manhunt'. For the past two weeks, she has been sticking up notices on lamp-posts along Taman Warna and other streets in Holland Village. Bemused residents have been seeing - alongside the usual notices for garage sales and lost pets - her handwritten personal ad, titled 'Marriage'. It reads, in broken English: 'Looking for a sigle (sic) white aged between 42 to 60 as a mankind (sic) partner, please contact ms zhang.' It lists a Singapore handphone number, a China telephone number and address, and her e-mail address. When contacted, Ms Zhang, who lives in Tianjin, said that she has been to Singapore twice in search of her elusive 'white knight'. She revisited Singapore last month after her first attempt five months ago through a local match-making agency was unsuccessful. She returned to China on Monday as her social visit pass was about to expire. Ms Zhang, who does not speak English, painstakingly used an electronic dictionary to translate the words. 'I didn't write anything about myself because my English is not good, and I was scared I would write wrongly,' said Ms Zhang, who describes herself as conservative, voluptuous, and fair with long flowing hair. Armed with some 20 copies of her flier, she headed to Holland Village two weeks ago, because she had heard there are more Caucasians there. She said: 'I want to find a white man. I'm Chinese so this might seem impolite, but I think European or American men are of better quality. They are better-educated, more cultured, and have better personal upbringing.' Ms Zhang said she has had five or six boyfriends previously, all from China, but the relationships ended as either party found the other 'unsuitable' in the end. She said she started hearing good things about Caucasians in the past three years from friends and even her older brother, who has an American friend teaching at Peking University. LANGUAGE IS NO BARRIER She said she was not concerned about the language barrier. She said: 'A lot of Chinese people find white men overseas, and most of them also can't speak English at first. If there really is chemistry, it won't be a problem. You can communicate in other ways.' So why Singapore? Ms Zhang said she did her research, and found it would be very difficult to go to the US or Europe due to visa and other restrictions. So she decided on Singapore, as it has a majority Chinese population, a substantial expat community, and is a relatively safe country. She paid more than 3,000 yuan ($600) to come here in June, on a one-week free-and-easy tour to Singapore and Malaysia. She immediately scoured the Chinese newspapers here, and following an advertisement, went to First Overseas International Matchmaker at Katong Shopping Centre to pay $20 to register as a member. In her application, she stated she was looking for either Europeans, Americans or outstanding Singaporean men who earn between $3,000 and $6,000 a month, live in private property, and preferably, run their own businesses. She also wrote that she's 1.55m tall, weighs 50kg, earns 1,000 yuan a month, and loves reading, music and travel. Ms Zhang even skipped the Malaysia leg of the tour in hopes of a match. She called the marriage agency several times after she returned home but there was no match. Agency owner Francis Toh, 53, said given her requirements, it was very difficult to find a mate, and his employees had explained that to her when she registered with them. He said: 'We do not guarantee a match. It's not that if you want a man who earns so much money and lives in private property, you will definitely get him by paying $20.' Last month, Ms Zhang decided to make a second, 16,000 yuan one-month trip to Singapore. She stayed at a budget hotel in Chinatown for a week, before moving to a friend's house in Redhill to cut costs. So did she get any response to her fliers? Ms Zhang said she received one phone call about a week ago. 'But it was from a withheld number, and he spoke English, so I couldn't understand him. I asked him to speak in Mandarin, but he couldn't, then he hung up,' she said. Most residents in the neighbourhood where Ms Zhang's fliers were found were mixed in their views. Their reactions to her ranged from 'funny' to 'desperate' to 'very bold.' NTU lecturer Andrew Duffy, 42, who called The New Paper hotline after spotting the flier while visiting a friend, said jokingly: 'It's good marketing!' One female resident, who declined to give her name, said she even spotted two Caucasian men taking pictures of the sign on the lamp-post one morning. A married male Australian resident, 59, who declined to give his name, said that he would never respond to such an ad, even if he was single. But his wife, 60, said that in their country, there are men who go overseas to find Asian women willing to live in remote areas of Australia with them - because many Australian women are unwilling to do so. 'They could have happy marriages and have children,' she said.

Let's see what she has.

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Ms Zhang Xue Hong, 42, who describes herself as conservative, voluptuous, and fair with long flowing hair.

With this advertisement, she most likely will get a pimp.

Unfortunately, a lot of mainland Chinese women have just come out of a totalitarian rule that does not offer much in terms of career and marriage opportunities. Many have seen too much unrealistic scenes of fulfilling love from western movies or "heard" from acquaintances married overseas. Obviously, she has not heard or may not be able to hear/read some horrible stories of mail bride Chinese married oversea to Caucasians who ended up being beaten and treated more like slaves because the recourse for many of these women is very little. Because they do not speak English.

