How To Complain in China and Get What You Want
[WARNING: This story contains close-up photographs of insects that may be upsetting to some readers.]
It's difficult to make your voice heard when you're stuck near the bottom of China's rigid social hierarchy. And yet, one Beijing university student has earned wide recognition by writing a letter of complaint so brilliant that school authorities had no choice but to capitulate.
In mid-March, undergraduate student Zhao Xinjie found an unwelcome addition to the pineapple rice that was served to him in the first-floor Yiyuan cafeteria – a huge bug. Like anyone else, Zhao was upset and disgusted upon finding such a thing in his food, but Zhao didn't just get up and cause a scene just to have his concerns ignored.
Instead, Zhao wrote a letter directly to the headmaster of his school, China Agricultural University in Beijing, that serves as a perfect lesson for the rest of us on "How to complain in China – and get what you want."
Zhao begins the letter by giving the headmaster his proper due with "To my esteemed leader" only to slowly get into the details of the incident. Instead of focusing upon his own personal experience, Zhao uses the letter to inform the headmaster of the insect's identification:
At first I thought it was an earwig, but upon closer inspection, I discovered that it was actually a "webspinner" (not the same thing as an ant or termite; scientific name: Oligotoma saundersii).
To anyone else, a bug found in your food is simply disgusting, but to Zhao, this offered an opportunity to legitimize his complaint:
The term "webspinner" is generally used to describe all such insects classified within its order ... in China, this insect only exists in one family, which further branches into two genera and then six species, all of which only occur in the ecosystems located to the country's south. In Beijing, there is no record of this insect naturally occurring in the wild. Therefore, this insect can only originate from where the pineapple was imported to Beijing.
Only after going through the scientifc method does Zhao issue an accusation two-thirds of the way through the letter:
That raises the question: does this mean that the pineapple used by the cafeteria to prepare my meal hasn't been properly washed? If the pineapple had been washed, then this insect would have been removed.
Having made his conclusion after the requisite observations and research, Zhao finally cuts loose with an abandonment that can only be described as "savage" (as going by civilized parameters):
But, is the cafeteria going to be so irresponsible in its food preparation? This is not the first time eating something "strange" in the Yiyuan cafeteria. Eating houseflies, croton bugs (German cockroaches), human eyelashes, and hair is all part of the routine here. Previously, I thought that these were all just accidents, and didn't much care; at worst, I could just change cafeterias. However, this latest incident is completely unacceptable. Without the need to signify that this incident was completely revolting, it nevertheless causes suspicion in the state of hygiene provided by this cafeteria.
And if that wasn't enough, Zhao also took the time in the letter to back up his claims by stating the fact that webspinners have a tendency to make their nests in pineapple fruit. As well, Zhao speculated that the feces found on the pineapple skin that accompanied his meal were likely left by young insects in the classifications of either Lepidoptera (an order of butterflies and moths) or Coleoptera (beetles).
It's not often that a student schools the teacher, so just who is this guy that knows so much about the bug found in his food?
As it turns out, Zhao is the last person you'd want to have discover a bug in the school food. Besides being a student of the botanical protection institute, Zhao Xinjie also happens to be the president of the university's insect society club. Here he is giving a a lecture during China Agricultural University's "Insect Awareness Day":
Beaten into submission by Zhao's masterful knowledge of insects, China Agricultural University admitted Tuesday that their school cafeterias have a hygiene problem, blaming the incident upon a "new staff member unfamiliar with kitchen protocols."
Even though he didn't go looking for it, Zhao has had greatness thrust upon him. After his letter to the headmaster leaked online and became national news, Zhao has been praised for his critical thinking and eloquence.
With many comments calling Zhao "amazing" and a "learned scholar", one netizen praised Zhao as a leader, writing: "Students of every major in universities all around China should follow your example! Let's use our learned knowledge for practical applications!" Meanwhile, Zhao's deeds have also impressed the fairer sex. One student even went so far as to ask: "This humble girl is not talented like you are, and just wants to know the Weibo account of this esteemed scholar."
Despite all the attention (and advances), Zhao flatly downplays his achievement, humbly saying that he never wanted the "internet fame" that so many contemporary live-streamers pine for.
Hopefully, we can all learn to use science and critical thinking as a way to better express ourselves. Instead of worrying about "What's bugging you?" maybe we should follow Zhao's lead and get more bang for our bugs.
Images: Weibo
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