Here is a poetic post about what China is really like. The guy nails it in every aspect!
Excerpt from http://www.puddingandchopsticks.com
“SSo this is a little interesting piece of advise that no one tells you about before you come to China. When you are on vacation here you don’t really get to experience it but when you live and work here everyday you do.
Time spent not at work. It’s better for foreigners but for Chinese, or at least some of them it’s not really “their” time. I guess it has something to do with powerful people wanting to control everyone. Really I have no idea where this comes from. But here goes.
In the States, at least in my personal life and the people I know, when you are punched out you are done. That’s it. But here in China it’s not.
For instance, your boss want’s to treat everyone to dinner. It is strongly advised you go. Yes this happens in other countries including the States but it seems that here it’s really strongly advised. If not you are disrespecting him. Work could very well become harder and that raise,”
continue here
http://www.puddingandchopsticks.com/2012/01/16/time-not-spent-at-work/
(ps the photo is from the USA, but definitely not China, I took it off the East coast)