Mainland Chinese men too have a long way to go to learn how to treat their woman folks with more love and respects instead of chasing after the almighty YUAN.

Mainland Chinese ladies beware. Clinching a marriage to foreigner may not always be a fairy tale with an ending of living happily ever after.

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Malaysian men marry women from China and force them into vice when they come here ... The State Immigration Department is checking on this development following the arrest of 20 women from China, aged between 19 and 34, working as guest relations officers at a karaoke lounge in George Town.

http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20080111-44567.html

I believe Singapore immigration laws are stricter and there's the Women's Charter to protect the interests of wives, whether locals or foreigners. Men who wish to marry foreign wives are required to prove that they have a decent income, capable of supporting the family before the spouse can be granted permanent residence.

Not all mainland Chinese women are naive and easily manipulated. Those single-minded women who work hard have succeeded in realising their dreams. Except that these marriages are for certain specific goals and purposes, not for love. Some might have considered using Singapore as a stepping stone to a brighter future in another country.

See story of Wendi Deng (Mrs Murdoch).

http://oneworldtalk.freeforums.org/viewtopic.php?p=2297#2297

Singapore is not only a foreigner’s backyard, but also a paradise for pickpockets.

They work in twos or more usually with women in their 20s and 30s and may speak English with a non-local accent. Three Vietnamese nationals (2 women and a man) were caught in Tampines Mall by a vigilant woman shop assistant who napped them with the help of police on duty last week. She said there were at least 3 victims who went to her shop that night.

A spate of cases had been reported in several areas, which prompted the neighbourhood police centre to issue an advisory last October alerting the shoppers of pickpockets.

As this is now a festive period, shopping malls will be crowded shoulder to shoulder. So, shoppers amongst us should be vigilant. Handphones and wallets of course are the preferred items for the petty thieves

Some visitors from the neighbouring countries come to Singapore not to see the sights, or to shop, but to do some little business on the sidewalk. You can find them at most hawker centres at the suburban areas.

One popular place is Geylang Serai market where the foreigners hawk food illegally and a public multi-storey carpark nearby serves as a free ‘hotel’ at night. On most nights, you can spot them sleeping at almost every corner of the carpark - such as walkways, lift-landing areas and even near doorways leading to the carpark.

About 22 people, including a few locals, were sleeping on thin pieces of cardboard near boxes of goods stacked against a wall, when a reporter approached them, but only one, who gave his name as Dino, agreed to speak.

'But we have no choice because hotels cost a lot of money. We're here only for a few days. We do not sleep and work in peace because any time the authorities can come after us. But it's worth it because what I earn in a day here is equivalent to what I make in two weeks in Bintan. For some of us, it's the only way to 'cari makan' (earn a living in Malay).' said Dino, 32, who is from Bintan.

Like Dino, the visitors come from various parts of the Riau archipelago on social visit passes. But, they are not allowed to work in Singapore.

The nearby mosque is also convenient to use the toilets and to wash their clothes. Said one regular mosque-goer: ‘I see some of them pretending to get ready to pray, but in reality, they're using the facilities for their personal activities.’

Last year, 20 offenders, including 13 foreigners, were booked for illegal hawking in the vicinity of Geylang Serai market, said a spokesman from the National Environment Agency (NEA).

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff188/Littlegret-bucket/miscellaneous/theysleepinthewcarpark.jpg

Source: Zaihan Mohamed Yusof, Mon, Jun 23, 2008 The New Paper

Goobai could be speaking from his personal experience. One form of stereotyping is no different from another - they are all govern by prejudices.

Try mingling with a more diverse crowd of Chinese women from different parts of the country or in the world. That might change your attitude.

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My observation that many Chinese women are way above all this hype and are truly focused in what they do. It has nothin to do with the Chinese men. The ladies really KNOW what they want and will not hesitate to go for it!

So is there's anything wrong with women wanting to be focussed and getting what they want? If there are some who are scheming, then blame the men for being too gullible. If a crime has been committed, then the law should be strictly enforced.

There's nothing wrong with Chinese men except the ratio is disproportionate with one child family and preferences over boys.

Observer's observation may be relevant in the 1990s. Nowadays, many Chinese women could hold their own. There may be some who want a passport to a foreign land but many came away disillusioned. Every person should be given a second chance, Chinese women no exception.

(Chinese equivalent of Ms Abby)...Dear Ah So:

GooBai and XP have given the impressions that Chinese women are tough negotiators (business-like) and look at men as objects (sexual /monetary otherwise). Where are the docile feminine Chinese nightingales that we read of many years ago in the Middle Kingdom? Did the Cultural Revolution make the females tougher in China?

Please reply since I am in a potential relationship with a cutie from the Middle Kingdom.

Signed: KweiLo

I’m really surprised that the cuties from the Middle Kingdom have swum that far as to entrap a ‘kweilo’ from Canada.

