The fateful trip to Wuzhou.

[Carnegie]

So, I'm here in China and was supposed to meet Yiki Jian... and did.  I flew out to Wuzhou on Tuesday past and landed well enough.  I got to the hotel and the entire hotel staff did not speak English.  They dragged one Management type out of the back to help but suffice to say the acceptance of the reservation was fraught with difficulty.

I got up to the room, fought through the Chinese menu internet and hit my emails up.  There was one from the girl that I was supposed to meet, Yiki, and that she would be in the lobby tonite.  No time, no nothing.  Just that "Miss Lin will be accompanying me and this is her number."  Seemed innocuous enough.

I took a nap and woke up to the phone ringing.  "Someone here for you."  "Um, pardon me?"  So I threw on a jersey and went downstairs unsure of what I was walking into.  Sure enough, there she was with one friend and the translator.  So we did a quick introduction and walked down the street towards a restaurant.  I had told them to pick since I had landed only a few hours prior and knew *nothing* of Wuzhou.

They took me to a very nice, and surprisingly cheap, place near the hotel and we all sat down.  Yiki and her friend sat across the table from the translator and I.  She didn't speak to me at all and was using two phones at once.  She's a car salesman and has one for work along with the ubiquitous Chinese cell phone.  The translator says she's calling another friend who speaks English.  She turns out to be a great girl, the English speaking one, and she soon arrives.  We order dinner and they end up ordering enough to feed most of the Taiwan Invasion Army.  She still does not speak to me and tends to brush off questions even through the translator.  Everybody else is asking me questions about whether I know what Yiki does or what I do or myriad other things that her and I have spoken about.  Once I hear her say "he's handsome" in Cantonese and I smile at her.  The translator pipes up.  "She's got a secret planned for later.  It's kind of private and it's just for you and her.  She's got pictures to show you."  So, being the young, red-blooded male that I am, I smile largely and wait for time to quickly pass.

The translator tells me that she needs me to write a report for her agency to pass along from me, has to get a couple of pictures and needs to be paid her 200RMB.  Fine, I pay it, write down a blurb that can be taken either way and we take our pictures.  The translator doesn't listen well and needs to be prompted to actually *translate*.  The bill comes and it's really cheap for what we've ordered and subsequently leave on the table.  198RMB for five of us and dinner for a thousand.  Fine, $30 I can handle.  

We pile into a taxi and take off to the other side of the city.  We go into this photo studio and she's still not said five words to me directly.  We sit down and the lady in the studio starts this slideshow of recent pics.  Now, it seems I've misread "Private for you and her" to mean her and I but it should be "Her and I and her two friends and the translator."  The pictures are fantastic and she's ungodly beautiful in them.  We prunes them down, still won't show any affection or anything of the sort.  Will not even recognize my existence.  Fine, maybe she's just young.  We're in the studio for about an hour and a half just sitting there pruning down pictures to a reasonable number.  10pm rolls around and then we get up to go.  At the doorway, the translator pipes up again.  "She would like to go home now so it's time to say goodbyes."  I'm speechless: we haven't said hello yet and now you want me to say goodbye?  "She's very satisfied and happy to meet you."  Great, I am too but perhaps she could speak to me even in Cantonese.  "Would you like to see her again?"  Yes, I would but doing things through a translator is rather difficult for me.  I tell her I will send her an EMF tonite and talk to her.

I send her one saying she's wonderful but there're some problems that require adjustment.  Like perhaps speaking to me being the first one.  I wait the entire of Wednesday to hear something and zip.  Thursday morning rolls around and I see "You have a reply".  Well, now, how lucky am I?  /sarcasm off.  I read it and it's a Dear John.  "We have problems communicating and I thought they could be fixed.. blah, blah, blah.  I should look for a Chinese man now."  All of the instincts I had prior to leaving China were all right: she's not real.  Sure, she exists but my messages to her and from her were not.  When you're asked the same things that have been covered before again, it's not real.

So, lessons to be learned:

Maxx's 24 hour rule needs an amendment.  If you speak to her face-to-face, on QQ/MSN or via webcam, wait 24 hours.  If you are using EMFs and she feels fake, she likely is.

If she will not get off of EMF, she's likely fake.

If she will not answer questions, she's likely fake.

Wait until later when I will post the actual discussion with another girl about Yibang Rose Consulting.  You'll love it, I'm sure.

[odysseus007]

Looks to me like you've been paraded to the gal the way they parade "working gals" in the Bangkok fleshpots. I find it very demeaning, and you have absolutely no control. I would never even go there without getting a lot more direct communication with the gal, or else I block her. Yes, I know it feels like a waste & a cop-out after many EMFs, but I am learning & getting smarter about CHN's system. Obviously the whole EMF shebang was between you & the translator. After getting your credits, now they were after the big payoff, which comes on the off chance Yiki falls madly for you. Yeah well, I guess they will then intro other gals to you....? How young is this Yiki? Sounds like one of the "Princesses" to me.

