Wanted: Foreigner for Hire

Text by Lena Gidwani Translation by Emma Xu Illustration by Liu Tian

Wanted: Foreigner for Hire

Text by Lena Gidwani Translation by Emma Xu Illustration by Liu Tian

COLUMNIST'S PROFILELena Gidwani is a resident of Guangzhou for 13 years, selfconfessed networker, magazine editor and an avid writer.Lena Gidwani，網絡工作者、雜志編輯、作家，在廣州居住13年。

l'm going to let you in on a little secret. Well, maybe not a secret, more like a well-kept, surreptitious truth.

Way back in the day when we didn't have iPhones or WeChat, l used to be a television anchor. Not just any TV anchor, but the foreign, female face of the nowdefunct Guangzhou English Channel. Back in the day, it wasn't exactly a common profession, and l take pride in admitting that at one stage, l enjoyed some level of celebrity status and even signed an autograph or ten. At the height of the Channel's popularity, l had constant offers to open factories, emcee events or just turn up and mingle, in return for cash, designer clothes and even jewellery. See, l had long brown hair, looked a little more exotic than your regular Jane, and of course, l spoke perfectly neutral English, a rare commodity back then. l never said yes though, for any work outside of the Channel was a clear breach of contract, and l knew better.

Fast forward a decade and a bit, and well, things are a little different. Barely anyone l know watches local TV these days, almost everyone speaks English and foreigners can be seen dime a dozen in various industries and professions that run the gamut, from Guilin to Guangzhou. And the honest truth? l will admit that l've now put on a teensy bit of weight after having two children, and we all know that the camera adds ten pounds.

So when l came across US fi lmmaker and director David Borenstein's award-winning documentary, aptly titled 'Dream Empire', l was gripped, enthralled to say the least. Focusing on the highly lucrative business of engaging foreigners to pose as celebrities, VlPs, employees or business partner to attract real estate buyers, boost sales or just mingle, Borenstein touches on a topic that unearths what we all know so well; the use of foreigner star power to make a sale, rake in quick cash and well, save face. These days it tends to occur more discreetly in small third and fourth-tier cities or small towns where mostly only locals can be seen and foreigners are still considered a rarity. Truth be told, the fi lm stuck a chord, taking me back to my youth where 'rent a foreigner' jobs such as these were highly commonplace, even in the big cities. And absurd as this phenomenon may sound now, the documentary chronicles one of the most critical issues of our time that we are all too aware of but afraid to ask; is this an idiosyncrasy that is unique to China, or a sign of history repeating itself?

l'll leave you to ponder upon this age-old question, whilst l reminisce about what may have been had l taken up their many offers to just be a foreign face in a country that has embraced me like no other……

出租洋面孔

最近，紀錄片《夢想帝國》突然火了。這讓我想起一段往事。

在沒有智能手機的年代，我曾當過廣州英語頻道的主持人。那時，我站在臺上，驕傲感油然而生，享受著名人般的待遇。節目最紅火時，我接到源源不斷的高報酬兼職邀約。一頭棕色長發為我增添了異域風情，一口純正英語更讓我脫穎而出。但我不想違約，從沒答應。

十年前，一切變了。會說英語不再稀奇，各行各業的外國人也如雨后春筍。

《夢想帝國》聚焦暴利的外國人雇傭行業，曝光了在華外籍人士周知的秘密。片中的外國雇員扮作名人、合作方吸引房地產買家、拉動銷售。如今，三、四線城市重蹈覆轍，那里的外國人仍然罕有。我產生了強烈共鳴，仿佛回到那段“出租洋人”在大城市里隨處可見的時光?！秹粝氲蹏酚涗浀闹S刺主題，我們心知肚明，卻缺乏刨根問底的勇氣。這難道只是中國的特色，抑或是歷史的重復？

大家不妨沉下心想想。我也不禁自問，若當初接受兼職邀約，在這寬厚待我的國度出賣了洋人面孔，會如何？