Are you a big salmon? One of them had caught a really big fish in the waters Downunder.

Yes, Little Egret, I am no "big salmon" ( or a whale ) to entice a catch from a cutie from the Middle Kingdom. Perhaps, like the Pacific salmon, I should home for the sweet waters of British Columbia streams and forget the nightingales from the other part of the Pacific. Maybe I will settle for a little pow wow and look for a native here with tribal inheritance to some casino licenses and takes.

But wait...I have to hear from Ah So first!

Check out my new thread : Appearance are deceptive under Family / Relationships

Foreigners are playing a significant role in producing babies amid Singapore's drive to boost its population.

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A total of 16,232 babies were born in the first five months of this year, an increase of 849 over the corresponding period last year. Non-Singaporean fathers accounted for 25 per cent, or slightly more than 4,000, according to figures published in The Straits Times from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority's Registry of Births and Deaths. Non-Singaporean mothers accounted for 36 per cent. Malaysians topped the list. They were the fathers in 1,184 births and the mothers in 1,715 births. Among the foreign dads, those from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka formed the second-largest group with 668 births, the report said. Mothers contributed 557. Chinese dads were third, with 365 births. Moms from China were the second-most productive, giving birth to 1,053 newborns. Fathers from seven countries belonging to the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) - excluding Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia - formed the third largest group with 800 births. Mothers accounted for 297. The city-state needs 50,000 newborns annually to replace the population of 4.6 million people, but has long fallen far short. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong unveiled a 300-million-Singapore-dollar (224-million-US-dollar) baby-boosting package to encourage parenthood with longer paid maternity leaves and tax rebates. Part of the policy is attracting immigrants. Foreigners currently number 1 million. Fathers from Britain accounted for 213 births, those from Australia 162, American dads produced 109 offspring and Japanese 94.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=128494

The foreigners who play a ‘significant role’ in producing babies to enlarge Singapore’s population would be the PRs and the so-called ‘Foreign Talents’, while those who turn the carpark into a make-shift bedroom at night are a liability to Singapore’s tourism.

Singapore, unlike USA, does not have a long porous border and thus must be able to maintain immigration issues quite easily. Undocumented illegal migrant workers can easily be rounded up and deported if they become a public nuisance. But in most cases, the faults lie with employers who are out to exploit these sources of cheap labour.

I believe all the time that Singapore has an efficient government and such public eyesores that Little Egret have described could be easily resolved by the appropriate Departments. So who is to blame for such failures? Is this another case of complacency like the jail break of Selamat?

Singapore is like a foreigner's backyard?

Little Egret may like to give the impression that the backyards of Singapore is in a pathetic state with filthy looking laborers, undocumented and crime prone.

Like to emphasise that Singapore not only appears to accept the low end of the social spectrum from neighbouring nations in order to run the economic engine of this island nation, it has also managed to recruit many professionals especially scientists at the prime of their scientific careers like Dr. Judith Swain (Executive Director, Singapore Institute of Clinical Services), Dr. Edward Holmes (Executive Chairman, National Medical Research Council and Executive Deputy Chairman, Clinical Translational Sciences, A*STAR Biomedical Research Council) and Dr. Jean Paul Thiery (Deputy Director, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology)..just to name a few!

The backyards and front yards of Singapore need all these people unless of course Singapore can produce these people with or without these talents. Many smart Sporeans have left for greener pastures especially the USA and thus the gaps in high end technologies have to be filled by foreign talents. So why do local talents leave the island nation? Perhaps only Sporeans can answer this question.

smalltok and Observer may have misread who those foreigners are in my post above where I wrote about the foreigners turning to the carpark for the night. These are the foreigner-visitors who come on a social visit pass and try to earn some money during their brief stay. They are not the foreign workers with work permit, who may stay in some crowded accommodation provided by their employers, but definitely not in a public carpark. Unlike in US, social visit pass is easy to get to enter Singapore and citizens of some countries in the region need only to show their passport to enter. How liberal Singapore is! Too liberal for comfort often times.

Singapore doesn’t need these visitors who park themselves in the carpark at night. Perhaps, American could welcome them instead.

There are visitors who overstay their welcome in US too. Often many came on such pretext and look for menial jobs and get exploited by employers within the hotel, food and farming industries. Currently, there are 12 million undocumented workers in US and many of them are Latinos. Many have been here for many years and have raised families. Children born here are given US citizenship. It is amazing how these undocumented workers can get health care. Many have fraudulent driver's licence and other documents. Their plight has now become an election issue since many have relatives among the Latino voting bloc. AND the Latinos are quite vocal and are the fastest growing community in US. They may determine the outcome in some swing states like Arizona, New Mexico, California, Texas and Florida.