So far I have been in serious EMFs with 5 gals whom I ultimately blocked, and it turns out I have no regrets doing it. As a result I also had 2 gals who actually gave me their mobile numbers. EMFs spent getting to this point : 66 credits, writing to a dozen or so gals.

The cities along the Yangtze appear to have fewer Western visitors, and so you get this "no speak the English" problem. Perhaps you should try the larger coastal cities in the East or South? As for me, I can handle the phone & inland cities coz I speak Chinese, and have a knack for hitting it off over the phone.

Well, better luck next time, eh?

[ttwjr32]

Carnegie,
sorry it didnt go well but as you wrote it i would have walked out and left them
sitting there. it would have been different if she made some kind of effort but it
didnt seem like she wanted to and probably was there for the first time as a why dont you meet this man
anyway a lesson learned for the next time.

still heading up north to the school or coming back to GZ?

Ted

[David E]

Carnegie

Damm...!!!! I am so annoyed about your story...been there, done that...too many times !!!!

And I am truly sorry it turned out so.

I have my own opinions that these "ladies" who are obviously only photos in an Agency, dont ever get involved in any EMF correspondence and only come along to meet you....for a fee ?, for a cheap registration price ??...I am not sure which.

It did not do me much good, but helped my feelings to go to the Agency and let rip at the manager /ess.....

Take one consolation from all this...now you KNOW and next time they wont do it too you again.

In summary..dont ever go to see a Woman who you have not met for several hours on QQ !!!

Best wishes...nil desperandum

David

[Carnegie]

Thanks for the moral support!

I had basically only gone as a suggestion in my "Need another perspective" thread had said "Well, you've invested X.  What do you have to lose?"  Originally, I had planned to spend all 11 days in Wuzhou but, shit, am I ever glad I didn't do that now.  I had sent her a note just prior to the booking of the hotel and stuff saying "If I don't see you on webcam or QQ before I leave, I don't want to when I arrive."  I softened up on that one but I should have stuck with it.  Now I know: no personal email address/QQ/MSN = block.

Odysseus, she was 19, then 18, then 20, then 19.  Yeah, I guess I was thinking with the wrong head... but I did get personal pics and such.  I think likely they scammed them off of her as well.

Ted, I'm back in GZ.  The school has decided that it will be August if I want the gig.  I think I do although the woman I met tonite thought 5k wasn't enough money.  Maybe I should let her negotiate it for me.  So back home to Calgary I go for at least another three months or so.

Oh, so now I should post the Yibang stuff!

So, after meeting Princess Yiki, I sent the Agency a note asking if perhaps they knew anyone else in WZ that spoke English, etc.  They said no.  Okay, fine.  I'm going to have a nap then.  So, I get this phone call at 630.  "The girl is in the lobby."  "Huh?"    (Have you noticed that most of my discussions with the front desk end in ?)  I head down still groggy from my nap and see this girl standing there.  She's beautiful and has another one with her.  As Austin Powers says, "Twins, Basil.  TWINS."  (They weren't but the point is made.)

"I am Dong and this is my sister."
"Huh?"
"I am Dong and this is my sister."
"I'm sorry, my dear, but I don't know who you are."
"I am Dong and this is my sister."
"I... I don't mean to be rude but.... who are you?"
"The Agency sent me.  Yibang."
Now, I know from reading around here that Yibang is code for "You're about to get fooked in the wallet somehow."  Okay, she's really beautiful and I'll play along.  
"Where should we go for dinner?"
Same drill, I know nothing of Wuzhou, you lead... They lead me to this place off the beaten path that is, again, rather cheaply priced and really set up nicely.  We go, and sit down.  She tells me, in REALLY good English, that Yibang told her to come to the hotel to meet me.  "They send me your picture earlier.  Have you seen mine?"  I told her, no, I still have no idea who you are.  She is embarrassed to the nth degree.  "Now, it's no problem, my dear.  It doesn't mean we can't enjoy dinner together anyways."  We talk and she's really a sweetheart.  I'm smitten and we have a really nice dinner together.  Her sister is really attractive, too, but speaks zero English.  We walk back to the hotel, I take some pictures and she leaves.  No, nothing happens although I wish....  She gives me her QQ and off she goes.  Not twenty minutes later, she calls the hotel and gets patched through.  "Here is my phone number."  Life is good.  I hit the email and there's a note from the Agency.  "We have connected with a girl in Wuzhou that speaks English.  She will be in your lobby at 630.  Don't be late!"  Ahhh, so there's my notice.  I send them a quick reply basically saying the phone craze is sweeping the world and most hotel rooms have them.  When one wishes to impart useful and time-sensitive information to someone, they're strangely effective.  No reply... wonder why?

