Mao Money

I barely opened my eyes this morning, laying on the bed and stretched my leg, suddenly my calf muscle felt like it tore and I shot up wincing in pain! All I did was stretch my leg a little. Fortunately the pain went away nearly as soon as it began, but it left my calf muscle tingling and sore and I had to rub it and move it awhile to feel normal again. I decided to do more stretching and yoga-type exercise in my daily routine. I do push-ups everyday and plenty of walking, but not much stretching at all. I have to change my habits as I get older.

Later I got on the bus. The fare was 4 RMB and all I had were three 1 RMB bills and a 50 RMB bill. The ticket seller on the bus took my 50, but started to look it over. She spent nearly 5 minutes checking the anti-counterfeit measures on the currency, including the gold colored 50 mark that turns green from different angles, the picture of Mao’s head as a water mark, a roughness that one’s fingers can feel on the picture near his collar, as well as many others. Finally, the ticket seller asked me for other currency and took the three 1 RMB bills that I had. She refused my 50 RMB bill. I acknowledge it looked old, but I did not think it was counterfeit. However, in China, counterfeit bills are a big problem. Almost everywhere I go, when I use a 100 or 50 RMB bill, the clerk will examine it closely. Fortunately later in the day, I passed off my bill to the phone card seller, who wasn't paying any attention.

Actually, I think they should at least change the face on the bills. All bills of 1 RMB value of higher, 5s, 10s, 20s, 50s, and 100s have just one face on them, Mao Ze Dong, the leader of the communist revolution in China. I think there are others, even politicians such as Deng Xiao Ping, head of the economic changes during the 80s, who could be good candidates to have their face on the currency. When I mention this to Chinese they seem not to care. I think the Bank of China could at least have Mao in different moods, smiling or laughing, or maybe some action poses waving his arms just to spice things up a little.

I wonder if Mao's famous mole under his lip is a security feature of some sort. You know, moles are considered to be meaningful, auspicious, or even lucky in China. Like one between your eyebrows, similar to the Buddha. I suppose when people are trying just to make a living, who cares whose face is on the front of the currency.

I got a call from a headhunting agency in Singapore. They called not to introduce me to a company, but rather to work for their firm in Shanghai. They followed up their call by sending me information by e-mail. Honestly though, I do not think that I would be interested in working as a headhunter. I never heard back from the Japanese company.

I put the deposit down on the apartment in central Beijing. I expect to sign the rental agreement and move in this weekend. Finally, I can get out of this animal house, I mean foreign students dorm.