A Lack of Lingerie: A Graduate in the Garment Industry, China, 1992

What does a graduate do with a First Class degree in Modern Chinese studies? Go work in a lingerie factory of course. The year was 1991, world recession loomed, but with the words “I envy you guys…so much opportunity out there”, ringing in their ears, the author and his Chinese wife Min set out for Panyu County, Guangdong Province, China.

There, against a backdrop of clattering sewing machines and daily life in a corner of China unknown in the West, an eccentric procession of characters follow the company mission, with mixed success. Meanwhile the author, battling with time and motion stopwatch training, pursues his interest in Cantonese and Chinese culture, with time to reflect on his student year in Beijing (1988-1989) and several memorable visits to Shanghai.

Naïve at the outset, on a physical journey that takes him from a five star London hotel to the streets, landscape and scenic spots of Panyu County, the author discovers that, like the elastic on a pair of extra-large company underpants, language in the context of business may well be a flexible thing.