I sit down and add her to QQ.  "I had a wonderful dinner with you, we should go again tomorrow (Friday)."  She sends back yes and it's a date.  So, last night, she gets to the hotel.  She's even more beautiful in plain clothes and not all dolled up.  I'm completely and utterly smitten.  Beautiful eyes, wonderful smile, put together well.  I've never met a more attractive Chinese woman ever.  We go out and head to the same joint Yiki and Party of Five go the night before.  We sit down and she orders tea.  First thing that comes to my mind: Tea.  Ceremony.  You know the one: the tourist gets button-holed by two hot chicks who then leave him with a $2000 bill.  So, I bring it up.  "No, this real tea.  3 RMB per person.  It is good, yes?"  Tea is great.  So we start talking.  I brought up the fact that, during convo Thurs. night, she seemed confused by what I meant by "profile".  

"How does a girl who's 22 find herself on a site looking to get married?  You said last night that you were looking to meet foreign people to practice your English with and it's a place looking for marriage."
"What do you mean?", she asks.
"Well, I asked the agency for your profile number and saw you.  It said you were looking to build a stable relationship and the site is for those looking for marriage."
"Oh, my God."
She goes on to tell me that she went to Yibang looking for just that but they took the pictures, they picked which ones to use and they wrote up the profile.  She had NO input on any of it.  She says then that she gets letters all the time from guys and, if she doesn't write back, the translator just does it for them anyways.  Plus, if they get sent gifts, often the translators just keep those, too.  Yibang basically exists just to pay translators.

I go on to further explain why we would be angry as men.  "Imagine if you had just spend 3000RMB to talk to someone thinking you were getting far in a relationship with them to find out they're fake?  Imagine you've flown the better part of an entire day to see someone that basically doesn't exist?"  Now, I took the trip to China as a "Happy Birthday To Me From Me" trip that had a side trip to meet a hot girl.  I could only imagine someone actually having that issue.  She seemed to understand why we would be upset.  

"Don't say anything to Yibang!  Please?!"
"Why?"
"They are dai mon tai lah! (Big problem)"  It seems that the contract is such with them that it is very hard to have any sort of dealings with the Agency.  The girls don't pay for *anything*: the pictures, the EMF, the translator, nothing.  They are just like spam email: cheap, effective, throw away.  If us men don't like it, who cares so long as we keep buying credits?
"If they're such a problem, why not tell your parents and let them help you fight it?"
"Because it's a problem."  The typical Chinese woman fear of confrontation.  (Yes, I know some of you are married to the exception to the rule....)

So, avoid Yibang at all costs.  Regard them with the same sort of affection we have for Changsha Love Bridge.

PS.  The girl is still one of the most beautiful people I've ever met and reaffirmed my love for Chinese women after the Yiki BS.  I was truly sad to leave Wuzhou but only because of her.  There's no chance of anything with her long term but... she's going to make someone very happy one day.

[David5o]

Carnegie,

Not sure how old you are or,  what age lady your looking for, but the younger they are, the more chance you have of finding the Chinese Princesses....
If i were you now, while i was in China, i'd be making myself open to meeting other Chinese ladies, whether via the agencies, or meeting them in your everyday wanderings around town. Many will take the time to talk to you if they have any English ability whatsoever, as many here on the Forum have found....

It's now totally up to your own efforts to make something out of this trip, be it sight seeing or meeting ladies or both ..lol!!

Go see Willy and/or the Ambassador (Ted), i'm sure they can point you in the right direction of where to go and how to go about things in that area!!  Hope you can still have a good trip, don't let this upset spoil your journey and experience...

 David....

[brett]

Wow, what an amazing trip report :icon_cheesygrin:.

As David says, I guess it depends on your age. I guess all these ladies (girls?) are way too young to be meeting Western men (or Chinese men for that matter!). It's much easier when they're 27+. The 28-32 age group is good as they're usually desparate to start a family and by that age they've often given up on Western men. I guess divorced ladies are worth looking at as well.

I guess these ladies might have been a little shy as well. If they don't speak much English they might also be worried about losing face due to their poor language skills. My lady was shaking like a leaf when she met me, although she strode into the hotel lobby with such confidence that I was completely confused :huh:.

Anyway, have a good holiday and take some photos for us!

[ttwjr32]

Sean,

5k is a pretty good wage for a month along with housing. did you meet this
lady in GZ? here it would not be enough if you had to pay for housing and
everything else. owning a house here in GZ has taken a really big expense
out of the monthly budget so it is relatively cheap here for me unless of
course you eat out every day. but were you are going you will find it to be
more than enough. give me a call if you want to get together before you leave

Ted