Back in February of 2005 when I first traveled to China in search of opportunities and adventure I had no idea that I would soon after meet the ♥woman of my dreams there. However, that is what happened – lucky for me. The ⊛wheels of destiny were set into motion when a close Chinese friend in America introduced me to a self-described clever tour guide lady friend of his wife and himself. She was from Chongqing, China. For the purpose of the stories and events which follow I will refer to that particular lady friend as simply, "my X." I dated her for about 18 months, but early on in the courtship, I saw her for what she was, "A cold, calculating young woman with only two commitments in life." Her first commitment was marrying a foreigner – preferably an American – mostly because English was her second language and of course, America was the other culture which she was most closely familiar. Her second commitment was gaining material possessions from a foreign man to get ahead of her fellow Chinese peers, and counterparts based on the mere fact that the U.S. Dollar out competes the Chinese Yuan by several hundred percents to one.
I have a Master's Degree in Human Behavior, but beyond that, I am a quick study of people's character and the little games that some like to play. To that end, I realized of course that our relationship was a perfect use-use situation. The only difference was, even though she was using me and I was using her, she did not know that I knew that she was using me or that I was using her. This technique of use-use was a power tactic which I learned in graduate school as well as during my studies of a fascinating book called The Art of War. I thoroughly enjoy adopting certain academic theories just to see if they work when applied to real life situations. Far more times than not, I find positive results. This time was no exception.
As for my new-found friend in China, realistically our relationship began on my very first day ever in China, but it felt like we had been close friends for years already. I can vividly recall the way I felt when I stepped off China Airline at the Chongqing Domestic Airport back in February 2005. It was a cold cloudy winter day, like most winter days in Chongqing, as I walked through the exit to meet my 27-year-old Chinese pen-pal of six months. As I vaguely alluded to before, I had been introduced to her via a good Chinese friend and co-worker who met and established contact with her when he and his wife took a tour in Chongqing, China back in autumn 2004 while she worked as a tour guide. During those days I was heavily invested in Chinese stocks via the NYSE and the NASDAQ. Plus, I was writing a book called AMERICA: The Next Big Changes, in which China carried a great deal of weight. My Chinese friend and I had held numerous discussions about China's economy and its people. It seemed only fitting that I should travel to China and experience China for myself. Since I did not speak the language, it was also fitting that I should have a native ambassador. I remember arriving in China with no expectations whatsoever about sex in China. I came there to experience the culture: the great food, unique people, booming economy, and last but not least to purchase very much cheap stuff. After all, an individual could legally purchase $800 worth of gifts and merchandise and return to U.S. Customs duty-free. For the sake of clarity, back in early 2005, the U.S. Dollar was valued at greater than eight times the Chinese Yuan, therefore, shopping was equivalent to purchasing over $6,500 worth of goods for merely $800, needless to say, that is very attractive.
As far as impressions go, I was not disappointed in any way,...